Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2016-09
Enhanced Degradation of 4-Nitrotoluene by Rhodococcus pyridinivorans NT2: Multivariate Optimization of Process Parameters and Evaluation of Biokinetic Parameters
4-Nitrotoluene (4-NT) is widely used as a basic chemical for the manufacturing of a variety of intermediates, and exposure to this compound can cause environmental and health hazards. Bacterial transformation of 4-NT is often limited due to the presence of nitro group and substrate inhibition. The aim of this study was to optimize the biodegradation of 4-NT and specific growth rate of Rhodococcus pyridinivorans NT2 using Plackett-Burman and response surface methodology design of experiments. Of the process variables screened, 4-NT, MgSO4.7H2O, temperature, and inoculum size (OD) were selected as the most important (p < 0.05) factors. On the basis of central composite design, optimum conditions for 4-NT degradation were as follows: 480 mg/L 4-NT, 0.11 g/L MgSO4.7H2O, 37.5°C temperature, and 1.05 OD inoculum size. Under these culture conditions, an overall 1.20-fold increase in degradation was achieved with a 36 h reduction in total biodegradation time than that obtained at the unoptimized settings. Results of batch growth kinetics of R. pyridinivorans NT2 for various 4-NT initial concentrations revealed that the culture followed substrate inhibition kinetics, with the Andrews-Haldane model given the best fit. Biokinetic constants were estimated by fitting experimental data to several models available from the literature. Taken together, this is the first report in which (i) statistical optimization of culture conditions, (ii) biodegradation behavior in terms of kinetic models, and (iii) a Rhodococcus isolate was used for enhanced biodegradation of 4-NT.
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