A discharge pipe releases small amounts of various alcohols from an industrial fermentation process into a lake. Local scientists would like to estimate the rate at which the alcohols are degrading in the lake. One of them, butanol (C4H9OH), is released to the lake at a rate of 20 kg/day. Butanol is measured in the lake water on several occasions at a concentration of 10-4 kg/m3; no butanol is detected in the inflowing stream. Average streamflow at the outlet of the lake is measured to be 3 x 104 m3/day. What is the magnitude of internal sinks of butanol? Assume there is not butanol exchange with the atmosphere.
A discharge pipe releases small amounts of various alcohols from an industrial fermentation process into a lake. Local scientists would like to estimate the rate at which the alcohols are degrading in the lake. One of them, butanol (C4H9OH), is released to the lake at a rate of 20 kg/day. Butanol is measured in the lake water on several occasions at a concentration of 10-4 kg/m3; no butanol is detected in the inflowing stream. Average streamflow at the outlet of the lake is measured to be 3 x 104 m3/day. What is the magnitude of internal sinks of butanol? Assume there is not butanol exchange with the atmosphere.
Given
Average stream flow at the outlet of the lake = 3 x 104 m3/day
Rate at which butanol (C4H9OH) is released into the lake= 20 kg/day
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