Biotechnology fermentation costs

Bioprocess Control An industrial fermenter is a fairly sophisticated device with control of temperature, aeration rate, and perhaps pH, concentration of dissolved oxygen, or some nutrient concentration. There has been a strong trend to automated data collection and analysis. Analog control is stiU very common, but when a computer is available for on-line data collec tion, it makes sense to use it for control as well. More elaborate measurements are performed with research bioreactors, but each new electrode or assay adds more work, additional costs, and potential headaches. Most of the functional relationships in biotechnology are nonlinear, but this may not hinder control when bioprocess operate over a narrow range of conditions. Furthermore, process control is far advanced beyond the days when the main tools for designing control systems were intended for linear systems. 

The Marine Biotechnology Institute (MBI) was founded in 1987 for the study and applications of biodiversity in marine environments. Currently, and within the scope of the present book, the research area of relevance is industrial applications of microbiology . The institute also performs research in C02 fixation. The Applied Microbiology Laboratory is searching cost-effective utilization of microbes for environmental conservation and restoration. In particular, the decontamination of areas polluted with petroleum-related compounds has been addressed. Attention has been paid to removal of polycyclic hydrocarbons. They are also developing processing methods for the conversion of biomass and organic wastes by methane fermentation. 

The perspectives for an increasing use of biotechnology processes (biocatalysis, microbial fermentation) for LMW fine chemicals are promising. Substitution of traditional chemicals by biotechnology processes constitutes the most important means for reduction of manufacturing cost for existing fine chemicals. By 2010,30-60% of fine-chemical production processes are expected to comprise a biotechnology step ... 

Several biotechnological synthetic methods for D-pantothenic add and its precursor D-pantolactone have been developed over the past 15 years. Although all have reached preparative scale and might result in cost-effective production processes, they differ considerably in their process characteristics - for example educts and space-time yields, especially when a fermentation and biotransformation are compared. Compared with the chemical process, the biotechnological processes reduce waste production and provide the possibility of a more environmentally friendly yet still competitive means of production of D-pantothenic acid. 

Downstream processing of riboflavin from fermentation is straightforward, as the product precipitates from the fermentation broth. The crystals are collected by differential centrifuging and a pure product is obtained after repeated crystallization [143]. Roche has replaced its chemical production of riboflavin by the biotechnological process in 2000, with a 50% savings in production costs [54] as well as a 75% reduction in the use of non-renewable materials and very significantly reduced emissions into the environment [144]. 

We estimate that biotechnology will be competing with approximately 30 percent of the total chemical market by 2010 on the basis of lower cost and/or superior product features. Approximately 10 to 20 percent of basic and intermediate chemicals could be affected by production through modern fermentation. Specialties will be replaced by enzymes and natural flavors, pigments and additives. Polymers will face competition from biopolymers that are competitive in price with both polyester and nylon. 

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