Kinetics of soluble microbial product formation in substrate-sufficient batch culture of activated sludge.

Abstract

The kinetics of soluble microbial product (SMP) formation under substrate-sufficient conditions appear to exhibit different patterns from substrate-limited cultures. However, energy spilling-associated SMP formation is not taken into account in the existing kinetic models and classification of SMP. Based on the concepts of growth yield and energy uncoupling, a kinetic model describing energy spilling-associated SMP formation in relation to the ratio of initial substrate concentration to initial biomass concentration ( S(0)/ X(0)) was developed for substrate-sufficient batch culture of activated sludge, and was verified by experimental data. The specific rate of energy spilling-associated SMP formation showed an increasing trend with the S(0)/ X(0) ratio up to its maximum value. The SMP productivity coefficient ( alpha(p/e)) was defined from the model on the basis of energy spilling-associated substrate consumption. Results revealed that less than 5% of energy spilling-associated substrate consumption was converted into SMP.