Effects of Biogenic Supplementation on Xenobiotic Degradation

Abstract

Activated sludge acclimated to 2,4-D was used to degrade 2,4-D in batch reactions. Biogenic substrates of sucrose and peptone, in varying concentrations, separately and combined, were supplemented to the degradation reactions to find if, how and why biogenic supplementations were beneficial to the degradation of the xenobiotic. With the biogenic supplement as a variable and other reaction conditions, optimal constant supplementation schemes were found which suit as feasible ways for enhancing the degradation rate of 2,4-D. Among the number of supplementation combinations, the ones having optimal advantage were 50 mg/L of sucrose, 80 mg/L of peptone, each separately, and 20 mg/L sucrose and 40 mg/L peptone combined.

Keywords

• activated sludge
• acclimation
• biodegradation
• 2,4-D
• degradation kinetics