411-392 Fermentation Process Engineering

Students may only gain credit for 411-392 Fermentation Process Engineering or 411-393 Bioprocess Engineering.

411-254 Biomolecular Process Principles and 411-255 Metabolic Engineering

411-303 Reactor Engineering

Batch and continuous culture. Kinetics of microbial growth and product formation. Sterilisation and aseptic equipment design. Factors affecting the selection of media for industrial fermentations. Design of stirred-tank, airlift and other fermenters. Special requirements of plant and animal cell culture. Design for oxygen transfer and mixing. Materials selection. Fermenter scale-up. Fermentation process monitoring and control. Downstream separation technologies. Ethical, legal and regulatory issues in fermentation process engineering. Practice classes on the solution of open-ended problems in fermentation process design. Practical work (fermentations and downstream separation techniques).

The objectives are to acquaint students with procedures for the design and control of industrial scale fermentation processes, to provide them with experience in the solution of open-ended design problems in fermentation process engineering, and to allow them to acquire practical skills in the conduct of fermentations and associated downstream separation processes.

An examination of three hours contributing 70% to the assessment, practice class assignments totalling not more than 2000 words contributing 20% to the assessment, and practical work reports totalling not more than 1000 words contributing 10% to the assessment.