Genetic Algorithms (Binary and Real Codes) for the Optimisation of a Fermentation Process for Butanol Production

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Optimisation of a fermentation process for butanol production by particle swarm optimisation (PSO)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Time reduction in a forced-convection thermal process using simplified transient analysis

This study investigates the utilisation of a simplified model in the transient analysis of a thermal cooling process. In such process the external thermal resistance between the surface and the surroundings is high compared to the system internal thermal resistance, so that the first controls the heat transfer process. In this case the Biot number is lower than 0.1. Aluminium reels were utilised, which, with proper internal instrumentation, furnished experimental results for the thermal cooling process. Based on experimental data, a simplified model for the determination of the process film coefficient was used. Subsequently, experimental and theoretical results were compared. The change of the airflow direction was also investigated for the cooling process, aiming at process time optimisation. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. Ltd.

Optimisation of a continuous flash fermentation for butanol production using the response surface methodology

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Optimisation of the glycerol-to-ornithine molar ratio in the feed medium for the continuous production of clavulanic acid by Streptomyces clavuligerus

Amino acids are well metabolized by Streptomyces clavuligerus during the production of clavulanic acid using glycerol as main carbon and energy source. However, only a few amino acids such as arginine and ornithine are favorable for CA biosynthesis. The aim of this work was to optimize the glycerol:ornithine molar ratio in the feed medium containing only these compounds to maximize CA production in continuous cultivation. A minimum number of experiments were performed by means of a simple two-level full-factorial central composite design to investigate the combined effect of glycerol and ornithine feeding on the CA concentration during the intermittent and continuous process in shake-flasks. Statistical analysis of the experimental data using the response surface methodology showed that a glycerol-to-ornithine molar ratio of approximately 40:1 in the feed medium resulted in the highest CA concentration when fermentation was stopped. Under these optimized conditions, in bench-scale fermentor runs, the CA concentration reached more than double the concentration obtained in shake-flasks runs. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.