}]]}]}]}] 30:T1a7c8,

### Introduction to Bioreaction Engineering Bioreaction engineering is a field that combines principles of chemical engineering with biological sciences to design and optimize processes involving biological systems. It focuses on the kinetics of biochemical reactions and the design of bioreactors. #### Why Bioreaction Engineering? Biotechnologists need to understand reactions, processes, and materials to design and operate bioprocesses effectively. Chemical engineering provides the fundamental tools for dealing with materials and processes, making it essential for bioreaction engineering. #### Key Definitions: - **Chemical Reaction Engineering:** Deals with the chemical kinetics of a chemical reaction and designs chemical reactors based on these kinetics. - **Bioreaction Engineering:** Deals with chemical kinetics of biochemical reactions and designs bioreactors. - **Biochemical Reactions:** Reactions associated with bioprocesses in food, chemical, pharmaceutical industries, etc. - **Biochemical Processes:** Use microbial, animal, and plant cells (e.g., enzymes) to produce products like cheese, acetic acid, citric acid. - **Chemical Kinetics:** The branch of physical chemistry concerned with understanding reaction rates. - **Chemical Reactor:** The core of a chemical plant where chemicals are produced on a large scale. - **Bioreactor:** The core of a biochemical plant. #### Chemical Engineering vs. Biochemical Engineering | Feature | Chemical Engineering | Biochemical Engineering | | :------------------------ | :------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------ | | **Focus** | Synthetic or chemical processes | Biological organisms and biochemical pathways | | **Plant Design** | Design and operation of industrial manufacturing plants | Study of living cells' behavior in bioreactors | | **Catalyst** | Chemical catalysts | Biological catalysts | | **Reaction Conditions** | High temperature and pressure | Ambient temperature and pressure | #### General Scheme of a Biochemical Process A typical biochemical process involves: - **Upstream Processing (Feedstock):** - Raw materials (Gas, Liquid, Solid) - **Bioprocessing:** - Biocatalyst (Enzymatic, Cell culture) - Bioreactor - Recovery product - **Downstream Processing:** - Product Lines ### Performance Equation To predict what a reactor can do, information about input, kinetics, and contacting pattern is needed. The relationship between these factors is described by the performance equation. - **Input:** Raw materials entering the reactor. - **Kinetics:** How fast things happen (reaction rate, heat and mass transfer). If very fast, equilibrium dictates the output. If not, reaction rate, heat, and mass transfer determine it. - **Contacting Pattern:** How materials flow and mix in the reactor, affecting their clumpiness or state of aggregation. $$\text{Output} = f(\text{input, kinetics, contacting pattern})$$ This relationship is known as the **performance equation**. ### Classification of Reactions Reactions can be classified based on the phase of reactants and products: - **Homogeneous Reactions:** Chemical reactions where reactants and products are in the same phase. - *Examples:* Most gas-phase reactions, fast liquid-ph