A COMETABOLIC BIOTRANSFORMATION MODEL FOR HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC-COMPOUNDS EXHIBITING PRODUCT TOXICITY

A model is proposed to describe the rate and extent of cometabolic transformation of halogenated aliphatic compounds by resting microbial cells. The finite transformation capacity (T(c)) of resting cells, which appears to be associated with cometabolic oxidation of many halogenated aliphatic compounds, is used to incorporate the effects of product toxicity and reductant supply into a modified expression of Monod kinetics. Applicability of the model to trichloroethylene transformation by resting cells from a mixed methanotrophic culture is evaluated by comparison with experimental data from batch transformation studies conducted over a range of conditions. A visually good and statistically reasonable fit was obtained between the experimental data and model predictions both with cells alone and with formate added as an exogenous reductant source. A comparison of parameter estimates (k and K(s) derived by use of the cometabolic transformation model and those derived by use of conventional linearized Monod techniques (Lineweaver-Burk and concentration-normalized equations) indicates that, for reactions involving a finite transformation capacity, the linearized Monod equations yield artificially elevated parameters estimates.