Stoichiometry of Cell Growth and Product Formation

Lecture 2 Biochemical Engineering Aerobic Cell Growth

Electron Balance Degree of reduction number of equivalents of available electrons a quantity of material containing 1 g carbon Given the substrate CwHxOyNz

Respiratory Quotient

Fact: During metabolism, available electrons are conserved

Biomass Yield

Aerobic Fermentation with Extracellular Product Product yield from substrate

Homework 2 1. Oxygen requirement for growth on glycerol Klebsiella aerogenees is produced from glycerol in aerobic culture with ammonia as nitrogen source. The biomass contains 8% ash, 0.40 g biomass is produced for each g of glycerol consumed, and no major metabolic products are formed. What is the oxygen requirement for this culture in mass terms? 2. Product yield in anaerobic digestion Anaerobic digestion of volatile acids by methane bacteria is represented by CH3COOH + NH3 biomass + CO2 + H2O + CH4 The composition of methane bacteria is approximated by the empirical formula CH1.4O0.4N0.2. For each kg of acetic acid consumed, 0.67 kg of CO2 is evolved. How does the yield of methane under these conditions compare with the maximum possible yield?

Electron balance in aerobic fermentation with extracellular product Maximum Possible Yield Fractional allocation of available electrons in the substrate

Fraction of available electrons in the biomass in absence of product formation Maximum possible biomass yield

Maximum possible product yield