Bioprocesses in Chemical Engineering

This scientific research aimed to evaluate the effect of oxygen transfer on microbial development during the solid-state fermentation process, using mathematical models of transport phenomena to establish the mass transfer coefficients of the bioprocess, along with experimental data on airflow and microbial growth from scientific studies. Thus, the mass transfer involved in the fermentation was carried out, and the relationship between oxygen requirements for microbial development and its diffusion capacity from the gas phase to the liquid-solid interface of the bioprocess was established. Of the four major scientific areas coupled to carry out a biotechnological process (Microbiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, and Chemical Engineering), Chemical Engineering plays a fundamental role in scaling up laboratory-level experiments to industrial design by implementing the phenomena of mass, heat, and momentum transfer in the unit operations used for the pre- and post-treatments required for conducting bioprocesses in bioreactors and subsequent purification to obtain the desired products.