Measurement and comparison of monod biodegradation parameters of PAHs

The biodegradation rate parameters for 10 PAH (naphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, acenaphthene, 2-ethylnaphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, and pyrene) were determined. For each of the 10 PAH, a series of sole-substrate biodegradation experiments were performed measuring the PAH concentration and biomass concentration over time. The parameters determined were the rate coefficient (q), the half-saturation coefficient (K_s), and the yield coefficient (Y). The results indicated that although the q and K_s values ranged over three orders of magnitude, the ratio of q/K_s ranged from 0.12 to 1.22 L/mg/hr (except for acenaphthene). The similarities of q/K_s showed that these PAH have similar biodegradation rates despite differences in size and structure.