Civil and Environmental Engineering 211B

Environmental Biological Processes

SAMPLE OUTLINE

3 units

Instructor: Slawomir W. Hermanowicz

629 Davis Hall

e-mail: hermanowicz@ce.berkeley.edu

Office Hours: here


Class notes and other materials available through bSpace



This graduate course covers the fundamental concepts of biological processes that are important in natural and engineered environmental systems. The course will incorporate basic fundamentals of microbiology into a quantifiable engineering context in order to describe, predict and control behavior of environmental biological systems. The overall objective of the course is to apply the principles of microbiology and engineering to understand and solve environmental problems. This course intends to utilize the principles of microbiology together with the quantitative tools of engineering to understand, describe and predict important environmental biological processes.



Required Text:

Environmental Biotechnology: Principles and Applications, B. E. Rittmann and P. L. McCarty, 2001, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Boston Mass.


Additional Useful Texts

Biological Wastewater Treatment, C. P. L. Grady, G. T. Daigger and H. C. Lim. 1999. Marcel Dekker, Inc., N.Y. Second Edition. TD755 .G72 1999

Wastewater Engineering: Treatment, Disposal, Reuse, Metcalf and Eddy, 2003. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. Fourth Edition. TD645 .W293 2003

Anaerobic Biotechnology for Industrial Wastewater. R. E. Speece. 1996. Archae Press, Nashville, TN.

Brock Biology of Microorganisms, M. T. Madigan, J. M. Martinko, and J. Parker. 2000. Prentice Hall, N.J., Ninth Edition.



List of papers for presentations



Requirements and Grading:

      Homework                              25% Presentation                     15%

      Midterm                                  25% Final                                35%


Each student will be responsible for one class presentation (no longer that 15 min) of an original research paper. A list of suggested papers is posted at bSpace (and will be enlarged as needed). If you see a paper you would like to present, send me an e-mail. Papers will be assigned in the order of received e-mails. If you find another paper that is relevant to the course, please show me it in advance for approval. Before each presentation, the presenting student will prepare a 1-2 page outline of major points and questions to be circulated to the class. This outline is due 3 days before the presentation. All students are required to read the outline as a basis for discussion.



Class Policy:

Homework will typically be distributed in class on Thursday and will be due in class the following Thursday. All homework assignments must be turned in to pass this course. Late work will not be graded.


Collaboration: To learn effectively the material in this class, careful understanding of the assigned reading and class lectures are required. The assignments are designed to ensure that you review and understand the relevant material. Therefore, you may discuss homework problems with the professor, teaching assistant, or other students, however, you may not examine the written work of other students (including those of a previous class). Exams will be closed book and notes and will emphasize (to the extent possible) comprehension over memorization, however the nature of the material necessitates extensive amounts of both.



Course outline: (PDF file)

 

      Topic                                                                                            Assigned Reading (R&M)

1    BASICS OF MICROBIOLOGY 

      Background                                                                                 Chap 1.0-1.5

               The Cell                                                                               (skim 1.4)

               Microbial Structure

      Metabolism                                                                                   1.7-1.8.0

               Enzymes and Biochemistry

      Cell Classification and Genetics                                                   1.11-1.14

      Basic Microbial Ecology                                                              1.15

      Waterborne Disease                                                                     1.6

 

2    STOICHIOMETRY AND ENERGETICS                                  Chap. 2

      Redox and Stoichiometry                                                             HO

      Cell Stoichiometry                                                                       2.0-2.2

      Energy Capture

               Redox reactions                                                                   2.4

               Electron Donors/Acceptor

      Cell Metabolism                                                                           1.9-1.10

      Cellular Yield                                                                               2.3

      Growth Reaction Energetics                                                         2.5-2.6

 

3    MICROBIAL KINETICS                                                            Chap. 3

      Enzyme Kinetics

               Michaelis-Menten                                                               1.8.1, 1.8.2

               Inhibition and Toxicity                                                        3.9

      Growth Kinetics                                                                           3.1, 3.2

      Cell Mass Balances                                                                      3.3

      SMP                                                                                              3.5

      Competition

 

4    BIOREACTOR MODELS                                                           Chap. 5

      Reactor Types                                                                              5.1-5.5

      Solids Separation and Cell Recycle                                              5.6-5.10

MCRT and Its Role in Design and Operation5.11

      Reactor Dynamics                                                                        HO


5    SUSPENDED GROWTH PROCESSES                                     Chap. 6

               Process Configurations                                                        6.1, 6.2

               Aeration Systems                                                                6.4

               Solid Separation                                                                  6.5, 6.7

               Design and Operation                                                          6.3, 6.6

               Membrane Bioreactors                                                        6.9 HO

 

6    BIOFILMS                                                                                   Chap. 4

      Biofilm Structure                                                                          HO, 4.1, 4.2

      Mass Transport                                                                             HO, 4.3 - 4.5

 

7    BIOFILM PROCESSES                                                              Chap 8: 8.1

      Trickling Filters                                                                            8.2

      Biological Filters                                                                          8.4

      Fluidized Bed Reactors                                                                8.5


8    NUTRIENT CONTROL 

      Nitrification/Denitrification                                                         9.1 10.1

               Microbiology & Biochemistry

               Process Design and Operation                                             9.2 - 9.7, 10.2 - 10.3

      Phosphorus

               Microbiology & Biochemistry                                            11.1

               Process Design and Operation                                             11.2 - 11.3

 

9    ANAEROBIC PROCESSES                                                       Chap. 13

      Methanogenesis                                                                            13.1

               Microbiology/Chemistry                                                     13.3

               Kinetics                                                                               13.4

      Reactor Configurations 

               Sludge Stabilization                                                            13.5

               Wastewater Applications                                                     13.2

 

10 BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN DRINKING WATER              12.1

      (tentative)