28994 - Fundamentals of Biochemical Engineering

Learning outcomes

Basic knowledge and modelling of physical–chemical phenomena involved in the biochemical processes at industrial level.

Course contents

1. Peculiar features of biochemical processes. Batch, continuous and fed-batch operations. Steady and non-steady state.
2. Fluid dynamics, laminar and turbulent flow, Newton’s law and viscosity, non-newtonian fluids. Bernoulli’s equation, head loss, friction factor.
3. Different methods to describe the composition of a mixture.
4. Mass balance for a non reacting system in steady and non-steady state.
5. Phase equilibrium, mass balance for a single equilibrium stage and for counter-current cascade.
6. Mass balance for reacting systems, reaction rate, examples (first order, Michaelis–Menten, exponential growth, …).
7. Continuous flow reactors: the ideal stirred tank reactor and the ideal plug flow reactor, tanks in series, mass balance and analysis of isothermal reactors.
8. Overall mass transfer coefficients.
9. Mass transfer coefficients, resistance in series concept, reactions between a fluid and a solid, controlling step, aeration of bioreactors.
10. Diffusion: Fick’s law, diffusion in gas, liquid and solids. Steady state and transient diffusion in plane, cylinder, spheres, some applications: barrier polymers, membranes.
11. Mass transfer in laminar and turbulent flow: film theory, dimensional analysis, empirical correlations.
12. Heat transfer mechanisms, steady state conduction and convection. Transient heat transfer, analogies among mass and heat transfer.
13. Energy balance. Some remarks on the first principle of thermodynamics. Energy balance for open systems, applications.
    

Readings/Bibliography

1. Gostoli C., Trasporto di materia con elementi di reattoristica chimica e biochimca, Pitagora editrice, Bologna, 2011.
2. Cussler E.L., Diffusion, Mass Transfer in Fluid System, Cambridge University Press, 1984.
3. R.G. Harrison, P. Todd, S.R. Rudge, D. P. Petrides, Bioseparations Science and Engineering, Oxford Univ. Press, 2003.
4. Y.A. Çengel, Termodinamica e trasmissione del calore, McGraw-Hill, 3a Ed., Milano (2009).

Teaching methods

Class lectures, homework problems, discussions of the solutions.

Assessment methods

Written examination, an oral (optional) integration maybe possible.

Teaching tools

Slides that will be made available to the students in the IOL platform.

Office hours

See the website of Cristiana Boi