A company is using 2 outdoor ponds to reduce organic material from a 500. gallons/hour wastewater stream. In the current situation, the ponds have a surface area of 1 acre (first pond) and 3.1 acres (second pond) (1 acre = 43,560 ft2) and both have an average depth of 6.0 ft. Arranged in series with the outflow from the first pond feeding the second pond, the system removes 95% of the organic material by mass. Evaporation of water is 25 gallons per acre per hour. Since the reaction is highly dependent on oxygen levels, both ponds are aerated, and the bubbling thoroughly mixes the water in each pond. The chemical decay reaction is first order. Required:
Estimate the decay coefficient of the organics in the existing pond set.