Introduction to Biological Process Engineering

1. CP504 – Lecture 1 Introduction to Biological Process Engineering • learn about the need of biological process engineering • learn about the role of C&P engineering in it

2. Reference texts used for CP504 ppt preparation: • Lee JM, 1992, Biochemical Engineering, • New Jersey: Prentice-Hall • Shuler ML and Kargi F, 2005, Bioprocess Engineering - Basic Concepts, Second Edition, • New Delhi: Prentice-Hall of India • Aiba S, Humphrey AE and Millis NF, 1973, Biochemical Engineering, Second Edition, • New York & London: Academic Press

3. - Biological process engineering is a study of processing systems based on living cells or cellular components (such as enzymes) . • Chemical and process engineering principles are used to study the bioreaction kinetics, design of bioreactors and recovery bioproducts. • Bio process engineering is used in chemical industry (lactic acid, acetic acid, ethanol, etc.), foods industry (yogurt, beer, etc.) and pharmaceutical industry. • - Penicillin is an example of the need and success of biological process engineering.

4. Penicillium notatum colony Staphylococcus aureuscolony Penicillin: • In 1928, Alexander Fleming was trying to isolate the bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus (which causes boils) • He did it by growing the bacterium on the surface of a nutrient solution • One of the dishes was contaminated by a common mold of the Penicillium genus (Penicillium notatum)

5. Penicillium notatum colony Staphylococcus aureuscolony Penicillin: • It did not allow the bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus, to grow close to its colony • Fleming realized that Penicillium notatum had antimicrobial properties • So that was the discovery of penicillin

6. Penicillin: • Fleming grew the mold, extracted it and managed to obtain tiny quantities of penicillin • Large-scale production was not possible for another decade to come (why?) • Fermentation process was not successful for large-scale production • - low rate of production required large reactors • - diluted product (1 ppm) was difficult to recover • - too fragile and unstable to purify and recover • chemical synthesis was tried for commercial production, which was however not a commercial success • went back to fermentation process for large-scale production

7. Large-scale production of Penicillin: • a better medium (corn steep liquor-lactose based medium) was developed to increase productivity by 10 fold • A new strain Penicillium chrysogenum was used • progress involved better understanding of • mold physiology • metabolic pathways • penicillin structure • methods of mutation and selection • process control • reactor design • a chemical engineer and a microbiologist were assigned to work together on the engineering and biology aspects, respectively • biological process engineering was born

8. Large-scale production of Penicillin: Spent solvent Spent mold Penicillium chrysogenum Solvent Nutrient tanks Centrifugal extractor Seed fermenter Fermentation tanks Surge tanks Rotary filter Evaporator Centrifugal extractor Purification column Spent solvent Evaporator Crystal wash Slurry Vacuum freeze dryer Mix tank Mix tank Centrifuge Screen Crystalline potassium penicillin Procaine, HCl solution Solvent Solvent Procaine penicillin product

9. Part of the assignment in CP504 is to be based on introduction to biological systems for the production of commercial goods and services (such as foods, drugs, chemicals, fuels, equipment, diagnostics, and waste treatment).