ENVE 302

Environmental Engineering Unit Processes

Lecture 3
Kinetics of Microbial Growth
and Substrate Utilization

Assoc. Prof. A. Evren Tugtas

 Microbial Kinetics - Principles
• Metabolically active microorganisms catalyze the pollutant-
removing reactions
• Rate of pollutant removal depends on the;
• concentration of catalyst or
• the active biomass
• The active biomass is grown and sustained through the
utilization of its energy- and electron- generating substrates
• The rate of production of active biomass is proportional to
the utilization rate of primary substrates

2
 Basic Rate Expressions

• BALANCE
• Active biomass
• Primary susbtrate – limits the growth rate of biomass
• Rate limiting substrate – electron donor (mostly)
• SUBSTRATE Primary electron donor

3
 Basic Rate Expressions

• Bacterial growth kinetics is represented by Monod

equations (Jacques Monod, 1940).
𝑆
𝜇 = 𝜇𝑚
𝐾𝑆 + 𝑆

•: Specific growth rate due to synthesis (gVSS/gVSS.d)

•m: Maximum specific growth rate (gVSS/gVSS.d)
•S: Concentration of the rate-limiting substrate (gS/m3)
•KS: Concentration of substrate giving one-half the maximum rate (gS/m3)

4
 Monod Equation

(m)

Limiting Substrate

Ref: Grady CPL, Daigger GT, Lim HC. Biological Wastewater Treatment. 2nd
Ed. Marcel Dekker Inc.1999. 5
 Monod Equation
• Monod equation is a
mathematical expression for a
smooth transition from a first
order relation to a zero order
relation (in S) at high
concentration
• Monod equation is sometimes called a saturation function
• Growth rate saturates at m for large S

Ref: Grady CPL, Daigger GT, Lim HC. Biological Wastewater Treatment. 2nd
Ed. Marcel Dekker Inc.1999. 6
 Monod Equation

Ref: Grady CPL, Daigger GT, Lim HC.

Biological Wastewater Treatment. 2nd Ed.
Marcel Dekker Inc.1999.

𝑆 KS becomes
For high substrate conc (S>>Ks) 𝜇 = 𝜇𝑚
𝐾𝑆 + 𝑆 negligible
compared to S
𝜇 = 𝜇𝑚
•Growth rate becomes independent of the substrate concentration 
Zero order
 Monod Equation

Ref: Grady CPL, Daigger GT, Lim HC.

Biological Wastewater Treatment. 2nd Ed.
Marcel Dekker Inc.1999.

•K
s
𝑆 S becomes
•For low substrate conc (S<<Ks) 𝜇 = 𝜇𝑚 negligible
𝐾𝑆 + 𝑆
compared to KS
𝑆
𝜇 = 𝜇𝑚
𝐾𝑆

•Growth rate depends on the substrate concentration  First order

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 Monod Equation

Growth of bacterial cells,

𝑑𝑋
= 𝑟𝑔 = 𝜇𝑋
𝑑𝑡

•dX/dt=rg= Rate of cell production, (gVSS/m3.d)

•: Specific growth rate due to synthesis (gVSS/gVSS.d)
•X: Biomass concentration (gVSS/m3)

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 Growth Rate

• For low substrate conc (S<<Ks)

𝑆
𝜇 = 𝜇𝑚
𝐾𝑆
𝑆
𝑟𝑔 = 𝜇𝑋 = 𝜇𝑚 𝑋
𝐾𝑆
𝑑𝑋
= 𝑟𝑔 = 𝜇𝑋
𝑑𝑡

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 Substrate Utilization
g biomassproduced
Y  biomassyieldcoeff 
g substrateutilized
rg
rg=biomass production rate (gVSS/m3d) Y
 rsu
rsu=substrate utilization rate (gs/m3d) rg   Yrsu

(-)  substrate is decreasing with time due to substrate utilization

 m XS
r   m XS
g K S r 
s su Y K s S
r  Yr
g su
k= max specific substrate utilization
rate
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 Ref: Grady CPL, Daigger GT, Lim HC.
Biological Wastewater Treatment. 2nd Ed.
Marcel Dekker Inc.1999.

kXS
•For high substrate conc (S>>Ks)  su
r   = -k.X
K s S

• •Subst. utilization  zero order  independent from subst conc.

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 Ref: Grady CPL, Daigger GT, Lim HC.
Biological Wastewater Treatment. 2nd Ed.
Marcel Dekker Inc.1999.

kXS  kXS
For low substrate conc (S<<Ks)  rsu   =
K s S K
s

•Subst.utilization  1st order  subst utilization rate  dependent on

subst. conc.

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 Monod Equation

• Monod equation was driven for fast-growing

bacteria
• Slow growing bacteria (enve eng. Applications)
has an energy demand for ma.intanance
• Cell functions such as motility
• Repair and resynthesis
• Osmotic regulation
• Transport
• Heat loss etc.

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 Monod Equation

• For environmental engineering applications;

• Slow growing bacteria oxidize themselves to meet
maintanance and energy needs (endogenous
respiration)
• The decrease in cell mass caused by energy
requirement for cell maintenance and cell death is
proportional to the concentration of m.o present

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 Monod Equation – Endogenous Decay

rd  kd X
kd=endogenous decay coefficient (gVSS/gVSS.d)
 XS
rg  m ′
𝑆
Ks  S 𝑟𝑔 = 𝜇𝑚 𝑋 − 𝑘𝑑 𝑋
𝐾𝑆
rd  k d X

net rate of bacterial

growth (g VSS/m3d)

rg  Yrsu  rg'  Yrsu  k dX

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 𝑆
𝑟𝑔′ = 𝜇𝑋 = 𝜇𝑚 𝑋 − 𝑘𝑑 𝑋
𝐾𝑆 + 𝑆

′
𝑆
𝜇 = 𝜇𝑚 − 𝑘𝑑 not specific growth rate,
𝐾𝑆 + 𝑆 time-1

rg rg'
Y  Yobs  
rsu rsu

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 Effect of Temperature

Effect of temperature on the rxn rate of a biological process is

expressed as follows

(T 20)
kT  rxn rate coeff at temperature, T
k T  k20
k 20  rxn rate coeff at 200 C
  temp  activity coeff (1.02 - 1.25)
T  temperature ,0 C

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 Total VSS and Active Biomass

X in kinetic expressions used to Active biomass

describe biological kinetics

VSS in a reactor consist of

•nonbiodegradable VSS (nbVSS) in the influent ww fed to the
biological
•active biomass
•Cell debris (endogenous decay)

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 Total VSS and Active Biomass
During cell death;
• cell lysis occurs
• cellular material is released to liquid for consumption by other
bacteria
• a portion of cell mass (cell wall) is not dissolved and remains as
nonbiodegreadable material
• cell debris is about the 10-15 % original cell weigth
• cell debris is also measured as VSS contributes to total VSS
concentration measured in the reactor mixed liquor
•The rate of production of cell debris is proportional to endogenous
decay rate •rxd= rate of cell debris production
gVSS/m3.d
𝑟𝑥𝑑 = 𝐹𝑑 𝑘𝑑 𝑋 •Fd=fraction of biomass that remains
as cell debris (0.10 - 0.15 g VSS/gVSS)
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 Total VSS and Active Biomass
Total VSS production rate in the aeration tank can be defined as follows
QX 0,i
rXT ,VSS  Yrsu  k d X  f d k d X 


•active biomass •nbVSS •nbVSS in

from cell influent
from soluble debris
biodegradable
COD
rXT ,VSS  total VSS production rate g/m 3 d
Q  inf luent flowrate , m 3 / d
X 0,i  influent bVSS conc., g/m 3
  volume of reactor g VSS produced rXT,VSS
Yobs  
g substrateutilized rsu
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 Value
Coefficient Unit
Range Typical

k g bsCOD / g 2-10 5
VSS.d

Table 7-9
Ks mg/L BOD 25-100 60
Typical kinetic mg/L bsCOD 10-60 40
coefficient for the
activated sludge Y mg VSS/ mg 0,4-0,8 0,6
BOD 0,3-0,6 0,4
process for the removal mg VSS/ mg
of organic matter from bsCOD
kd g VSS/ g 0,06-0,15 0,10
domestic wastewater at VSS.d
20°C

Ref: Tchobanoglous, G., Burton, F.L., and Stensel, H.D. (2002).

Wastewater Engineering: Treatment Disposal Reuse), Metcalf & Eddy, Inc.
(4th ed.). McGraw-Hill, New York, NY
 Ref: Tchobanoglous, G., Burton, F.L., and Stensel, H.D. (2003). Wastewater Engineering:
Treatment Disposal Reuse), Metcalf & Eddy, Inc. (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill, New York, NY
Coefficient Unit Range Typical value

µm g VSS/ g VSS.d 3,0-13,2 6,00

Ks g bCOD / m3 5,0-40,0 20,0

Table 8-10 Y g VSS / g bCOD 0,30-0,50 0,40

Activated- kd g VSS / g VSS.d 0,06-0,20 0,12

sludge kinetic fd Unitless 0,08-0,20 0,15

coefficients for
Θ values
heterotrophic
bacteria at µm Unitless 1,03-1,08 1,07
20°C*
kd Unitless 1,03-1,08 1,04

Ks Unitless 1,00 1,00

•* Adapted from Henze et al. (1987a); Barker and Dold (1997); and Grady et al. (1999)