Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1992

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Chemical Engineering

Major Professor

Paul E. Bienkowski

Committee Members

Tom Phelps, Jack Watson, David White

Abstract

Alginate immobilized Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 was investigated for use as a biosensor organism. Mass transfer, adsorption, and multiple substrate effects on alginate immobilized Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 were investigated. Biological and physical processes were analyzed using simulated subsurface conditions and material balances. A structured model was developed to describe physical and biological processes occurring in the reactor system. The structured model consisted of systems of coupled ordinary and partial differential equations. Orthogonal collocation and finite difference methods were used for numerical solution of the model equations when analytical solutions were unavailable.

Model parameters were measured using steady and unsteady state experiments. Least square techniques indicated that an overall second order rate equation, first order rate in salicylate and first order in biomass, adequately described salicylate degradation by P. fluorescens HK44. The reaction rate constants obtained using this model ranged from 2.30 X 10-2 to 3.45 X10-2 dm3/g/min. Alginate proved to be an excellent support material for evaluating the degradation kinetics of salicylate by P. fluorescens HK44. Salicylate did not adsorb to alginate while naphthalene adsorption on alginate was linear. Bioluminescent activity was significant in the presence of salicylate and naphthalene. Light emission was not iv significant when exposed to non-inducing substrates. Steady state light emission was found to be a function of salicylate concentration.

Adsorption of PAH affected the availability of PAH compounds in soils. The varying physical structure of soils and distribution of pollutants greatly complicated analysis of adsorption using traditional step and pulse perturbation methods. Sinusoidal perturbation methods proved to be an effective method for dynamic analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon adsorption in soils.

A previously developed packed bed reactor (PBR) system was used in this research for simulating the soil environment. On-line analytical tools for measuring steady and unsteady state behavior are described.

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