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Title:	Pentachlorophenol and oxygen consumption of immobilized mixed bacterial culture
Author:	Tsadwa, Tesfamariam Stephanos
View Online:	njit-etd1988-024 (iv, 54 pages ~ 1.9 MB pdf)
Department:	Department of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Environmental Science
Degree:	Master of Science
Program:	Environmental Science
Document Type:	Thesis
Advisory Committee:	Sofer, Samir S. (Committee chair) Trattner, Richard B. (Committee member) Dime, Richard (Committee member)
Date:	1988
Keywords:	Herbicides. Pentachlorophenol. Oxygen. Bacteriology--Cultures and culture media.
Availability:	Unrestricted
Abstract:	This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of Pentachlorophenol (PCP) concentration on oxygen consumption of immobilized microbial cells. The microbial population, from a municipal wastewater treatment plant, was immobilized in calcium alginate gel. The following studies have also been conducted in this project: Comparison of the effect of PCP concentration on oxygen uptake between immobilized and free cells. Comparison of the effects of PCP concentration on oxygen uptake between acclimated and an unacclimated bacterial beads. Dissolved oxygen concentration was monitored using a flow Clark-type oxygen probe, in a micro-assay bioreactor. It was found that PCP concentrations higher than 2000ppm stimulated oxygen consumption rate. However, a free chloride test indicated no generation of chloride ion. For the immobilized system, instantaneous inhibition of oxygen consumption was not observed. Under identical experimental conditions, studies were made on free suspended microbial cells. Concentrations of 2000 ppm and 5000 ppm of PCP were fatal for unacclimated and acclimated free systems respectively. Using a recirculation bioreactor, PCP was not effectively degraded, under the conditions which the experiment was run, and the stimulation of respiration was without substrate consumption.