Batch growth kinetics of an indigenous mixed microbial culture utilizing m-cresol as the sole carbon source

An indigenous mixed microbial culture, isolated from a sewage treatment plant located in Guwahati was used to study biodegradation of m-cresol in batch shake flasks. m-Cresol concentration in the growth media was varied from 100 mg/L to 900 mg/L. The degradation kinetics was found to follow a three-half-order model at all initial m-cresol concentrations with regression values greater than 0.97. A maximum observed specific degradation rate of 0.585 h−1 was observed at 200 mg/L m-cresol concentration in the medium. In the range of m-cresol concentrations used in the study, specific growth rate of the culture and specific degradation rates were observed to follow substrate inhibition kinetics. These two rates were fitted to kinetic models of Edward, Haldane, Luong, Han-Levenspiel, and Yano-Koga that are used to explain substrate inhibition on growth of microbial culture. Out of these models Luong and Han-Levenspiel models fitted the experimental data best with lowest root mean square error values. Biokinetic constants estimated from these two models showed good potential of the indigenous mixed culture in degrading m-cresol in wastewaters.