Chapter 19, Problem 19.5QPP

Pseudomonas putida is being used to biodegrade toluene in an in-situ, aerobic bioremediation system. The environmental conditions are oligotrophic, in that Pseudomonas is starved for other nutrients and organic carbon/energy sources, including toluene, which is present at low concentrations (S0 = 5 mg/L). It is able to perform oxidative phosphorylation using toluene as an electron donor to obtain ATP as a primary energy source that primarily fuels its biosynthesis pathways (i.e., fs ~ 1). During this oxidation process, toluene is degraded to a less harmful metabolite, benzoic acid. a) Given this information write out the kinetic model to describe the substrate degradation profile as a function of time. b) With the information in the Table below, compute the substrate (S) and biomass concentrations (X) after 3.5 days have elapsed. Assume that the initial degrading population is quite low, given the oligotrophic conditions (X0 = 0.5 mg/L). Biokinetic Model Parameter μmax Ks Y Kd Value…

A pure bacterial culture is growing in a warm, oxygenated, and nutrient rich solution present in a batch reactor system. Given what you know about doubling times: a) Estimate the specific growth rate of this culture if the generation time is determined to be 40 minutes. b) If 60 cells are present initially, calculate the mass of cells present after a 16-hour period. Assume that the biomass weighs 5.7E-10 mg/cell.

How do different urban structures influence a city’s economic health over time? Provide an example of a structure that strengthened or weakened a city.