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Published on: December 15, 2017
Scale-up of microbial processes: impacts, tools and open questions
1Institute for Biochemical Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, Stuttgart, Germany. takors@ibvt.uni-stuttgart.de
Journal of Biotechnology
|December 31, 2011
Summary
Industrial bioprocesses face challenges scaling up due to environmental variations in large reactors. This review covers impacts, analysis tools, and future research needs for optimizing industrial biotechnology.
Area of Science:
- Industrial Biotechnology
- Bioprocess Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Rapid advancements in industrial biotechnology necessitate scalable bioprocesses.
- Large-scale production reactors often exhibit micro-environmental heterogeneities.
- Optimizing bioprocesses across lab and production scales is crucial for industry growth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the impacts of micro-environmental heterogeneities on cells in large-scale bioprocesses.
- To present the current state-of-the-art in tools for analyzing these phenomena.
- To identify open questions and future research directions.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of impacts on cells in poorly mixed reactors.
- Survey of existing analytical tools for micro-environmental analysis.
- Formulation of research needs based on identified gaps.
Main Results:
- Cells in large reactors experience significant micro-environmental variations.
- Various tools exist for analyzing these heterogeneities, but limitations remain.
- Specific research gaps hinder full optimization of industrial bioprocesses.
Conclusions:
- Addressing micro-environmental heterogeneities is key to successful industrial bioprocess scale-up.
- Further development of analytical tools is required.
- Targeted research is needed to support the expansion of the biotechnology sector.
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