Substrate Versatility Studies on the Aerobic Degradation of BTX Compounds

BTX are among the most serious pollutants, in both liquid and vapor phases, discharged from a variety of industrial sources. Their toxicity and carcinogenic potential warrant their removal prior to discharge into the natural environment. Biodegradation appears to be a potential alternative to conventional treatment methods, e.g., adsorption. Their biodegradation was evaluated in batch systems using a bacterial consortia (mixed culture) taken from a domestic sewage treatment plant under aerobic conditions. These cultures were acclimatized using individual BTX compounds as the sole carbon source. Similar growth pattern was observed for all the substrate with inhibition occurring at higher concentrations (∼ 150 mg/L for benzene and xylene, ∼ 200 mg/L for toluene) Toluene was degraded more than the other substrates, followed by benzene and xylene. Adaptation to a more toxic compound like benzene and xylene improved the utilization of toluene. Substrate inhibition was also encountered. Results from Haldane's model were more illustrative of the experimental observations and satisfactorily explained the system behavior. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 19th Annual Conference on Soils, Sediments, and Water (10/20-23/2003, Amherst, MA).