Biodegradation of Benzene Gas by Candida Tropicalis in Batch Experiment
Nik Nurhidayu Nik Mut1, Muhamad Ali Muhammad Yuzir2, Takashi Higuchi3, Zubair Ahmed4, Norhayati Abdullah5

1Nik Nurhidayu Nik Mut*, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2Muhamad Ali Muhammad Yuzir*, Department of Environmental Engineering and Green Technology, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
3Takashi Higuchi, Department of Environmental Systems Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga, Japan.
4Zubair Ahmed, US – Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, Pakistan.
5Norhayati Abdullah, Department of Environmental Engineering and Green Technology, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Manuscript received on November 15, 2019. | Revised Manuscript received on 20 November, 2019. | Manuscript published on December 10, 2019. | PP: 2231-2235 | Volume-9 Issue-2, December 2019. | Retrieval Number: B6673129219/2019©BEIESP | DOI: 10.35940/ijitee.B6673.129219
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Abstract: Three sets of batch experiments with different concentration of feed were conducted to observe the biodegradability of benzene gas by yeast strain Candida tropicalis. During the first phase of this study, C. tropicalis was grown in a nutrient solution containing only toluene and benzene as its sole carbon source in an acclimation experiment. There was a delay in the rate of the microbial growth following the nutrient changes, however, the optical density of C. tropicalis reached over 1.200 OD600nm within 9 days of incubation. There was also a positive result of protein and sugar test that proved there were microbial activities happening during the incubation of C. tropicalis with benzene gas as its sole carbon source. The acclimated culture was further studied in a batch experiment of biodegradation. It was found that C. tropicalis managed to remove over 90% of benzene fed within 100 hours of incubation during the batch study. 
Keywords: Batch Experiment, Benzene Gas, Biodegradation, Candida tropicalis
Scope of the Article: Bio-Science and Bio-Technology