| Abstract: | Glycine uptake by an isolated Pseudomonas species as a sole nitrogen source was studied in the presence of inorganic particulate. A pure culture of Pseudomonas species was grown in a continuous culture apparatus using a nitrogen-limited medium. The biomass from the chemostat was used in batch studies to evaluate the effects of alumnia or kaolinite on the glycine uptake rate. Stimulation and inhibition were dependent on the surface area of the particles added to the system. Stimulation occurred at low particle concentrations, while inhibition occurred at higher particle concentrations. Enhanced glycine uptake is attributed to an “adsorption” mechanism which may associate with the removal of toxic inhibitors from solution by adsorption onto the particle surface. Inhibition by these particles at high surface area densities may involve the removal of required compounds, as a factor of the particle surface area and not its size or type. |
