Biodegradation of methanol in a batch reactor by a microbial flora isolated from a wastewater treatment plant sludge at elmenia in constantine

The study of the biodegradability of organic substances is essential in determining the behaviour of volatile organic compounds in natural environments or a biological system for effluent treatment. The present study contributes to the comprehension of the biological phenomena controlling the degradation of methanol in a series of batch-mode operated reactors. Methanol was subject to biodegradation experiments by five different inocula taken from the wastewater treatment station of El Ménia. The consortia used to inoculate liquid batch cultures consisted in bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi and yeasts. The fifth consortium consisted in the mixed culture of the activated sludge sample. Substrate biodegradation and biomass growth kinetics were studied. The concentration of substrate in the liquid phase was determined by injecting 1 μl in a Shimadzu gas chromatograph Model GC-17A, equipped with a DB-5 capillary column (30 m long, 0.25 mm internal diameter). Biomass growth was determined by direct reading of the optical density at 543 nm on a visible spectrophotometer Model Jenway 6300. Bacteria and yeasts proved to be the most efficient methanol-degrading strains. Complete elimination of initial methanol concentration (1000 ppm w/v) required 7 hours for both consortia. Substrate concentrations dropped to 610 ppm and 630 ppm, respectively, one hour after the start of degradation experiments. At t = 1 hour, methanol concentrations reached 850 ppm, 710 ppm, and 800 ppm for fungi, actinomycetes and activated sludge, respectively. © by PSP 2006.