RESUMO
In this study, kinetic parameters were determined for the biodegradation of BTX compounds in a fixed-bed reactor with immobilized biomass, fed with mono- and multicomponent systems. The parameter estimation was achieved through an algorithm using the finite volume method. Different kinetic models were evaluated. The Monod model proved to be suitable to predict the experimental data for the biodegradation individual BTX compound. In multicomponent systems, it was found that the presence of more than one compound tends to cause competitive inhibition. To identify the models that best fit the experimental data, a statistical analysis using the F test was applied. For the two- and three-component systems the presence of more than one compound tends to cause competitive inhibition. In this study, it was possible to predict kinetic parameters in mono- and multicomponent systems as well as different operation conditions for a fixed-bed reactor with immobilized biomass.