BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF PHENOLIC WASTES - COMPARISON BETWEEN FREE ANDIMMOBILIZED CELL SYSTEMS

Phenol degradation by free and immobilized cells of Fusarium floccifer um was studied in a chemostat at steady-state conditions. For the free cell system the dilution rates varied from 0.02 to 0.13h-1, with a to tal phenol removal up to 0.08h-1. Wash-out seemed to set in at 0.11h-2 The immobilized cells showed virtually complete phenol utilization at 1g/l, over a period of four months. At D = 0.2h-1 and above 1g/l phen ol, the complete phenol removal is not achieved: a progressive increas e in the outlet concentration was observed attaining a value of 284mg/ l at 1.5g/1.