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Phosphonium ionic liquids for degradation of phenol in a two-phase partitioning bioreactor

  • Environmental Biotechnology
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Abstract

Six ionic liquids (ILs), which are organic salts that are liquid at room temperature, were tested for their biocompatibility with three xenobiotic-degrading bacteria, Pseudomonas putida, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, and Sphingomonas aromaticivorans. Of the 18 pairings, seven were found to demonstrate biocompatibility, with one IL (trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) amide) being biocompatible with all three organisms. This IL was then used in a two-phase partitioning bioreactor (TPPB), consisting of 1 l aqueous phase loaded with 1,580 mg phenol and 0.25 l IL, inoculated with the phenol degrader P. putida. This initially toxic aqueous level of phenol was substantially reduced by phenol partitioning into the IL phase, allowing the cells to utilize the reduced phenol concentration. The partitioning of phenol from the IL to the aqueous phase was driven by cellular demand and thermodynamic equilibrium. All of the phenol was consumed at a rate comparable to that of previously used organic-aqueous TPPB systems, demonstrating the first successful use of an IL with a cell-based system. A quantitative 31P NMR spectroscopic assay for estimating the log P values of ILs is under development.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for financial support, the Canada research Chairs Program (PGJ), and to CYTEC Canada for their generous gift of the ILs used in this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7L 3N6

    M. D. Baumann & A. J. Daugulis

  2. Department of Chemistry, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7L 3N6

    M. D. Baumann & P. G. Jessop

Authors
  1. M. D. Baumann
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  2. A. J. Daugulis
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  3. P. G. Jessop
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Correspondence to A. J. Daugulis.

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Baumann, M.D., Daugulis, A.J. & Jessop, P.G. Phosphonium ionic liquids for degradation of phenol in a two-phase partitioning bioreactor. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 67, 131–137 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-004-1768-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-004-1768-2

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