Environmental Microbiology: Lesson Two

Here is the second lesson of the course Environmental Microbiology offered in the Environmental Science program at Avans University of Applied Science.

Click on this link to download the second lesson. The topic is metabolism and growth. As part of this lesson the following sub-topics are discussed:

• Respiration
• Fermentation
• Microbial growth
• Effects of environmental variables on micro-organisms

Again, except for the first sheet, the presentation is in English. The textbook used to prepare this presentation was Brock: Biology of Microorganisms (Twelfth Ed.).

Environmental Microbiology: Lesson One

As part of the curriculum of Environmental Science, I give lectures in Environmental Microbiology.

Click on this link to download the first lesson. The topic is a background and introduction to Microbiolgy. Several topics are covered including:

• A short history


• Morphology


• Taxonomy


• Motility

Except for the first sheet, the presentation is completely in English. The textbook used as a basis to this presentation (and a book that I highly recommend) is Brock: Biology of Microorganisms.

Making Biogas for a family of four with 2 cows

A very simple and effective way of using cow dung to produce not only enough methane for an entire family but also high grade fertilizier. Total costs for free cooking gas and fertilizer for a life? $60

Dutch Sewage Treatment Plants Produce Energy from Waste

It takes a lot of energy to turn sewage into potable water but the times are changing. In a new development, Dutch water treatment plants will start producing their own energy.

In Holland, at least 750 GWh of energy is used to treat sewage waste every year. This ammount of energy is comparable to the ammount that a city of a million people uses in a year. Of the 750 GWh, the sewage treatment plants produce only 150 GWh from the biogas produced in the internal treatment process. In the near future and with current technology all 750 GWh will be produced from the interal biogas produced. And this is only the beginning.

The ambition is that a sewage treatment plant that serves 100,000 people would produce not only the energy for the plant itself but for a further 225 households. This would mean that 36,000 households would be powered from waste treatment every year.

The website http://www.energiefabriek.com/ has produced a map of the energy that can be produced in this way.