Fundamentals of Biological Processes

Object Of Presentation
To introduce the important aspects involved in microbial metabolism. To introduce the principal organisms responsible for wastewater treatment.

Why Biological treatment?

10 x 106L Chemicals 8 x 106L Xenobiotic 1 x 106L Recalcitrant 0.4 x 106 traded at over 50 tonnes per year

Objective of biological treatment:

Coagulate and remove the non-settle able colloidal solids . Stabilize the organic matter. Reduce the organic matter. Remove the nutrients. In short, stabilize organic matter: convert organic matter to nonbiodegradable form so that it does not exert oxygen demand.

Microbes
Virtually every environmental niche
Extremes of pH and salinity Extremes of temperature and pressure Without air (Anaerobic) Growth on many chemical substrates Attached to surfaces in biofilms Geothermal vents and subterranean deposits

MICROBIAL METABOLISM
General nutritional requirements -: CARBON SUBSTRATE (org. or inorg.) ELECTRON DONOR ENERGY SOURCE Need for molecular oxygen. Basic elements required-C,O ,N,H, P,S Inorganic elements: K,Mg,Ca,Fe,Na,Cl

Role of microbes
O2 consumption
2.0m

GROWTH - CELL DIVISION INCREASE IN BIOMASS (assimilation)

ORGANIC POLLUTANT AND NUTRIENTS (C,P,N,O,Fe,S)

SINGLE BACTERIUM

CO2 evolved (dissimilation)

Controlled release of energy Slow Burning!

Basic growth

Types of microbes

Depending on the energy and carbon source AUTOTROPHS: microbes requiring inorganic carbonaceous compounds. HETEROTROPHS: microbes requiring organic compounds . PHOTOTROPHS: microbes consuming light as energy source . CHEMOTROPHS: microbes obtaining energy from oxidation of org. or inorg. Compounds. ORGANOTROPHS: organic compounds as source of electron. LITHOTROPHS: inorganic compounds as source of electron. E.g. nitrifying bacteria is an example of chemolithoautotrophs.

CLASSIFICATION OF MICROORGANISMS

AUTOTROPHIC
PHOTOAUTOTROPHIC

HETEROTROPIC
PHOTOHETEROTROPHIC

Organic carbon
CO2

CHEMOAUTOTROPHIC

CHEMOHETEROTROPHIC

ORGANIC INORGANIC OXIDATION REDUCTION REACTION

Microbes
By relationship to oxygen
obligate aerobes: need oxygen, use it as terminal electron acceptor obligate anaerobes: cannot grow in the presence of oxygen facultative anaerobes: under certain conditions can grow in the absence of oxygen

Microbe shrinking

Numbers of ribosomes in a cell are tightly linked to growth rate: E. coli fast ~ 1,000 E. coli slow ~ 10-100 When cell lacks nutrients, it eats its own ribosomes to survive (shrinks) because ribosomes make up much of all volume.

Energetics

Central Metabolism
Basically the working in a microbial cell is more or less like a tower by which energy generation through a various combination of substrates is detected. EMP (Glycolysis and TCA /Krebs Cycle). C6 2C3(2ATP,2 NADH,2 pyruvate)
(2NADH &
2CO2)

2C2

TCA

4CO2, 6NADH ,2ATP & 2FADH2

Net Energy
Most of the usable energy is being converted to-: 1. 10 Molecules of NADH (two from glycolysis, two from the transition stage, and six from the Krebs cycle) 2. 2 molecules of FADH2 3. 4 Molecules of ATP (net gain is only of 2ATPs)

Energetic Contd.
Rg= -Yrsu rsu=-mXS / Y(ks+S)
Rg = rate of bacterial growth, mass/unit volume time Y = max. yield coefficient, mg/mg. rsu = Substrate utilization rate.

Energetics
Energetic considerations Yield (Y): how much biomass/specific substrate
can be made Theoretically need 35 mmol ATP/g all biomass, so 1 mol ATP . 30 g cells.

Experimental:

Streptococcus faecalis Yglucose = 22 g/mol 2 ATP / glucose Zymomonas mobilis Yglucose = 8.3 g /mol . 1 ATP / glucose ~ 10 g biomass/mol ATP

Energetics Cont.

Important organisms in w/w treatment

Bacteria
Fungi

Nemotodes

Important organisms in w/w treatment

Algae

Important organisms in w/w treatment

Protozoa Rotifers, ciliates, crustaceans

Stentor

Celops

Paramecium

THANK YOU