Abstract

Effect of Temperature and Carbon Source on Phenol Degradation by Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (NCIM 2074) and Pseudomonas Desmolyticum (NCIM 2028) and their Comparison

Author(s): M. V. V. Chandana Lakshmi, V. Sridevi, E. Neharika, C. H. Beena, M. Narasimha Rao and A. V. N. Swamy

fish, and most types of organisms at relatively low concentrations. Studies on microbial means of treating or removing phenols date back to atleast three decades. It was found that degrading potential of Pseudomonas sp., was strongly affected by the variations in pH, temperature, inoculum size and carbon source. The purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of temperature and the influence of carbon source on phenol degradation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (NCIM 2074) and Pseudomonas desmolyticum (NCIM 2028) in batch reactor and their comparison. The optimum process conditions for maximizing phenol degradation (removal) were similar for both P. aeruginosa and P. desmolyticum and were identified as: Temperature 320C and carbon source 0.5 g/L. The ability to degrade phenol by P. aeruginosa and P. desmolyticum in batch cultures was compared. Though both microorganisms behave in a similar way, P. aeruginosa seems to be better for removing phenols as compared to P. desmolyticum.