ECTS credits ECTS credits: 6
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Hours of tutorials: 3 Expository Class: 27 Interactive Classroom: 21 Total: 51
Use languages Spanish, Galician
Type: Ordinary Degree Subject RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: Chemistry Engineering
Areas: Chemical Engineering
Center Faculty of Biology
Call: Second Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable
The bioreactor is the core of biotechnological processes on an industrial scale, which presents specific and differentiated characteristics from the reactors of the process industry. The general objective of the course is to introduce the bases of design and operation of bioreactors.
The contents of the course are:
1. Stoichiometry. Enzymatic and microbial kinetics. Rate equations and kinetic models.
2. Design of ideal bioreactor equations: CSTR, PFR and batch reactor.
3. Multiple and recirculating bioreactor systems.
4. Stirring and aeration.
5. Sterilization: kinetics and equipment.
These contents are structured into the following topics:
1: Introduction (4h: 3hE + 1hTG)
Biotechnological processes and study of conventional configurations and other bioreactor models. Description of industrial processes.
2: Enzymatic and microbial kinetics (14.5h: 9hE + 3hS + 2.5I)
Objective: description of the fundamental concepts of enzymatic and microbial catalysis and rate equations that describe these processes. Immobilization methods and possible effects on mass transfer
Content:
2.1 Enzymatic kinetics: reactions with a single substrate; inhibitory reactions; variation of activity with temperature and pH
2.2 Microbial kinetics: growth requirements and culture medium formulation; stoichiometry; returns; cell growth and kinetics; models
2.3 Immobilization of biocatalysts: types; Kinetics of immobilized biocatalysts.
3: Design of ideal bioreactors (17h: 6hE + 5hS + 5hI + 1hTG)
Objective: Analysis of conventional bioreactors, assuming simple kinetics and ideal hydraulic behavior, to obtain mathematical equations applicable to the design and operation of bioreactors.
Content:
3.1 Massl balances applied to bioreactors
3.2 Stirred tank reactor: batch, continuous feed, continuous in series, cell recirculation
3.3 Plug flow reactor: cell recirculation
4: Design of real bioreactors (12.5h: 5hE + 4hS + 2.5hI + 1hTG)
Objective: Oxygen supply in aerobic cultures, agitation in fully mixed bioreactors and sterilization processes. Aspects associated with the change of scale. Description of the characteristics and operation of the main non-conventional reactors.
Content:
4.1 Aeration: determination of kLa and dependence on operating parameters.
4.2 Stirring: energy consumed; agitation in aerated systems
4.3 Sterilization: heat treatment (kinetics and temperature effect); sterilization systems in practice; other inactivation treatments
5. Bioseparations (3 h: 2hE + 1hS)
Biomass removal. Cell disruption. Membrane-based techniques. extraction Adsorption and chromatography.
Bibliografía básica
Gòdia Casablancas, F., e López Santín, J. Ingeniería Bioquímica. Ed. Síntesis. Madrid (1998).
Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology (2nd Edition) [0-444-63357-X]. Os alumnos teñen acceso a dita bibliografía.
Bailey, J.E., e Ollis, D.F. Biochemical Engineering Fundamentals. 2nd ed. McGraw Hill, New York (1986).
Bibliografía complementaria
Aiba, S., et al. Biochemical Engineering. 2nd ed. University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo (1973).
Atkinson, B., e Mavituna, F. Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology Handbook. Stockton Press (1991).
Jagnow, G., e David, W. Biotecnología. Introducción con experimentos modelo. Ed. Acribia (1991).
Illanes A. Wilson, L. Vera, C. Problem Solving in Enzyme Biocatalysis. Wiley and Sons. 2014. DOI:10.1002/9781118341742
Moo-Young, M. Comprehensive Biotechnology. Pergamon Press (1985)
Rem, H., e Reed, G. Biotechnology. Verlag CEIME (1995)
Stroev, E.A., e Makarova, V.G. Laboratory Manual in Biochemistry. MIR (1989)
Wiseman, A. Handbook of Enzyme Biotechnology. Ellis Horwood (1985).
Knowledge items: Con01, Con03, Con07
Skills: H/D01, H/D02, H/D14
Competences: Comp04, Comp06
Lectures will alternate with seminars in which problems applied to real cases will be evaluated. The basic theoretical contents of the subject will be taught through lectures where they will be explained and developed. These classes will be supported by the use of Power Point presentations on the Virtual Campus. The spreadsheet used for problem solving will mainly be Excel and SuperPro Designer for computer classroom sessions. The group tutorials will focus on studying different types of bioreactors or biotechnological processes in more detail.
A continuous assessment of the learning process will be carried out through a problem-solving assignment in the seminar sessions and another assignment in the computer room sessions. Each of these assignments will count for 15% of the final grade. In the case of the test related to the computer room sessions, attendance at the computer room sessions is mandatory to make the assignment. . The exam will focus on theoretical and practical content, including both theoretical questions and problem solving and will count for 70% of the final grade. A minimum grade of 3.5 points in each part of the exam is required.
A student who does not appear for the final exam is considered a "no show."
In the first and second opportunity the evaluation is the same and the grades are maintained. In the case of fraudulent exercises or tests, the provisions of the Normativa de evaluación del rendimiento académico de los estudiantes y de revisión de calificaciones.
Skills are assessed in the following activities:
Final exam: Con01, Con03, Con07, H/D01, H/D14
Hand-in exercise: Con03, H/D01, H/D02, , Comp06
Computer hand-in exercise: H/D02, Comp04
The subject has a workload equivalent to 6 ECTS that are distributed as described below
Lectures 25
Interactive Class Seminars 13
Interactive computer classes 10
Group tutoring 3
Personal work 96
exam 3
Total 150
It is recommended that the student has previously passed the courses: Fundamentals of bioprocess engineering, Thermodynamics and chemical kinetics, Biochemistry I.
The language of instruction will be Galician
The Galician version of this teaching guide will prevail over the Spanish and English versions in case of contradiction between them.
Alberte Regueira Lopez
Coordinador/a- Department
- Chemistry Engineering
- Area
- Chemical Engineering
- alberte.regueira [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: LOU (Organic Law for Universities) PhD Assistant Professor
| Tuesday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00-13:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Galician | Classroom 08. Louis Pasteur |
| 06.03.2026 10:00-14:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom 04: James Watson and Francis Crick |
| 07.06.2026 10:00-14:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom 03. Carl Linnaeus |