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Related Concept Videos

Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation01:22

Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation

Nitrogen is an essential element in biological systems, forming a crucial component of proteins, nucleic acids, and other cellular constituents. Many bacteria and archaea acquire nitrogen in the form of nitrate (NO₃⁻) or ammonia (NH₃), which are then assimilated into biomolecules through specific enzymatic pathways.Assimilatory Nitrate ReductionWhen nitrate enters the cell, it undergoes a two-step reduction process known as assimilatory nitrate reduction. Initially, the enzyme nitrate reductase...
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Chemical reactions often occur in a stepwise fashion involving two or more distinct reactions taking place in a sequence. A balanced equation indicates the reacting species and the product species, but it reveals no details about how the reaction occurs at the molecular level. The reaction mechanism (or reaction path) provides details regarding the precise, step-by-step process by which a reaction occurs. Each of the steps in a reaction mechanism is called an elementary reaction. These...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on 14NH4+/15NH4+ Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N2O
08:05

Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on 14NH4+/15NH4+ Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N2O

Published on: October 7, 2020

Is ammonification the rate limiting step for nitrification kinetics?

Tugce Katipoglu-Yazan1, Emine Ubay Cokgor, Güçlü Insel

  • 1Environmental Engineering Department, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, 34469 Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey. katipoglut@itu.edu.tr

Bioresource Technology
|April 3, 2012
PubMed
Summary

This study quantifies hydrolysis and ammonification rates using a peptone mixture. Ammonification is unlikely to be rate-limiting in domestic sewage due to its rapid kinetics.

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Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on 14NH4+/15NH4+ Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N2O
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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Microbiology
  • Biochemical Engineering

Background:

  • Wastewater treatment relies on microbial processes like hydrolysis and ammonification.
  • Understanding the kinetics of these processes is crucial for optimizing treatment efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relative rates of hydrolysis and ammonification.
  • To determine if ammonification is a rate-limiting step in wastewater treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a peptone mixture as substrate with nitrifying biomass.
  • Conducted parallel experiments with and without nitrification inhibitors.
  • Analyzed ammonia release and oxygen uptake rate (OUR) profiles using model analysis.

Main Results:

  • Identified a dual hydrolysis mechanism for the peptone mixture with specific rate coefficients.
  • Established a kinetic balance for ammonia release, yielding an ammonification rate of 0.08 m³/g COD day.
  • Observed rapid depletion of soluble ammonia nitrogen, confirming ammonification.

Conclusions:

  • Hydrolysis kinetics for the peptone mixture were characterized.
  • Ammonification is unlikely to be rate-limiting for wastewaters like domestic sewage, which exhibit lower hydrolysis kinetics.