Abstract
This paper presents a kinetic analysis of the biodegradation of organic pollutants in a batch bioreactor and investigates the kinetic properties of activated sludge using different mathematical models. The treatment was conducted for different initial concentrations of leachate from 500 mg dm−3 to 5000 mg dm−3 and initial concentrations of activated sludge from 1.84 g dm−3 to 6.62 g dm−3 over 48 h. Four different kinetic models were applied to the data. The kinetic analysis was performed with the traditional Monod model, the modified Monod model with endogenous metabolism, the Haldane model, and the Haldane model extended to include endogenous metabolic consumption and known as the Endo-Haldane model. Kinetic parameters for each model were determined using differential analysis and the Nelder-Mead method of non-linear regression. The lowest deviations and very good matches with the experimental data were achieved using the Endo-Haldane model. This indicated that this model best described the process of biodegradation of leachate from tobacco waste composting. This is due to this model incorporating the effects both of inhibition and endogenous metabolism.