PROTOCOL FOR DETERMINING THE RATE OF BIODEGRADATION OF TOXIC ORGANIC-CHEMICALS IN ANAEROBIC PROCESSES

A protocol is presented for determining the rate of biodegradation of toxic organic chemicals in anaerobic processes. The protocol involves use of ethanol-enriched cultures that have been acclimated to specific toxic chemicals in a controlled environment and operated at steady-state conditions. These cultures are transferred to serum bottles, dosed with toxicant, and monitored for toxicant degradation using batch techniques. The kinetic model uses the biomass specifically involved in the toxicant degradation reaction to estimate toxicant degradation kinetic parameters. These parameters are then used to estimate the fate of toxic organic chemicals in full-scale anaerobic reactors.