2nd Lecture

‫السالم عليكم ورحمة هللا وبركاته‬

Biological Engineering

Third Class
Sanitary and Environmental Eng. Branch
By

Lecturer:- Rana Jawad Kadhim

1- Growth kinetics
Multiplication of bacteria in drinking water implies that these organisms
are able to utilize low concentrations of organic and/or inorganic compounds
as a source of energy and/or carbon. The composition of the substrate in
drinking water is a complex mixture of different compounds dependent of the
origin of the water. The microbial growth are usually limited by the content of
microbial available organic matter, which normally only constitutes a small
fraction of the total amount of organic carbon .The utilization of growth at low
concentrations of biodegradable compounds in the aquatic environment
became an issue of research in the second half of the 20th century. The
researches demonstrated that many low molecular weight compounds and also
certain high molecular weight compounds promoted bacterial growth when
added to drinking water at a concentration of a few μg/litre. The relationship
between the concentration of a growth-limiting compound and the growth rate,
as defined by Monod (1949), is given by:
V= Vmax × S/(S + Ks) (1)

where: V is growth rate (doublings h−1); Vmax is maximum growth rate, S is

substrate concentration (e.g. μg C/litre) and Ks is S for V =0.5 Vmax. From eq.(1)
it can be derived that S≪Ks gives:

V= S×Vmax/Ks (2)

which implies that the growth rate is proportional to the substrate concentration
and depends on Vmas/Ks.
Natural organic matter (NOM) in freshwater environments is
mainly composed of refractory humic and fulvic acids. Despite the high resistance
to microbial decay, humic and fulvic acids can promote slow microbial growth
with a low (0.4–20%) efficiency
2-Temperature
The temperature of surface water depends on latitude
and attains a maximum level of 28 to 30°C in tropical
regions (Lewis 1987) The growth rate of bacteria is low
at temperatures 5°C, even in the presence of growth
substrates, and generally increases about twofold with a
10°C increase of temperature within certain temperature
ranges.
Water temperature also affects eukaryote
communities, including free-living, protozoa, fungi and
metazoa in water supplies. temperature has a major
influence on the (micro) biological activity and the
composition of the microbial community in drinking-
water supplies.
3-Biofilms, sediments and hydraulics
Biofilms :a thin, slimy film of bacteria that adheres
to a surface.
Hydrodynamic conditions for example (variations in)
flow rate, residence time and Diameter of the pipes
(surface to volume ratio) affect microbial growth in
distribution systems.
The following steps are distinguished in the process
of biofilm formation:
1- Adsorption of microorganisms to the surface starting
within a few minutes to one hour of exposure.
2- Formation of extracellular polymeric substances
(EPS) by the cells, resulting in irreversible attachment
(“polymer bridging”).
3- multiplication of the bacteria, forming micro-colonies
embedded in matrix, which also attracts inorganic
compounds.
4- continuing release of bacteria from the biofilm due to
swarming.
 Biofilm formation on surfaces exposed to drinking water has
been studied by using devices with sample pieces exposed to the
water under investigation. HPCs in these biofilms declined to, 1%
of the total number of bacteria with increasing residence time and
generation times decreased with increasing residence from 17
days to 288 days at temperatures between 20 and 25°C. The
biofilm concentration on surfaces exposed to drinking water is
affected by the water composition, for example,
1- Concentration and nature organic material (NOM),
2- The type of material, and
3- The presence of a disinfectant residual.
 Hydrodynamic conditions affect the transfer of
microorganisms and growth substrates to the surface
as well as cell detachment The flow pattern, which
depends on the combination of flow velocity and
pipe diameter, is turbulent at a Reynolds number
2300. This (dimensionless) Reynolds number (Re) is
defined by:
Re = D × V/n (3)
where: D = internal pipe diameter (cm), V= flow
velocity (cm/s) and n = kinematic viscosity of water,
which is 0.01 cm2/s at 20°C.
4 -Construction materials
The concentration of biofilms on corroding iron generally is

higher than on noncorrosive materials glass, and stainless steel.

This aspect has been attributed to nutrient adsorption and the

inactivation of the disinfectant by the corrosion products The

observation of elevated numbers of Asellus aquaticus in cast-

iron distribution pipes, as compared to PVC-U pipes, in a non-

chlorinated supply is consistent with the effect of cast iron on

nutrient accumulation.
5- Disinfectant residual
In most countries, a residual concentration of a
disinfectant (chlorine or monochloramine) is maintained
in drinking-water distribution systems to ensure microbial
safety and limit regrowth. Obviously, maintaining a
disinfectant residual can have negative and positive
effects on regrowth, the balance of which depends on
local conditions, for example, concentration of NOM,
temperature, pipe material and residence time.