The Monod equation is a mathematical model for the growth of microorganisms. It is named for Jacques Monod (1910–1976, a French biochemist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1965), who proposed using an equation of this form to relate microbial growth rates in an aqueous environment to the concentration of a limiting nutrient. The Monod equation has the same form as the Michaelis–Menten equation, but differs in that it is empirical while the latter is based on theoretical considerations.
The Monod equation is commonly used in environmental engineering. For example, it is used in the activated sludge model for sewage treatment.