DIFFUSION-COEFFICIENT AND ITS DEPENDENCY ON SOME BIOCHEMICAL FACTORS

The diffusion coefficients for glucose and oxygen through a microbial aggregate were measured, and then the dependency on biochemical factors was investigated. Kinetic and diffusion studies were carried out experimentally for this purpose. Both coefficients were found to be dependent not only on the bacteria concentration but also on the C/N ratio of microbial aggregate at the high bacteria concentration when the temperature was 20 plus or minus 2 degree C. On the other hand, these values were considered to be independent of both factors at the low bacteria concentration, when the temperature was 20 plus or minus 2 degree C. In other words, both coefficients were approximately 86-95% of the values in water at the high bacteria concentration and nearly 100% of the values in water at the low bacteria concentration. It was also found that they were dependent on the temperature.