Example 1)

An aerobic growth reaction where glutamic acid (C5H9O4N) is used as substrate is

described with below reaction:

2 C5H9O4N+ 4 O2 C5H7NO2 +5 CO2 + 4 H2O+ NH3

a) Calculate yield coefficient (YH ) as g VSS/g substrate

b) Express substrate as COD (g COD/ g C5H9O4N)
c) Calculate yield coefficient (YH ) as g VSS/g COD
d) Calculate the amount of oxygen that should be given to the system for 100 g COD
e) Calculate the amount of Phosphorus that should be given to the system for 100 g
COD

Solution:

Molecular weight of GA:147 g

113 113 𝒈𝑽𝑺𝑺

a) 𝑌𝐻 = = = 𝟎. 𝟑𝟖
2𝑥147 294 𝒈𝑮𝑨

b) C5H9O4N+ 4.5 O2 5 CO2 + 3 H2O+ NH3

4.5𝑥32 144
= = 𝟎. 𝟗𝟖 𝒈𝑪𝑶𝑫/𝒈𝑮𝑨
147 147
113 113 𝑔𝑉𝑆𝑆
c) 𝑌𝐻 = = = 0.39
2𝑥144 288 𝑔𝐶𝑂𝐷

𝑔𝑉𝑆𝑆 1 𝑔𝐺𝐴 𝒈𝑽𝑺𝑺

or 𝑌𝐻 = 0.38 𝑥 = 𝟎. 𝟑𝟗
𝑔𝐺𝐴 0.98 𝑔𝐶𝑂𝐷 𝒈𝑪𝑶𝑫

d) From growth reaction, 128 g oxygen (4x32) is necessary for 288 g COD

So, for 100 g COD (128/288)100=44.4 g oxygen is needed.

e) From growth reaction: 14 g nitrogen is necessary for 288 g COD

So, for 100 g COD (14/288)100=4.9 g nitrogen is needed.

P requirement 4.9/5=0.98 g P

COD/N/P 100/5/1
Example 2:

In a biological treatability experiment where glutamic acid (C5H9O4N) is used, 113 g

biomass is generated and 128 g O2 is consumed.

a) Calculte the amount of substrate utilized as g COD, g GA and g BOD5

b) Calculate the yield coefficient as VSS/COD and cellCOD/COD
c) Calculate Nitrogen removal percentage and the Phosphorus amount to be added

Assumptions:

Theoretical oxygen demand =COD= BODu; BOD k coefficient is k=0.15/day (10 base)

Solution:

a) COD equivalent of generated biomass

C 5 H 7 NO2  5 O2  5 CO2  2 H 2 O  NH 3
 
113 32
5x32=160 g oxygen equivalent biomass

Substrate utilized (removed COD)=Biomass generated (as cell COD) + O2 consumption

g cell COD + g O2 consumption =160+128=288 g COD

C5H9O4N+ 4.5 O2 5 CO2 + 3 H2O+ NH3

1 mol GA  4.5x32=144 g COD ; Then, 288 g COD equivalent substrate is 2 mole,

Molecular weight of GA:147 g

Utilized substrate = 2 moles =2x147=294 g GA= 288g COD  BOIu

BOD5 (1−10−5𝑘 )BODu

=f= = (1 − 10−5∗0.15 ) = 0.82
BODu BODu

BOD5= f xBODu=0.82x288=236 g

113 113 𝑔𝑉𝑆𝑆

b) 𝑌𝐻 = = = 0.39
2𝑥144 288 𝑔𝐶𝑂𝐷

113∗1.42=160 𝑔𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝐶𝑂𝐷 𝐶𝑂𝐷

YH = = 0.56
2∗144=288 𝑔 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝐶𝑂𝐷 𝐶𝑂𝐷

c) 1 mole N = 14 g Nitrogen is necessary, 2 mole N (2x14=28 g) enters, 1 mole is

used in growth so the Nitrogen removal percentage is :

28−14
= 50 %
28

14
Phosphorus requirement is: = 2.8 g P
5
We can also solve this question by writing stoichiometric reactions:

1 mole GA oxygen equivalent is 4.5 mole, since 4 mole oxygen is consumed in energy
reaction, it correspondes to 4/4.5= 0.89 mole GA. So, 2-0.89=1.1 mole is used in
biosynthesis.

In order to make coefficients convenient for stoichiometric reactions:

128 4 8
In energy reaction = = mole GA is used,
144 4.5 9

8 10
and the amount of GA used in biosynthesis becomes : 2 − = mole
9 9

8 40 8 24
𝐶5 𝐻9 𝑂4 𝑁 +4𝑂2 → 𝐶𝑂2 + 𝑁𝐻3 + 𝐻2 𝑂 Energy
9 9 9 9

10 5 1 12
𝐶5 𝐻9 𝑂4 𝑁 → 𝐶5 𝐻7 𝑁𝑂2 + 𝐶𝑂2 + 𝑁𝐻3 + 𝐻2 𝑂 Biosynthesis
9 9 9 9

2𝐶5 𝐻9 𝑂4 𝑁 + 4𝑂2 → 𝐶5 𝐻7 𝑁𝑂2 + 5𝐶𝑂2 + 𝑁𝐻3 + 4𝐻2 𝑂 Overall

113 113 𝑔𝑉𝑆𝑆

𝑌𝐻 = = = 0.39
2𝑥144 288 𝑔𝐶𝑂𝐷

2C5H9O4N+ 9 O2 10 CO2 + 6H2O+ 2NH3

COD equivalent of 2 moles substrate is 9 moles O2

5∗32(𝑜𝑟 113∗1.42)=160 𝑔𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝐶𝑂𝐷 𝐶𝑂𝐷

YH = = 0.56
9∗32 (𝑜𝑟 294∗0.98)=288 𝑔 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝐶𝑂𝐷 𝐶𝑂𝐷

128 O2
Y02= = 0.44 COD
288

YH+YO2= 0.56+0.44= 1

biomass generation as COD + oxygen consumption = substrate utilized as COD

160 + 128 = 288