Back to basics: thermodynamics in biochemical engineering

Rational and efficient process development in chemical technology always makes heavy use of process analysis in terms of balances, kinetics, and thermodynamics. While the first two of these concepts have been extensively used in biotechnology, it appears that thermodynamics has received relatively little attention from biotechnologists. This state of affairs is one among several reasons why development and design of biotechnological processes is today mostly carried out in an essentially empirical fashion and why bioprocesses are often not as thoroughly optimized as many chemical processes. Since quite a large body of knowledge in the area of bio thermodynamics already existed in the early nineties, the Steering Committee of a European Science Foundation program on Process Integration in Biochemical Engineering identified a need to stimulate a more systematic use of thermodynamics in the area. To this effect, a bianual course for advanced graduate students and researchers was developed. The present contribution uses the course structure to provide an outline of the area and to characterize very briefly the achievements, the challenges, and the research needs in the various sub-topics.