Study on optimal biodegradation of terephthalic acid by an isolated Pseudomonas sp.

The biodegradation of terephthalic acid (TA) by the Pseudomonas sp. was researched in this paper. The optimal nitrogen source was urea with its concentration of 1400 mg/l. The optimal conditions for TA degradation were optimized by orthogonal test. The test result showed the pH 7.0, temperature of 30 degrees C and shaking speed of 140 rpm were the best condition for degradation. In that condition, terephthalic acid was almost degraded completely after 48 h cultivation of Pseudomonas sp. by inoculating 4% seed culture. Kinetics of degradation was performed at different initial TA concentrations. The degradation could be described with a first-order kinetics model. The half-life of degradation was about 12 h when the concentration of terephthalic acid was between 600 and 1000 mg/l.