Modeling of Growth Kinetics for Ralstonia eutropha During Formaldehyde Biodegradation

Formaldehyde biodegradation was studied in batch experiments using formaldehyde-adapted Ralstonia eutropha and initial concentrations ranging from 100 to 900 mg/l. Formaldehyde depletion and associated microbial growth were monitored over time to provide information that was used to estimate the kinetics of formaldehyde biodegradation. Process kinetics was evaluated by comparing different substrate inhibition models. The applied statistical criteria prove that the Luond equation is the best model to describe the growth of R. eutropha as the formaldehyde degrader.