Traditional Bioprocess Monitoring

The rapid growth of biotechnological research the last decades has emphasized the need for proper analytical techniques for bioprocess monitoring. Rapid identification and quantification of essential components in biotechnological processes is essential for process development and optimization. It has been demonstrated that improved monitoring will result in better control and thus improved productivity [20]. While most bioprocesses still are only monitored by the measurement of traditional parameters, such as CO2, pH and 02, there is an increasing need to also follow the concentrations of fermentation substrates and products [21], 

The control of biotechnological processes can be specified in three groups  

I Off-line control with distance a sample takes out from the proc- 

Off -line control by local equipment also here the analysis is made on a sample, which is taken out from the process, but the response time can be much lesser, which ensure more reliable adjustments on the process. The advantage compared to the distance control is obvious. The analysis methods can be expensive and complicated, but it can be as simple as thin layer chromatography (TLC) [22, 23], Chromatographic methods such as HPLC and GC have been commonly used as off line methods for bioprocess monitoring [24, 25] and HPLC is described in section 2.5. 

Ill On-line control the samples are taken automatically from the 

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In this chapter, only brief descriptions of traditional probes of the physical and chemical environments will be presented. Instead, our focus will be on the on-line (and quasi on-line) monitoring of bioprocesses. This type of measurement is required for bioprocess development, control, and optimization and places special demands on the types of sensors involved. In addition, special attention will be given to biosensors. These new probes provide on-line measurements of compounds that would otherwise require off-line analysis and have greatly increased the power of automated bioprocess monitoring and control. 

This is particularly true in the case of bioprocesses where the state of the living part of the system must be closely monitored. Extensive surveys have been published and several international conferences have been held on this topic. Furthermore, the last two decades have seen an increasing interest to improve the operation of bioprocesses by applying advanced control schemes. In particular, biological Wastewater Treatment Processes (WWTP s), more efficient than the traditional physico-chemical methods but at the same time... 

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