TRANSPORT PHENOMENA IN BIOPROCESS SYSTEMS

In biochemical engineering profession, there are various bioprocesses actively involved

in the synthesis and production of biological products. Understanding all of the processes may
require basic knowledge of biology, biochemistry, biotechnology and real knowledge of
engineering processes. Transport Phenomena is a subject that deals with the movement of
different physical quantities in any chemical or mechanical process and describes the basic
principles and laws of transport.

The use of transport phenomena in the involvement of its bioprocesses is highly recommended
because it actually influences the kinetic behavior of cells. It also describes the relations and
similarities among different type of transport that may occur in any system. In this report, I will
briefly discuss the three types of transport phenomena and bioprocess operations.

1. Momentum transport deals with the transport of momentum in fluids and is also known
as fluid dynamics.
2. Heat transport deals with the transport of different forms of energy in a system.

In bioprocessing, heat exchanger occurs most frequently between fluids. Equipment is

provided to allow transfer of heat while preventing the fluids from actually coming into contact
with each other. In most heat exchanger, heat is transferred through a solid metal wall which
separates the fluid streams. Sufficient surface area is provided so that the desired rate of heat
transfer can be achieved. There are two common applications of heat transfer in bioreactor
operation. The first is in situ batch sterilization of liquid medium and the second is for
temperature control during reactor operation.

3. Mass transport deals with the transport of various chemical species themselves.

It occurs in distillation, absorption, drying, liquid-liquid extraction, adsorption, etc. Here

mass is being transferred from one phase to another distinct phase (Geonkoplis, 2012). Mass
transfer occurs in mixtures containing concentration variations. For example, when dye is
dropped into a pail of water, mass transfer processes are responsible for the movement of dye
molecules through the water until equilibrium is established and the concentration is uniform.
Mass is transferred from one location to another under the influence of a concentration difference
or concentration gradient in the system. There are many situations in bioprocessing where the
concentrations of compounds are not uniform; we rely on mechanisms of mass transfer to
transport materials from one regions of high concentration to regions where the concentration is
initially low (Doran, 2013).

Bioprocessing is an essential part of many food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries.

Bioprocess operations make use of microbial, animal, and plant cells, and components of cells
such as enzymes, to manufacture new products and destroy harmful wastes. Bioprocesses have
been developed for an enormous range of commercial products, from relatively cheap materials
such as industrial alcohol and organic solvents, to expensive specialty chemicals such as
antibiotics, therapeutic proteins, and vaccines. Industrially useful enzymes and living cells such
as bakers’ and brewers’ yeast are also commercial products of bioprocessing (Doran, 2013).

References:

Chemical Engineering – Transport Phenomena (UG). (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://nptel.ac.in/courses/103102024/1. Retrieved last July 2, 2019.
Doran, P. M. (2013). Bioprocess Engineering Principles. Singapore: Elsevier Ltd.
Geonkoplis, C. J. (2012). Principles of Transport Processes and Separation Processes. New
Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.