Temperature Effects on Microbial Growth in CSTR'S

The effects of temperature upon the kinetics of a natural microbial culture were studied by growing the cells in continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTR). The maximum specific growth rate and specific decay rate were influenced by temperature in an Arrhenius fashion. The temperature characteristic for the specific decay rate was slightly larger than that for the maximum rate so that the ratio of the two was 1.1:1. As the temperature increased from 10 to 20°C, the true growth yield increased, but decreased with further increases to 40°C. The effect upon the saturation constant was just the opposite. The response of the observed yield to changes in temperature depends upon the growth condition imposed upon the organisms in a biological manner.