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Enzymes and Activation Energy01:13

Enzymes and Activation Energy

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The activation energy (or free energy of activation), abbreviated as Ea, is the small amount of energy input necessary for all chemical reactions to occur. During chemical reactions, certain chemical bonds break, and new ones form. For example, when a glucose molecule breaks down, bonds between the molecule's carbon atoms break. Since these are energy-storing bonds, they release energy when broken. However, the molecule must be somewhat contorted to get into a state that allows the bonds to...
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Inside living organisms, enzymes act as catalysts for many biochemical reactions involved in cellular metabolism. The role of enzymes is to reduce the activation energies of biochemical reactions by forming complexes with its substrates. The lowering of activation energies favor an increase in the rates of biochemical reactions.
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Enzymes speed up reactions by lowering the activation energy of the reactants. The speed at which the enzyme turns reactants into products is called the rate of reaction. Several factors impact the rate of reaction, including the number of available reactants. Enzyme kinetics is the study of how an enzyme changes the rate of a reaction.
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For an ideal solution, the pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. For a non-ideal solution, an accurate measurement of the pH must consider the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion activity rather than concentration. In such a solution, the pH can be more accurately defined as the negative logarithm of a product of the hydrogen ion concentration and its activity coefficient.
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High-throughput Fluorometric Measurement of Potential Soil Extracellular Enzyme Activities
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Early biofouling detection using fluorescence-based extracellular enzyme activity.

Babar K Khan1, Luca Fortunato1, TorOve Leiknes1

  • 1Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Biological and Environmental Science & Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.

Enzyme and Microbial Technology
|November 7, 2018
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Early detection of membrane biofouling is crucial for efficient desalination. A new fluorescence sensor measures bacterial enzyme activity, enabling real-time monitoring of biofouling and optimizing cleaning processes.

Keywords:
BiofoulingBiotechnologyDesalinationEnzymesExtracellular enzyme activityFluorogen-substrate

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Biotechnology
  • Chemical Engineering

Background:

  • Membrane-based filtration is vital for desalination, but biological fouling increases operational costs.
  • Biofouling reduces membrane efficiency, causes damage, and necessitates costly replacements.
  • In situ monitoring of bacterial accumulation can optimize cleaning and prolong membrane lifespan.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and test a fluorescence-based sensor for early detection of biofouling in membrane processes.
  • To monitor bacterial accumulation proximal to the membrane surface using extracellular enzyme activity.
  • To demonstrate a practical approach for prototyping early-detection biofouling sensors in desalination.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a fluorescence sensor to measure extracellular enzyme activity for biofouling detection.
  • Tested the sensor in a lab-scale seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) biofouling model.
  • Tracked bacterial biomass accumulation non-invasively using fluorogen-substrates and optical coherence tomography (OCT).
  • Screened and characterized fluorogens for seawater compatibility and desalination parameters (pH, temperature).

Main Results:

  • Successfully tracked bacterial biomass accumulation in real-time using the fluorescence sensor.
  • Corroborated sensor data with OCT imaging of the membrane surface.
  • Demonstrated the sensor's compatibility with seawater and relevant desalination conditions.
  • Validated extracellular enzyme activity as a reliable indicator of bacterial abundance.

Conclusions:

  • The developed fluorescence sensor enables rapid and non-invasive early detection of biofouling.
  • This technology can significantly improve the monitoring and management of membrane-based desalination processes.
  • Prototyping an early-detection biofouling sensor using enzyme activity is practical for industrial applications.