Kinetic analysis for biodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene using R. rhodochrous adsorbed on silica

Experimental biodesulfurization (BDS) data for dibenzothiophene (DBT) (1.0-7.0 mM) with Rhodococcus rhodochorus immobilized by adsorption on silica, were adjusted with liquid-film kinetic model (Fisher coefficient, F = 592.74 and probability value p << 0.05 and r² = 0.97). Simulations predict the presence of considerable amounts of DBT surrounding the particles, which would be available for the cells adsorbed on the surface of silica. The greatest percentage removal (50 %) was obtained for adsorbed cell system over the suspended bacterial cells (30 %), showing that sulfur substrates are more bioavailable when the bacterial cells are adsorbed on silica. The liquid-film modelling with diffusional effects provides proper theoretical basis to explain the BDS performance obtained using adsorbed cells.