Empirical Pragmatic Process Development

Chapter 1 mentioned the central importance of the catalyst in biotechnological processes. A culture suitable for production purposes—that is, a cell culture with sufficiently high population density and capacity for economic production of the product—must be available. 

---

Fig. 4.14. A special type of integral reactor (pseudo-integral reactor) is one constructed with taps at various distances along the length so that samples may be removed and the actual concentration profile measured. A disadvantage of integral reactors is that the balance equations are a system of coupled differential equations. The measured conversion often is due to a complex interaction of transport and reaction processes. For quick, empirical, and pragmatic process development, the integral reactor may be well suited, especially now that fast digital computers and effective integration algorithms facilitate parameterization.

Figure 2.2. Process development involving no mathematical models the empirical pragmatic approach. X, biomass Sj, substrate, Pj, products P/K power/ volume H TR, volumetric heat rate.

---