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A Thermodynamic Interpretation of the Monod Equation

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Abstract

The Monod equation for microbial growth is purely empirical, and the theoretical basis of this model stays unclear. Similar to any chemical reactions, overall microbial growth process is dependent upon the changes in free energy. This study showed that the Monod equation could be interpreted in a thermodynamic sense very well. It was probably for the first time demonstrated that the Monod constant (K s ) was inversely related to the equilibrium constant of the overall microbial growth process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Engineering Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, , , , , , SG

    Yu Liu, Yue-Mei Lin & Shu-Fang Yang

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  1. Yu Liu
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  2. Yue-Mei Lin
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  3. Shu-Fang Yang
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Received: 2 August 2002 / Accepted: 23 September 2002

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Liu, Y., Lin, YM. & Yang, SF. A Thermodynamic Interpretation of the Monod Equation. Curr Microbiol 46, 0233–0234 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-002-3934-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-002-3934-z

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