Industrial Biotechnology

This course provides the insights and tools for designing biotechnological processes with sustainability advantages, where choices of product and feedstock determine the specific process requirements. As fossil-based fuels and raw materials contribute to climate change, the use of renewable feedstocks, materials and energy as an alternative is in full swing.

This transition is not a luxury, it is a necessity. We can use microorganisms to convert organic streams (‘waste’ or residues) and/or CO2 into biomaterials, chemicals, nutrition products and biofuels.

Eight experienced course leaders will unfold the basics of industrial biotechnology and how to apply these to the design of fermentation-based processes to produce a wide range of bioproducts. Throughout the course, you will be challenged to design your own biotechnological process and evaluate its performance and sustainability.

The course includes guest lectures from industry and universities. By following this course, you will be able to contribute up-to-date ideas in the biotechnology field.

Getting started/Introduction is included in Week 1

Week 1. Biotechnology for Biobased Products

• Why develop a biobased/circular economy?

• Industrial biotechnology

• Feedstocks - renewable sources of biomass/CCU for biobased products

• Process to produce bio-PDO (1,3-Propanediol)

• Benefits for society and sustainability - evaluating the effects of biobased production

Week 2. Fermentation Essentials (PDO focus)

• Microbes and interaction with their environment

• Rates and balances

• The process reaction and the black box model

• The PDO case

• Introduction fermentation technology

• Scale-up via scale-down

Week 3. Downstream Processing Principles and Design

• Introduction to DownStream Processing (DSP)

• Seperating in stages

• Mechanical separations

• Molecular separations

• PDO Cases

Week 4. Integral, Zero-emission Bioprocess Design

• Towards an integrated bioprocess

• 1st and 2nd generation feedstock and pre-treatment: producing high quality feedstock

• 3rd to 5th generation feedstock: Alternative carbon, electron and energy sources

• Bioprocesses using 3rd to 5th generation feedstock

• Overall process - syngas fermentation to ethanol

Week 5. Process Design and Sustainability Assessment

• Conceptual process design

• Mass and energy balances

• Process economics

• Environmental impacts analysis and life cycle assessment

• Social sustainability

• Sustainability in a global context

Week 6. Wrap-up

• Closing lecture: Industrial Biotechnology outlook (preliminary title)

• Final assessment