ABSTRACT
The simultaneous biodegradation of mixed wastes is an important class of biological processes. In a number of applications, the growth of the biomass in a microbial system is not limited by one nutrient, but rather by two or more nutrients that are serving the needs of the micro-organism simultaneously. In wastewater applications, for instance, it is known that the availability of multiple carbon/energy sources often enhances the biodegradation of recalcitrant compounds. Mixed-substrate growth is also important in ecology, since microbial growth in a natural mixed-substrate environment plays a fundamental role in maintaining global environmental balance. The growing interest in insitu microbial degradation of groundwater sources, contaminated by different pollutants, is another example of the need for better understanding of the mixed-substrate growth.
