Explain why anaerobic organisms must waste a molecule of NADH each time they process pyruvate at the end of glycolysis. NADH has the potential energy of 3 ATP molecules, yet anaerobes squander this NADH potential energy just to acquire 2 ATP's from glycolysis. If they used the NADH as an additional energy source (as aerobes do), they could net 5 ATPs instead of just 2.