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Modeling of an industrial alcohol fermentation and simuiation of the plant by a process simulator
Author(s) -
Pascal F.,
Dagot C.,
Pingaud H.,
Corriou J. P.,
Pons M. N.,
Engasser J. M.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.260460304
Subject(s) - fermentation , process engineering , process (computing) , distillation , biochemical engineering , pilot plant , process simulation , ethanol fermentation , production (economics) , computer science , chemistry , pulp and paper industry , environmental science , engineering , chromatography , organic chemistry , economics , macroeconomics , operating system
The aim of the present study was the development of a general simulation module for fermentation within the framework of existing chemical process simulators. This module has been applied to an industrial plant which produces ethanol from beet molasses and fresh beet juice by Saccharomyces cerevisiae . An unstructured mechanistic model has been developed with kinetic laws that are based on a chemically defined reaction scheme which satisfies stoichiometric constraints. This model can be applied to different culture conditions and takes into account secondary byproducts such as higher alcohols. These byproducts are of prime importance and need to be correctly estimated because a sequence of distillation columns follow the fermentor in the plant. Important measurement campaigns have been performed on the plant to validate the model. Plant operation has been successfully simulated using the same kinetic model for both continuous and fed‐batch modes of production. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.