Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 26, 2026

Quantifying Fish Swimming Behavior in Response to Acute Exposure of Aqueous Copper Using Computer Assisted Video and Digital Image Analysis
Published on: February 26, 2016
Kinetic responses of activated sludge microorganisms to individual and joint copper and zinc
Yue-Mei Lin1, Xue-Fu Yang, Yu Liu
1Environmental Engineering Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Abstract:
The individual and joint effects of copper and zinc on the growth kinetics of activated sludge microorganisms were studied in batch reactors fed with glucose as sole carbon source. The observed specific growth rate, substrate utilization rate and removal efficiency were determined at different concentrations of individual and joint Cu and Zn. Activated sludge microorganisms showed different kinetic responses to Cu and Zn, and the Haldane model seemed applicable for the inhibitory effect of Zn, while a first-order kinetics for Cu. Compared to Zn, Cu exhibited high toxicity to activated sludge microorganisms even at a very low concentration of 1.0 mg/dm3. However, Zn concentrations less than 40 mg/dm3 would stimulate the growth of activated sludge microorganism, and Zn acted as inhibitory chemical only at concentrations above this value. The combined effect of Cu and Zn could be regarded as neither synergistic nor antagonistic action.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Microbial Leaching
Standard Electrode Potentials
Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles
Acid Mine Drainage
Extraction: Advanced Methods

