A simple structured mathematical model for biopolymer (PHB) production

Economic production technology for a biodegradable polymer (poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate, PHB) is urgently required to replace conventional polymers, which have an inherent disadvantage of staying in the environment forever. Various approaches have been applied for improving the productivity and reducing the production cost, which are considered to be the two major problems associated with industrial production of PHB. One of the engineering approaches to improve PHB productivity could be to design and implement model-based fed-batch cultivations to provide desirable nutrient availability. In the present study, growth and intracellular biopolymer storage kinetics of Ralstonia eutropha was studied in a batch cultivation process. It featured 19.7 g/L biomass and 10.89 g/L PHB with a productivity of 0.18 g/L.h. The effect of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphate limitations and inhibitions on growth was studied in detail. A structured model featuring typical growth limitations and/or possible inhibitions was then proposed. The value of the model parameters was found by minimizing the difference between experimental value and model simulation at all data points and for all process variables. The optimal batch model parameter values obtained above were used to solve the differential equations numerically. The simulated data obtained in this way was then compared with the experimental data to establish the validity of the batch model. The proposed model was then compared with literature reported mathematical models to reconfirm its accuracy. Statistical validity of the developed model and historical models to describe the observed experimental kinetics was then investigated to reinforce the accuracy of the developed simple model.