Toluene diffusion and reaction in unsaturated Pseudomonas putida biofilms
Journal Article
·
· Biotechnology and Bioengineering
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
Biofilms are frequently studied in the context of submerged or aquatic systems. However, much less is known about biofilms in unsaturated systems, despite their importance to such processes as food spoilage, terrestrial nutrient cycling, and biodegradation of environmental pollutants in soils. Using modeling and experimentation, the authors have described the biodegradation of toluene in unsaturated media by bacterial biofilms as a function of matric water potential, a dominant variable in unsaturated systems. They experimentally determined diffusion and kinetic parameters for Pseudomonas putida biofilms, then predicted biodegradation rates over a range of matric water potentials. For validation, the authors measured the rate of toluene depletion by intact biofilms and found the results to reasonably follow the model predictions. The diffusion coefficient for toluene through unsaturated P. putida biofilm averaged 1.3 {times} 10{sup {minus}7} cm{sup 2}/s, which is approximately two orders of magnitude lower than toluene diffusivity in water. Their studies show that, at the scale of the microbial biofilm, the diffusion of toluene to biodegrading bacteria can limit the overall rate of biological toluene depletion in unsaturated systems.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 571654
- Journal Information:
- Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Journal Name: Biotechnology and Bioengineering Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 56; ISSN BIBIAU; ISSN 0006-3592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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