Course: Environmental Microbiology (EnEg2102)
Practical questions
Instruction: Solve the following problems by showing all the necessary steps
1. A wastewater containing a compound called Casein is oxidized as given with the
following chemical formula.
a) The biomass yield
b) COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) per mole and per gram of casein
Answer:
To calculate the biomass yield and chemical oxygen demand (COD) per mole and gram
of casein, we need to know the stoichiometry of the reaction and the relevant conversion
factors. Let's begin by analyzing the reaction equation provided:
C8H12O3N2 + 3O2 → C5H7O2N + NH3 + 3CO2 + H2O
From this equation, we can observe the following stoichiometry:
1 mole of Casein (C8H12O3N2) is converted into:
1 mole of C5H7O2N
1 mole of NH3
3 moles of CO2
1 mole of H2O
To calculate the biomass yield per mole of casein, we consider the moles of biomass
(C5H7O2N) produced per mole of casein:
Biomass Yield (moles of biomass/mole of casein) = 1 mole of C5H7O2N / 1 mole of
C8H12O3N2 = 1
So, the biomass yield per mole of casein is 1.
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Next, to calculate the biomass yield per gram of casein, we need to consider the molecular
weights of the compounds involved. Here are the molecular weights of the relevant
compounds:
Molecular weight of casein (C8H12O3N2):
C: 12.01 g/mol × 8 = 96.08 g/mol
H: 1.008 g/mol × 12 = 12.096 g/mol
O: 16.00 g/mol × 3 = 48.00 g/mol
N: 14.01 g/mol × 2 = 28.02 g/mol
Total molecular weight = 96.08 + 12.096 + 48.00 + 28.02 = 184.196 g/mol
Molecular weight of biomass (C5H7O2N):
C: 12.01 g/mol × 5 = 60.05 g/mol
H: 1.008 g/mol × 7 = 7.056 g/mol
O: 16.00 g/mol × 2 = 32.00 g/mol
N: 14.01 g/mol × 1 = 14.01 g/mol
Total molecular weight = 60.05 + 7.056 + 32.00 + 14.01 = 113.116 g/mol
Now, let's calculate the biomass yield (Y) = g biomass produced/gram of substrate
utilized
Y = 113.116/184.196 = 0.61 g cell/g Casein used
Now let us calculate COD per mole and gram of casein:
To express the biomass yield on a COD basis, first the COD of casein must be determined
COD per mole of casein = Total molecular weight of casein - Total molecular weight of
biomass
COD per mole of casein = 184.196 g/mol - 113.116 g/mol
COD per mole of casein = 71.080 g/mol
COD per gram of casein = COD per mole of casein / Molecular weight of casein
COD per gram of casein = 71.080 g/mol / 184.196 g/mol
COD per gram of casein ≈ 0.386 g COD/gram of casein
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Therefore, the biomass yield is 1 mole of biomass per mole of casein, and the COD is
approximately 71.080 g/mol or 0.386 g COD/gram of casein.
2. A wastewater treatment plant is treating an industrial effluent with a soluble organic
pollutant concentration of 100 mg/L. The microbial population has a maximum specific
growth rate (μmax) of 0.2 /hr and a half-saturation constant (Ks) of 50 mg/L. Calculate
the specific growth rate (μ) of the microorganisms and determine if the microbial
community can effectively remove the pollutant under these conditions. Assume that the
the specific degradation rate (k) is 0.45 /hr
Answer:
To calculate the specific growth rate (μ) of the microorganisms, we can use the Monod
equation, which describes the relationship between the specific growth rate (μ) and the
substrate concentration (S):
μ = μmax * S / (Ks + S)
where:
μ = specific growth rate of microorganisms (1/hr)
μmax = maximum specific growth rate of microorganisms (1/hr)
S = substrate concentration (mg/L)
Ks = half-saturation constant (mg/L)
Given data:
μmax = 0.2 /hr
Ks = 50 mg/L
S = 100 mg/L (concentration of the soluble organic pollutant)
Now, let's calculate the specific growth rate (μ):
μ = 0.2 * 100 / (50 + 100)
μ = 0.2 * 100 / 150
μ = 0.2 * 0.6667
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μ ≈ 0.1333 /hr (rounded to four decimal places)
The specific growth rate (μ) of the microorganisms is approximately 0.1333 /hr.
Now, to assess the potential effectiveness of this bacterial strain in removing organic
pollutant, we can consider the degradation rate (k). The degradation rate represents the
rate at which the bacteria can remove the pollutant.
In this case, k = 0.45 per hour, which means that for every hour, 0.45 mg/L of organic
pollutants are removed.
Since the specific growth rate (μ) is lower than the degradation rate (k), it suggests that
the bacteria are capable of removing the pollutant at a faster rate than they are growing.
Therefore, under these conditions, the bacterial strain has the potential to effectively
reduce organic pollutants concentrations in the contaminated soil.
3. How would you determine the standard Gibbs free energy change (∆G°) for the reaction:
2H2(g) + O2(g) → 2H2O(g)? If you were informed that this reaction is highly exergonic,
what sign (negative or positive) would you anticipate for the ∆G° value of this reaction?
Answer:
To determine the standard Gibbs free energy change (∆G°) for the reaction:
2H2(g) + O2(g) → 2H2O(g),
you would use the equation:
∆G° = ∑∆G°f(products) - ∑∆G°f(reactants).
Here, ∆G°f represents the standard Gibbs free energy change of formation for each
substance involved in the reaction. You would look up these values in a standard table of
thermodynamic data.
For the given reaction:
∆G°f for H2O(g) is a known value.
∆G°f for H2(g) is a known value.
∆G°f for O2(g) is a known value.
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Plug these values into the equation, calculate the standard Gibbs free energy change, and
the sign of ∆G° will depend on the specific values and the stoichiometry of the reaction.
If you were informed that this reaction is highly exergonic, it means that ∆G° is highly
negative. In other words, the reaction is thermodynamically favorable, and products
are more stable than reactants under standard conditions. So, the sign of ∆G° for this
reaction would be negative.
4. If a culture in exponential phase has 100 CFU/ml at a given time, and after 4 hours, the
population is 800 CFU/ml, what would be
a. the specific growth rate (μ) and
b. generation time (g) values?
Answer:
a) To calculate the specific growth rate (μ) during the exponential growth phase, we can
use the formula:
μ = (ln(Nt) - ln(N0)) / (t - t0)
where Nt is the final bacterial population, N0 is the initial bacterial population, t is the
final time, and t0 is the initial time.
For the exponential growth phase (t0 = 0 hours, t = 4 hours):
Nt = 800 (bacterial population at t = 4 hours)
N0 = 100 (bacterial population at t = 0 hours)
μ = (ln(800) - ln(100)) / (4 - 0)
You can simplify it as follows:
μ = (ln(800/100)) / 4
μ = (ln(8)) / 4
μ = 2.079 / 4
μ ≈ 0.519
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b) The generation time (g) is the time it takes for the bacterial population to double
during the exponential growth phase. It can be calculated using the formula:
g=1/μ
where μ is the specific growth rate calculated in part (a).
g = 1 / 0.519 ≈ 1.927
Therefore, the generation time of the bacteria during the exponential growth phase is
approximately 2 hours.