Question

What is the unit of Specific Oxygen rate (SOUR)?

(a) grams of oxygen consumed per gram of volatile suspended solids per hour

(b) milligrams of oxygen consumed per gram of volatile suspended solids per hour

(c) kilograms of oxygen consumed per gram of volatile suspended solids per second

(d) milligrams of oxygen consumed per gram of volatile suspended solids per second

I had been asked this question in unit test.

This key question is from Monitoring and Control of Bioreactors in portion Reactor Engineering of Bioprocess Engineering

Answer 1

The correct choice is (b) milligrams of oxygen consumed per gram of volatile suspended solids per hour

For explanation I would say: The Specific Oxygen Uptake Rate (SOUR), also known as the oxygen consumption or respiration rate, is defined as the milligram of oxygen consumed per gram of volatile suspended solids (VSS) per hour. This quick test has many advantages; rapid measure of influent organic load and biodegradability, indication of the presence of toxic or inhibitory wastes, degree of stability and condition of a sample, and calculation of oxygen demand rates at various points in the aeration basin.