Abstract

FACTORS AFFECTING PHENOL DEGRADATION POTENTIAL OF MICROBES- A REVIEW

*Rajani V. and Reshma J. K.

ABSTRACT

Phenol is one of the most common toxic environmental pollutants that originate mainly from industrial processes. It is a recalcitrant and hazardous compound, which is toxic at relatively low concentration and hence, USEPA has set a limit of 0.1mg/L of phenol as the permissible limit in the water bodies. It must be removed from the environment. The biodegradation methods for the treatment of phenol contamination are more effective and less costly. Biodegradation of a substrate by a microorganism depends on a number of factors and it is quite essential to understand how those factors affect the degradation profile of the microbe. Selecting the correct physiological conditions is always a major concern as traditional experiment design would require many experimental runs to achieve satisfactory result. The optimal growth parameters for even a particular substrate may vary from microbe to microbe. Physiological parameters play a vital role in the growth and biodegradation behavior of any microorganism. Microorganism grows within a set range of physiological parameters but maximum growth is achieved only at the optimum conditions of these physiological parameters. Aim of this review is to discuss about different physiological parameters that usually interfere in the biodegradation activity of a microbe like temperature of incubator, pH of the medium and concentration of phenol which is used as a sole of carbon source and energy.

Keywords: Phenol, pH, Temperature, Biodegradation, Physiological parameters.