Abstract
Rheological behavior of a lignin-degrading culture of Phanerochaete chrysosporium CDBB-H-298 was determined. Rheological characteristics revealed a Newtonian behavior in the culture medium without fungi, and a non-Newtonian dilatant behavior with fungi. In addition, the rheological behavior of the lignin-containing culture medium was complex, and changed from dilatant to pseudoplastic. During fungal growth without lignin in Kirk media rheological behavior exhibited a parabolic profile, and thixotropy showed a tendency to increase. Results indicated a small increase in the apparent viscosity in the presence of lignin; however, this may not affect the oxygen and mass transfer coefficients. The present findings can be applied to bioreactor desing for waste water treatment.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This research was supported by the grants: F301-A9209 and 1651/N9209 from CONACyT, México. Hernández-Peñaranda would like to thank the Mexican Government, for her scholarship granted through the México-Costa Rica Cultural and Educational Exchange Program and also the Costa Rica University for the support. The authors wish to thank Miguel Máquez Robles for his technical support.