Microbial degradation of 4-chlorophenol by microorganisms entrapped in carrageenan-chitosan gels

A new cell immobilization method based on the replacement of KCl by KCl + chitosan as gelling agent was developed. The results showed that through addition of chitosan into gelling agent, the mechanical strength and thermal stability of the carrageenan gel were greatly improved. The new immobilization method was used to entrap a chlorophenol-degrading microorganism. The immobilized microbial cells were applied for chlorophenol biodegradation. The experiments demonstrated that immobilized cells exhibit a higher bioactivity in the degradation of chlorophenol than free cells.