MONOD EQN

Kinetics of growth
• The growth of biomass with time is given by
• substrate + cells-------extracellular products +more cells

• The rate of microbial growth is characterized by specific

growth rate
• μnet = specific growth rate
• X = cell concentration
• t = time
• μnet = μg - kd
• where, μg = gross specific growth rate,
• kd= death rate of cells ,
• if kd =0, μnet = μg
Monod eq
• Monod eq: applied for balanced growth, i.e. composition of
biomass remains constant and specific rate of production of
each component of culture is equal to μ.

S 

max

Ks  S
• μmax=max growth rate acheivable when s>>>Ks
and concentrations of all other nutrients are
unchanged
• Ks = value of limiting nutrient conc at which the
specific growth rate is half its max value(it is the
division b/w the lower conc range ,where μ is
strongly dependent on s, and the higher range
where μ becomes independent of s)
• Thus growth is controlled by the availability of a rate limiting
nutrient.
Monod curve
Monod Growth Kinetics
• First-order region,
S << KS, the equation S << KS mixed order S >> KS
can be approximated as
 = maxS/Ks

• Center region, Monod max

“mixed order” kinetics
must be used
, 1/hr
• Zero-order region,
S >> KS, the equation
can be approximated by
 = max

S, mg/L
Limitations of Monods eq

• Applied only for balanced growth

• At extremely low substrate concentration
cannot be applied
Cell Growth in Batch Cultures

• Batch culture: Growth in closed system or environment

• Cells grow until some essential component of medium is
exhausted or the environment changes because of
accumulation of a toxic product

Typical batch growth curve: Lag, Log, Stationary, Death

phases..
Lag phase
• Cells are adapting to environment.
• Intense metabolic activity (DNA and enzyme
synthesis)
• Little or no cell division
• Period of lag phase: size of inoculum, age of
inoculum, medium composition
Log phase(exponential phase)
• Cell division (logarithmic increase or exponential
increase)
• Generation time is constant=log plot of growth is
a straight line.
• Most metabolic activity (catabolism and
anabolism)
• Cell is sensitive to adverse conditions
(antibiotics, changes in environmental factors)
• Composition of biomass remains constant
Stationary phase

• Number of dividing cells =number of death cells.

• Lack of nutrients, accumulation of waste
products, pH changes.
• Net growth rate is zero. Cells still active and
produces the secondary metabolites..
Death phase
• Number of dying cells > number of dividing cells
• Can be a logarithmic decrease
• Depending on the species, some cells can survive
long periods of time.
Exponential Phase Growth
• Log phase growth is first order, ie
Growth rate  to population size
• So lnX vs. t is linear, slope = m
m units are 1/t (i.e. hr-1)

dX
 X
dt
• Each phase has potential importance in
microbiological process
• A good design aims to minimize the length of lag
phase and to maximize the rate and length of
exponential phase or slowing the onset of
transition to stationary growth