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Kinetics and modeling of autotrophic thiocyanate biodegradation
Author(s) -
Hung ChienHo,
Pavlostathis Spyros G.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0290(19990105)62:1<1::aid-bit1>3.0.co;2-q
Subject(s) - thiocyanate , autotroph , biodegradation , nonlinear regression , chemistry , substrate (aquarium) , heterotroph , population , saturation (graph theory) , regression analysis , statistics , ecology , mathematics , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , biology , genetics , demography , combinatorics , sociology , bacteria
The biokinetic parameters for autotrophic systems are difficult to obtain and are often mistakenly determined because the size of the autotrophic population in mixed (i.e., heterotrophic and autotrophic) cultures cannot be accurately estimated. This article presents a systematic approach, combining bioenergetic calculations and experimental data, to obtain values of the biokinetic parameters pertinent to the aerobic, autotrophic biodegradation of thiocyanate. Nonlinear regression techniques were employed using both initial thiocyanate utilization rate data and single thiocyanate depletion curves. Both types of data were necessary to overcome the problems arising from the linear nature of the substrate depletion curves and the high correlation of the biokinetic model parameters inherent in nonlinear regression analysis. The aerobic biodegradation of thiocyanate followed a substrate inhibition pattern that was successfully described by the Haldane–Andrews model. Although regression analysis did not yield unique biokinetic parameter estimates, the following parameter value ranges were obtained: maximum specific substrate utilization rate ( k ), 0.26 to 0.44 mg SCN − /mg biomass h; half‐saturation coefficient ( K s ), 2.3 to 7.1 mg SCN − /L; and inhibition coefficient ( K i ), 28 to 109 mg SCN − /L. Based on the estimated biokinetic parameter values, a design and operation diagram was constructed that depicts the steady‐state thiocyanate concentration as a function of solids retention time for a completely mixed, continuous‐flow reactor. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 62: 1–11, 1999.