An experimental approach to energy balance in a microbial process using the dichromate oxidation method.

The dichromate oxidation method was used to determine the number of reduction equivalents of organic substrates, cell mass and extracellular products in aerobical batch cultivations of Bordetella pertussis. The reduction equivalents obtained by this method were transformed into caloric values based on the fact that heat of reaction per equivalent oxygen consumed by oxidation of different organic substances is relatively constant. According to the law of conservation of energy a complete energy balance associated with an aerobical microbial process was developed using the caloric values mentioned above.