Biodegradation dynamics and cell maintenance for the treatment of resorcinol and p-cresol by filamentous fungus Gliomastix indicus.

Biodegradation of resorcinol and p-cresol using fungus Gliomastix indicus MTCC 3869 was investigated in batch culture experiments at 28°C temperature and pH of 6 in the medium up to the initial concentration of 1300 mg/L and 700 mg/L for resorcinol and p-cresol, respectively. Five specific growth kinetic models and five specific degradation rate models were fitted to the experimental data in order to get best fitted kinetic models. The variation of observed growth yield and maintenance energy requirement with the initial substrate concentration was also studied. The model for maintenance energy coefficient was fitted to the experimental data. The model parameters were: m(1)=0.0135 h(-1), k=0.054, μ(max)=0.132 h(-1) for resorcinol and m(1)=0.0229 h(-1), k=0.011, μ(max)=0.102 h(-1) for p-cresol. Two mathematical models comprising of two sets of ODE were solved simultaneously to get degradation profiles with time. The model with varying growth yield and maintenance energy was found to be most appropriate biodegradation model.