Reaction engineering aspects of conjugation in biodegradation processes.

Conjugation between two Pseudomonas putida species has been studied. Special emphasis has been given to the design of tools for better defined and reproducible experimental conditions. This is an essential prerequisite for any kinetic analysis of the phenomenon. The experimental approach suggested in the paper is a three-stage continuous fermentation, where donor and recipient strains can be cultivated at predefined steady-state growth rates, and conjugation takes place at steady-state conditions in the third stage. For the first time a remarkable influence of agitative speed on conjugation has been experimentally observed.