Biochemical Engineering
Enzymes, microbial growth and bioreactor design applied to a corn ethanol plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa: metabolism and yields, enzyme kinetics and technology, growth kinetics and stoichiometry, batch, fed-batch and continuous fermentation, oxygen transfer, sterilization and contamination control, scale-up, downstream processing, economics and carbon intensity, ending with the design of a yeast propagation and fermentation train.
CHE-390 Year 3 3 credits 12 lessons · 4 h 27 min ▶ Video lessons coming soon
Offered by HSM University · Chemical Engineering
This is the American version of this course. See the Canadian version.
What you'll learn
- Describe the stages of a bioprocess and carry out a whole-plant material balance for a dry-grind ethanol plant.
- Explain cell types, the main biomolecules and the metabolic pathways that set ethanol and biomass yields.
- Fit Michaelis-Menten constants by linear and nonlinear methods and account for enzyme inhibition.
- Design enzyme use in liquefaction and saccharification, including thermal deactivation and immobilized-enzyme effectiveness.
- Describe microbial growth with Monod kinetics, product inhibition and maintenance, and build a batch fermentation model.
- Write element and electron balances for growth and product formation and use Luedeking-Piret kinetics.
- Compare batch, fed-batch and continuous fermentation, including chemostat steady states, washout and productivity.
- Estimate oxygen transfer and uptake in stirred-tank bioreactors and design aeration for yeast propagation.
- Design heat sterilization with the Del factor and control contamination in a non-sterile fermentation plant.
- Choose scale-up criteria, estimate mixing and cooling needs, and specify instrumentation and control for fermenters.
- Select downstream operations and balance the stillage train of an ethanol plant.
- Evaluate bioprocess economics and carbon intensity and prepare a design basis for a propagation and fermentation train.
Course content
12 lessons · 4 h 27 min total · final exam
- 1 Bioprocess engineering and the ethanol plant 22 min · quiz
- 2 Cells, biomolecules and metabolism for engineers 21 min · quiz
- 3 Enzyme kinetics 24 min · quiz
- 4 Enzyme technology: liquefaction, saccharification and immobilization 23 min · quiz
- 5 Microbial growth kinetics 23 min · quiz
- 6 Stoichiometry of growth and product formation 23 min · quiz
- 7 Batch, fed-batch and continuous fermentation 24 min · quiz
- 8 Bioreactor design and oxygen transfer 21 min · quiz
- 9 Sterilization and contamination control 21 min · quiz
- 10 Scale-up and control of bioreactors 23 min · quiz
- 11 Downstream processing 21 min · quiz
- 12 Bioprocess economics, sustainability and the capstone fermentation train 21 min · quiz
- E Final exam 20 questions
Requirements
Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.
Description
Enzymes, microbial growth and bioreactor design applied to a corn ethanol plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa: metabolism and yields, enzyme kinetics and technology, growth kinetics and stoichiometry, batch, fed-batch and continuous fermentation, oxygen transfer, sterilization and contamination control, scale-up, downstream processing, economics and carbon intensity, ending with the design of a yeast propagation and fermentation train.
Part of the Engineering stream, typically taken in year 3.