The second-law implications of biochemical energy conversion: exergy analysis of glucose and fatty-acid breakdown in the living cell
by S. Lems, H.J. Van Der Kooi, J. de Swaan Arons
International Journal of Exergy (IJEX), Vol. 6, No. 2, 2009

Abstract: This paper gives the exergy analyses of the main stages of glucose and fatty-acid breakdown in living cells. Conversion processes like the glycolysis, the citric-acid cycle, and mitochondrial respiration consistently show exergy efficiencies of around or above 90%, while the membrane-transport processes are about 70-75% efficient. The overall efficiencies of glucose and palmitic-acid breakdown to activated phosphate groups in ATP are determined at 58% and 60%, respectively. Reasonable variations in the intracellular concentration data affect the efficiency results by no more than a few percentage points. The reported exergy analyses, thus, point at a high thermodynamic efficiency of living-cell energy conversion.

Online publication date: Sun, 22-Mar-2009

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Exergy (IJEX):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

    Username:        Password:         

Forgotten your password?


Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com