Natavio, Jesseth Mae T.

201911906
Biochemical Engineering
Homework 4

Consider the case where H has been determined to be 0.43 s-1 for a 10 L vessel and 0.075 s-1 for
a 10,000 L vessel. With E. coli fermentations, glucose feed rates in a fed batch are adjusted to maintain a
constant, relatively low concentration of glucose to prevent the formation of toxic metabolites (e.g., acetate)
that would limit the ultimate cell concentration. Assume that the desired glucose concentration is 25 mg/L
and that the Monod kinetics can be approximated as first order with a rate constant of about 0.05 s-1. Assume
the cell concentration changes slowly. Assume that the glucose supplemental feed is sufficiently
concentrated that the total fluid volume in the reactor is constant. Also, assume that F, the mass addition
rate of glucose per unit reactor volume, changes slowly in comparison to the characteristic mixing and
reaction times. Compare the variation in glucose concentrations in the small and large tanks when an ideal
probe (no error or lag in measurement) is used to maintain the set-point concentration at 25 mg/L in the
middle compartment. Consider the response if the probe is placed in the top compartment instead of the
middle compartment.
10.4. Consider Example 10.4. What would be the substrate concentrations in each compartment in the 10-l
and 10,000-l tanks if the probe were placed in the bottom compartment?
Given:
K1=0.05 s-1
Case 1 Case 2
10 L 10000 L
H= 0.43 s-1 H= 0.075 s-1
Probe at the bottom: C3= 25 mg/L
Required: C1 and C2
Solution:
𝑑𝐶1
= 0 = 𝐻(𝐶2 − 𝐶1 ) + 𝐹 − 𝑘1 𝐶1
𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝐶2
= 0 = 𝐻(𝐶1 − 𝐶2 ) − 𝐻(𝐶2 − 𝐶3 ) − 𝑘1 𝐶2
𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝐶3
= 0 = 𝐻(𝐶2 − 𝐶3 ) − 𝑘1 𝐶3
𝑑𝑡
𝑘1 𝐻 𝐹
𝐶1 = (2 + − )
𝐻 𝐻 + 𝑘1 𝑘1 2
3𝑘1 + 𝐻
 𝐹
𝐶2 =
𝑘1 2
3𝑘1 + 𝐻

𝐻 𝐹
𝐶3 = ( )
𝐻 + 𝑘1 𝑘1 2
3𝑘1 +
𝐻
Small scale:
𝑚𝑔 0.43 𝑠 −1 𝐹
25 =( )
𝐿 0.43 𝑠 −1 + 0.05 𝑠 −1 (0.05 𝑠 −1 )2
3 × 0.05 𝑠 −1 +
0.43 𝑠 −1
𝑚𝑔
𝐹 = 4.3483
𝐿−𝑠
𝑚𝑔
0.05 𝑠 −1 0.43 𝑠 −1 4.3483 𝐿 − 𝑠
𝐶1 = (2 + − )
0.43 𝑠 −1 0.43 𝑠 −1 + 0.05 𝑠 −1 (0.05 𝑠 −1 )2
3 × 0.05 𝑠 −1 +
0.43 𝑠 −1
𝑚𝑔
𝐶1 = 34.0590
𝐿
𝑚𝑔
4.3483 𝐿 − 𝑠
𝐶2 =
(0.05 𝑠 −1 )2
3 × 0.05 𝑠 −1 +
0.43 𝑠 −1
𝑚𝑔
𝐶2 = 27.907
𝐿
𝑚𝑔
𝐶3 = 25
𝐿

Large scale:
𝑚𝑔 0.075 𝑠 −1 𝐹
25 =( )
𝐿 0.075 𝑠 −1 + 0.05 𝑠 −1 (0.05 𝑠 −1 )2
3 × 0.05 𝑠 −1 +
0.075 𝑠 −1
𝑚𝑔
𝐹 = 7.6389
𝐿−𝑠
𝑚𝑔
0.05 𝑠 −1 0.075 𝑠 −1 7.6389
𝐶1 = (2 + − ) 𝐿−𝑠
0.075 𝑠 −1 0.075 𝑠 −1 + 0.05 𝑠 −1 (0.05 𝑠 −1 )2
3 × 0.05 𝑠 −1 +
0.075 𝑠 −1
𝑚𝑔
𝐶1 = 86.1112
𝐿
𝑚𝑔
7.6389 𝐿 − 𝑠
𝐶2 =
(0.05 𝑠 −1 )2
3 × 0.05 𝑠 −1 +
0.075 𝑠 −1
 𝑚𝑔
𝐶2 = 41.6667
𝐿
𝑚𝑔
𝐶3 = 25
𝐿

10.5 Consider the 10-l and 10,000-l tanks described in Example 10.4. Suppose that fully continuous
operation is to be used, and F was fixed at 5 mg/l-s for both tanks, and D = 0.2 h-1 for each tank with fluid
removal from the top. What fraction of the inlet substrate would be consumed in each tank? If the biomass
yield coefficient were 0.5 g cells/g substrate and YP/X = 0.1 g product/g cells, what would be the effect on
volumetric productivity upon scale-up?
Given:
F= 5 mg/L-s D=0.2 h-1 YP/X=0.1 g product/g cells X=0.5 g cells/ g substrate
Case 1 Case 2
10 L 10000 L
H= 0.43 s-1 H= 0.075 s-1
Required: S fraction
Solution:
𝑑𝐶1
= 0 = 𝐻(𝐶2 − 𝐶1 ) + 𝐹 − 𝐷𝐶1 − 𝑘1 𝐶1
𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝐶2
= 0 = 𝐻(𝐶1 − 𝐶2 ) − 𝐻(𝐶2 − 𝐶3 ) − 𝑘1 𝐶2
𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝐶3
= 0 = 𝐻(𝐶2 − 𝐶3 ) − 𝑘1 𝐶3
𝑑𝑡
−(𝐻 + 𝑘1 + 𝐷)𝐶1 + 𝐻𝐶2 = −𝐹 − − − (1)
𝐻𝐶1 − (2𝐻 + 𝑘1 )𝐶2 + 𝐻𝐶3 = 0 − − − (2)
𝐻𝐶2 − (𝐻 + 𝑘1 )𝐶3 = 0 − − − (3)
0.2 1ℎ
𝐷= × = 5.5556 × 10−5 𝑠 −1
ℎ 3600 𝑠
For small scale:
𝑚𝑔
−(0.43 𝑠 −1 + 0.05 𝑠 −1 + 5.5556 × 10−5 𝑠 −1 )𝐶1 + (0.43 𝑠 −1 )𝐶2 = −5
𝐿−𝑠
(0.43 𝑠 −1 )𝐶1 − (2(0.43 𝑠 −1 ) + 0.05 𝑠 −1 )𝐶2 + (0.43 𝑠 −1 )𝐶3 = 0

(0.43 𝑠 −1 )𝐶2 − (0.43 𝑠 −1 + 0.05 𝑠 −1 )𝐶3 = 0

Using 3 equations, 3 unknowns in sci.calc.
𝑚𝑔
𝐶1 = 37.9578
𝐿
 𝑚𝑔
𝐶2 = 31.1016
𝐿
𝑚𝑔
𝐶3 = 27.8618
𝐿
𝐹 − 𝐷𝐶1
𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑆 =
𝐹
𝑚𝑔 𝑚𝑔
5 𝐿 − 𝑠 − (5.5556 × 10−5 𝑠 −1 )37.9578 𝐿
𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑆 = 𝑚𝑔 = 0.9996
5
𝐿−𝑠

For large scale:

𝑚𝑔
−(0.075 𝑠 −1 + 0.05 𝑠 −1 + 5.5556 × 10−5 𝑠 −1 )𝐶1 + (0.075 𝑠 −1 )𝐶2 = −5
𝐿−𝑠
(0.075 𝑠 −1 )𝐶1 − (2(0.075𝑠 −1 ) + 0.05 𝑠 −1 )𝐶2 + (0.075 𝑠 −1 )𝐶3 = 0

(0.075 𝑠 −1 )𝐶2 − (0.075 𝑠 −1 + 0.05 𝑠 −1 )𝐶3 = 0

Using 3 equations, 3 unknowns in sci.calc.
𝑚𝑔
𝐶1 = 56.3284
𝐿
𝑚𝑔
𝐶2 = 27.2557
𝐿
𝑚𝑔
𝐶3 = 16.3534
𝐿
𝐹 − 𝐷𝐶1
𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑆 =
𝐹
𝑚𝑔 𝑚𝑔
5 𝐿 − 𝑠 − (5.5556 × 10−5 𝑠 −1 )56.3284 𝐿
𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑆 = 𝑚𝑔 = 0.9994
5𝐿 − 𝑠

𝐵𝑖𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 =
(𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒)(𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒)
As shown in the equation above, biomass is directly proportional to volumetric productivity, hence, it will
increase if the operation is scaled up.