Phenol degradation by pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract

Bench scale batch reactors were used to acclimatize and selectively enrich phenol degrading microorganisms, using raw domestic sewage as a seed of heterogeneous culture. During acclimatization process, phenol was used as the sole carbon source and the feed concentration was varied from 20 mg/l to 500 mg/l. After the acclimatization, which was attested by low effluent phenol (<1 mg/l), samples where taken from the sludge as well as the effluent and bacteriologically analyzed. It was found that Pseudomonas aeruginosa to be the predominant microbail species for phenol degradalion in this particular case.

Key words:

• biological treatment
• batch reactors
• phenolic compounds
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa