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Experimental studies and kinetic modeling of the growth of phenol-degrading bacteria in turbulent fluids

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Abstract

Understanding the interaction between microorganisms and fluid dynamics is important for aquatic ecosystems, though only sporadic attention has been focused on this topic in the past. In this study, particular attention was paid to the phenol-degrading bacterial strains Microbacterium oxydans LY1 and Alcaligenes faecalis LY2 subjected to controlled fluid flow under laboratory conditions. These two strains were found to be able to degrade phenols over a concentration range from 50 to 500 mg/L under different turbulence conditions ranging from 0 to 250 rpm. The time it took to reach total phenol degradation decreased when the turbulence was increased in both strains, with increasing energy dissipation rates ranging from 0.110 to 6.241 W/kg, corresponding to changes in the bacterial diffusive sublayer thickness (δ) and enhanced oxygen uptake. Moreover, the maximum specific growth rates of the two strains also increased with the enhancement of turbulence. A model integrating growth inhibition and fluid motion was proposed based on the self-inhibition Haldane model by introducing a turbulence parameter, α. The resulting modified Haldane model was designed to include fluid motion as a variable in the quantification of the physiological responses of microorganisms. This modified Haldane model could be considered a useful laboratory reference when modeling procedures for water environment bioremediation.

Cell nutrition uptake cartoon schematic diagram for M. oxydans LY1 under different turbulent condition (50 and 200 rpm).

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Acknowledgments

The study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51322901 and 51479066), the Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51421006), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2016B10614), the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, and Top-notch Academic Programs Project of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (TAPP).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development of Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Xikang Road #1, Nanjing, 210098, People’s Republic of China

    Linqiong Wang, Yi Li, Lihua Niu, Wenlong Zhang, Jie Li & Nan Yang

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  1. Linqiong Wang
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  2. Yi Li
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  3. Lihua Niu
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  4. Wenlong Zhang
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  5. Jie Li
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Correspondence to Yi Li.

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Responsible editor: Bingcai Pan

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Wang, L., Li, Y., Niu, L. et al. Experimental studies and kinetic modeling of the growth of phenol-degrading bacteria in turbulent fluids. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 22711–22720 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7460-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7460-0

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