Abstract

The biodegradation of terephthalic acid (TA) by the Pseudomonas sp. was researched in this paper. The optimal nitrogen source was urea with its concentration of 1400 mg/l. The optimal conditions for TA degradation were optimized by orthogonal test. The test result showed the pH 7.0, temperature of 30°C and shaking speed of 140 rpm were the best condition for degradation. In that condition, terephthalic acid was almost degraded completely after 48 h cultivation ofPseudomonas sp. by inoculating 4% seed culture. Kinetics of degradation was performed at different initial TA concentrations. The degradation could be described with a first-order kinetics model. The half-life of degradation was about 12 h when the concentration of terephthalic acid was between 600 and 1000 mg/l.

Key words: Biodegradation, terephthalic acid, Pseudomonas sp

Abbreviation

TA, Terephthalic acid; CFU, colony forming unit.