Author(s)

E. Collina, G. Bestetti, P. Di Gennaro, A. Franzetti, F. Gugliersi, M. Lasagni & D. Pitea

Abstract

Kinetic study of naphthalene biodegradation in aerobic slurry phase reactor E. Collina, G. Bestetti, P. Di Gennaro, A. Franzetti, F. Gugliersi, M. Lasagni & D. Pitea Dipartimento Scienze deLLIAmbiente e del Territorio, Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Italy Abstract The research was focused on the slurry-phase biodegradation of naphthalene in soil. Among ex-situ techniques, the slurry-phase technique offers the advantage to increase the availability of contaminants to bacteria. From soil samples collected on a contaminated site, the Pseudomonas putida M8 strain capable to degrade naphthalene was selected. Experiments were performed in a stirred and oxygenated reactor. In this study the influence of air flow rate on volatilisation and biodegradation of naphthalene was investigated. The hydrocarbon disappearance, the carbon dioxide production, and the ratio of total heterotrophic and naphthalene-degrading bacteria were monitored. The results obtained confirm that the selected bioremediation technol

Keywords