The goal of this study is to provide more in-depth study into the biodegradation of phenol and to determine the amount of oxygen required for each function in the bacterial cell which is fundamental in understanding of cell metabolism and biology. The total amount of oxygen consumed by bacteria is determined using manometric technique. In the biodegradation of phenol (less than 150 mg/L) the oxygen consumed up to the plateau (the stage associated with the termination of carbon) is found to be composed of three portions, one is used to directly oxidize portion of the substrate to produce energy to allow normal cell functions to sustain life which is estimated to be 50% of the plateau BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), the second portion is to oxidize energy storage intermediate (most probably carbon mono oxide, CO, is oxidized to CO₂) to release energy which is then used to power reproduction which is estimated to be 41.75% of the plateau BOD, third portion is incorporated into the produced new cells which is estimated to be 8.25% of the plateau BOD. The correlation coefficient between the initial phenol concentration and the ultimate BOD values is found to be r = 0.9999. This value of correlation coefficient, r, may indicate that microbes are, in a way, estimating the amount of food available and they grow and reproduce accordingly. This article provides a better understanding of cell metabolism and biology. This understanding of cell metabolism may offer better understanding of human cells. The results of this research paves the way for a similar research on human cells where abnormal oxygen uptake may assist in early prediction of cells dysfunction and diseases and may help in early taking the necessary precautions to avoid illness.

本研究的目的是对苯酚的生物降解进行更深入的研究，并确定细菌细胞中每种功能所需的氧气量，这对于理解细胞代谢和生物学至关重要。使用测压技术测定细菌消耗的氧气总量。在苯酚（小于 150 mg/L）的生物降解中，直到平台（与碳终止相关的阶段）消耗的氧气由三部分组成，一部分用于直接氧化底物的一部分，产生能量让正常的细胞功能维持生命，估计为高原BOD（生化需氧量）的50%，第二部分是氧化能量储存中间体（很可能是一氧化碳，CO，被氧化成CO < b0>）释放能量，然后用于发电，估计为平台 BOD 的 41.75%，第三部分并入生产的新电池中，估计为平台 BOD 的 8.25%。苯酚初始浓度与最终 BOD 值之间的相关系数为 r = 0.9999。相关系数 r 的值可能表明微生物在某种程度上正在估计可用食物的数量，并相应地生长和繁殖。本文提供了对细胞代谢和生物学的更好理解。对细胞代谢的了解可能有助于更好地了解人类细胞。这项研究的结果为对人类细胞进行类似的研究铺平了道路，其中异常的摄氧量可能有助于早期预测细胞功能障碍和疾病，并可能有助于及早采取必要的预防措施以避免疾病。