Batch degradation of phenol in a spouted bed bioreactor system

Bacterial biotreatment has gained a lot of attention in recent years as an alternative method for the removal of phenol from wastewater. Under aerobic conditions, Pseudomonas putida utilize phenol as a source of carbon and energy. In this work, P. putida was immobilized in Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) gel particles and used in a spouted bed bioreactor to remove phenol from wastewater. The effects of initial phenol concentration and air flow rate on the rate of aerobic phenol removal were investigated. The experimental results were used to develop a dynamic model to describe the utilization of phenol for the bacterial growth in spouted bed bioreactor.