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US 4,732,680 AGranted
Biochemical conversion processes
AssigneeBetz Laboratories, Inc.
InventorsTimothy W. Weaver, Patric L. Friend, Wilson K. Whitekettle
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AssigneeBetz Laboratories, Inc.
InventorsTimothy W. Weaver, Patric L. Friend, Wilson K. Whitekettle
Estimating the term…
The present invention is directed to a method of chemical addition to a microbial population to condition the population to (i) enhance bioconversion or biodegradation of a given substrate, or (ii) survive and perform greater bioconversion of a substrate when the population is exposed to fluctuating and in particular shock loads of the substrate. The method comprises conditioning the population by exposure of such to a non-toxic or non-inhibitory amount of a material which is biochemically or structurally similar to the substrate in question. The method is applicable in systems where the production of useful metabolites is the objective, as well as in waste treatment where degradation of a waste into more acceptable form is to be achieved.
A method of improving the amount and rate of the biodegradation of an undesirable toxic aromatic organo compound to more acceptable, less toxic forms, which comprises under appropriate conditions, exposing in an aqueous medium said compound to a microbial population which is capable of biodegrading the said organo compound to said more acceptable form, the improvement being treating said microbial population with a sufficient amount for the purpose of a chemical which is structurally analogous to said compound, and which chemical, because of its analogous structure to the compound, permits the microbial population to adapt to the chemical and thereby affect the population in such a manner that its degradation capacity for said compound is increased without a substantial attendant increase in population.
A method of improving the amount and rate of the biodegradation of an undesirable toxic phenolic compound to more acceptable, less toxic forms, which comprises under appropriate conditions, exposing in an aqueous medium said compound to a microbial population which is capable of biodegrading the said phenolic compound to said more acceptable form, the improvement being treating said microbial population with a sufficient amount for the purpose of a benzoic acid derivative which is easily degraded by the population and which is structurally analogous to said phenolic compound, and which derivative, because of its analogous structure to the compound, permits the microbial population to adapt to the derivative and thereby affect the population in such a manner that its degradation capacity for said phenolic compound is increased without a substantial attendant increase in population.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.