BASIC CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

PROJECT BASED ASSIGNMENT

NAME : KISHLAY VERMA

REGISTER : RA2311009010213
NUMBER

DEGREE : B. Tech.

BRANCH : BIOTECHNOLOGY

YEAR : II

SEMESTER : III

SUBJECT CODE : 21CHS251T

SUBJECT TITLE : BASIC CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

ACADEMIC YEAR : 2024 – 2025 (ODD)

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
KATTANKULATHUR – 603 203
CHENGALPATTU DISTRICT
TAMILNADU, INDIA
Project Report on Basic Chemical Engineering
Abstract
This report explores the fundamental principles of chemical engineering, focusing on key
topics: Stoichiometry, Material Balances, Fluid Flow Phenomena, Filtration and Agitation,
and Thermodynamics. It delves into the importance of these principles not only in traditional
chemical engineering processes but also in biotechnology applications, such as biofuel
production, fermentation, enzyme catalysis, and protein synthesis. Each section emphasizes
the real-world relevance of these concepts, especially in the biotechnological sector, where
processes are increasingly optimized for efficiency, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. The
study illustrates how fundamental chemical engineering principles guide the design of
bioreactors, fermentation processes, downstream processing, and thermodynamic modeling in
biotechnology, ensuring the production of bio-based products like drugs, fuels, and food
ingredients.

Keywords: Stoichiometry, Material Balance, Fluid Flow, Filtration, Thermodynamics,

Biotechnology

Unit 1: Fundamental Concepts of Stoichiometry

Introduction

Stoichiometry serves as the foundation for chemical engineering, providing the quantitative
tools needed to model and predict material transformations. In biotechnology, stoichiometric
calculations are crucial for designing, scaling, and optimizing processes such as fermentation,
enzyme reactions, and cell culture. Understanding the conversion of raw materials into
desired products, whether in a laboratory-scale experiment or a large industrial setting,
requires accurate stoichiometric analysis. This unit outlines the essential concepts such as the
mole concept, unit conversions, concentration calculations, and the ideal gas law, which are
critical for biotechnology applications like protein production, vaccine manufacturing, and
biofuel synthesis.
Key Concepts and Applications

1.1 Units and Dimensions

The consistent use of units is essential in both chemical and biotechnological engineering. In
chemical engineering, the International System of Units (SI) is commonly used, but engineers
often need to convert between different unit systems. For example, biotechnological
processes often require measurements in smaller units like microliters, micromoles, or
nanomoles when dealing with enzymes or cells.

In biotechnology, for instance:

• The volume of media in a fermenter might be measured in liters (L), but small
volumes of enzymes or chemicals may need to be quantified in milligrams or
micromoles, requiring conversion.
• Concentrations of bio-products such as glucose in fermentation or proteins in cell
culture may be expressed in grams per liter (g/L) or molarity (M).

1.2 The Mole Concept

The mole is a fundamental concept in chemical engineering, representing a quantity of 6.022

× 10²³ particles. In biotechnology, the mole concept is used to quantify biological molecules
like DNA, enzymes, or microbial cells. For example, in fermentation processes,
stoichiometric calculations help to determine the amount of glucose consumed by
microorganisms and the ethanol produced.

Example:

• In the production of bioethanol through fermentation, knowing how many moles of

glucose are converted to ethanol (and the associated by-products) is crucial for
optimizing the reaction and improving yield.

1.3 Composition of Mixtures

Biotechnology frequently involves the manipulation of mixtures, whether it's a suspension of

microbial cells in fermentation or a blend of enzymes and substrates. Understanding the
composition of these mixtures and being able to calculate their properties is key to efficient
process design.
 • Percentage by Weight: Often used in bioprocessing to quantify the concentration of
a specific compound in a solid-liquid mixture. For example, when isolating proteins
or enzymes from a cell culture broth, the percentage by weight of the desired product
is used to assess recovery efficiency.
• Mole Fraction and Volume Fraction: In fermentation, calculating the mole fraction
of gases like oxygen or carbon dioxide is essential for monitoring the growth
conditions of microorganisms. The volume fraction helps in gas-liquid interactions
during fermentation to ensure adequate oxygen supply.

1.4 Concentration Calculations

Accurate concentration measurements are critical for controlling reactions in

biotechnological processes. In fermentation, for example, the concentration of glucose,
ethanol, and microbial cells must be monitored continuously to ensure optimal conditions.

• Molarity (M): Used to measure the concentration of solutes in solutions, such as the
concentration of glucose in fermentation media.
• Molality (m): In processes where temperature variations significantly affect volume
(e.g., cryopreservation), molality is used.
• ppm (Parts Per Million): In biotechnology, it is common to measure trace amounts
of components like antibiotics, vitamins, or by-products (such as acetaldehyde) in
fermentation broths.

1.5 Gas Behavior and Ideal Gas Law

The ideal gas law (PV = nRT) is frequently applied in biotechnology to describe the behavior
of gases. In fermentation processes, understanding the behavior of gases like oxygen and CO₂
is essential for maintaining optimal conditions.

Example:

• The calculation of oxygen transfer rates in bioreactors for aerobic fermentation is vital
for ensuring the microorganisms receive enough oxygen for their metabolic processes.
Applications in Biotechnology

• Fermentation: Stoichiometric calculations help in optimizing the amounts of glucose,

oxygen, and other nutrients, which directly affects microbial growth and product
yield.
• Protein Production: In recombinant DNA technology, calculating the right
stoichiometric ratios between enzymes, substrates, and microorganisms is crucial for
the efficient production of proteins.

Conclusion

Stoichiometry is an indispensable tool in chemical engineering, with broad applications in

biotechnology. By understanding the mole concept, unit conversions, and material
composition, engineers can design more efficient and effective biotechnological processes,
improving the yield and cost-effectiveness of bio-based products.

Unit 2: Material Balance in Unit Operations

Introduction

Material balance is the principle of conservation of mass in chemical and biotechnological

processes. It is used to track the flow of materials in and out of a system, ensuring that all
inputs, outputs, and accumulations are accounted for. In biotechnology, material balances are
crucial for optimizing the efficiency of bioprocesses such as fermentation, protein synthesis,
and cell culture.

Key Concepts and Applications

2.1 Material Balance in Non-Reactive Systems

In biotechnology, material balances are especially useful in processes like filtration,

centrifugation, and chromatography, where physical separation is involved rather than
chemical reactions. Understanding the mass flow of components through these operations is
critical for optimizing yield and minimizing waste.
2.2 Material Balance in Reactive Systems

When dealing with biochemical reactions, such as those in bioreactors, material balances
allow engineers to calculate the consumption rates of substrates (e.g., glucose) and the
production rates of products (e.g., ethanol, biomass). This is essential for process
optimization, ensuring the system operates at its highest efficiency.

For example:

• In anaerobic fermentation, material balances are used to predict the consumption of

sugars (such as glucose) and the formation of by-products like ethanol and carbon
dioxide.
• In enzyme catalysis, material balances help calculate the amount of substrate
converted to product, aiding in the design of more efficient biocatalytic processes.

2.3 Key Parameters in Reactions

• Limiting Reactant: In fermentation, the limiting reactant is often glucose, which is

consumed by microorganisms to produce ethanol. Understanding this helps optimize
nutrient feed rates and maintain ideal growth conditions.
• Excess Reactant: For biotechnological processes, especially in protein synthesis,
excess reactants like amino acids must be controlled to avoid waste and maintain
optimal conditions for cell growth.
• Conversion and Yield: These two parameters are critical in biotechnology. In
bioprocesses like fermentation, conversion is used to track how much of the reactant
is converted to the desired product, while yield measures the efficiency of the process.

2.4 Recycle, Purge, and Bypass

The concept of recycle, purge, and bypass streams is widely used in biotechnology to
minimize waste and maximize the efficiency of material utilization. For instance:

• Recycling unreacted substrate in fermentation systems helps maximize the

utilization of raw materials.
• Purging excess metabolites ensures that unwanted by-products do not accumulate in
the system, which could inhibit microbial growth.
Applications in Biotechnology

• Fermentation: Material balances are used to calculate the optimal feed rates of
nutrients, oxygen, and other necessary substrates, as well as the management of by-
products.
• Downstream Processing: In the purification of proteins or antibiotics, material
balances ensure that the correct amount of feedstock is processed and that the yield is
maximized during extraction and separation stages.

Conclusion

Material balances are fundamental for efficient biotechnological process design. Whether in
fermentation, protein synthesis, or downstream processing, material balances help ensure
resource optimization, yield maximization, and waste minimization in biotechnology.

Unit 3: Fluid Flow Phenomena

Introduction

Fluid flow is a crucial area of study in both chemical and biotechnology engineering. The
flow of gases, liquids, and slurries plays a vital role in various processes, from the mixing of
culture media in bioreactors to the movement of biological fluids in biotechnological
applications.

Key Concepts and Applications

3.1 Fluid Properties

In biotechnology, fluid properties such as viscosity, density, and surface tension impact the
efficiency of many processes. For instance:

• Viscosity: The viscosity of a fermentation broth affects the efficiency of mixing and
oxygen transfer in bioreactors. Higher viscosity fluids, such as those used for cell
cultures, require more energy for agitation.
• Density: In protein purification, understanding the density of the target protein helps
optimize centrifugation speeds and separation efficiency.
3.2 Types of Fluid Flow

Understanding different types of fluid flow—whether laminar or turbulent—is crucial for

optimizing biotechnological processes. In microfluidics, laminar flow is often desired for
precise control of small quantities of liquids. However, in larger-scale fermentation
processes, turbulent flow is necessary for efficient mixing and oxygen transfer.

3.3 Fluid Statics

Fluid statics deals with the behavior of fluids at rest and is particularly relevant for the design
of fermentation tanks, where pressure differences across the system determine the movement
of gases (such as oxygen and CO₂).

3.4 Reynolds Number and Bernoulli’s Equation

Reynolds number helps determine the flow regime (laminar or turbulent) in bioreactors. In
large-scale fermentation, ensuring that flow is turbulent can improve oxygen transfer, which
is critical for the growth of aerobic microorganisms.

Applications in Biotechnology

• Bioreactor Design: Fluid dynamics principles are essential for ensuring proper
mixing and oxygen distribution in fermentation and cell culture systems.
• Protein Purification: In downstream processing, understanding fluid flow properties
helps optimize filtration and chromatography steps, ensuring the efficient separation
of proteins.

Conclusion

Fluid flow principles are vital in biotechnology, as they affect the efficiency of many
biotechnological processes. By understanding fluid dynamics, engineers can optimize the
performance of bioreactors, fermentation tanks, and downstream processing systems.
Different viscosity of fluids

Unit 4: Filtration and Agitation

Introduction

Filtration and agitation are important unit operations in chemical and biotechnology
industries. Filtration is commonly used to separate solids from liquids, and agitation ensures
proper mixing in reactors and bioreactors. Both are integral to processes like fermentation,
protein purification, and the recovery of bio-products.
Key Concepts and Applications

4.1 Filtration

Filtration in biotechnology is critical for the separation of cells, enzymes, and other
biomolecules. Techniques such as membrane filtration, cross-flow filtration, and
ultrafiltration are often employed to purify products.

• Compressible and Incompressible Filter Cakes: Filtration processes are often

complicated by the nature of the filter cake, especially in cell harvesting and enzyme
recovery processes.

4.2 Agitation

Agitation helps maintain uniformity in bioreactors, ensuring that cells have access to
nutrients, oxygen, and other growth factors. The design of agitation equipment (e.g.,
impellers, turbines) is critical in large-scale bioreactor systems to ensure efficient mass
transfer and avoid shear damage to cells.

Applications in Biotechnology

• Protein Recovery: Filtration techniques like tangential flow filtration are widely used
to recover and purify proteins produced through recombinant DNA technology.
• Fermentation: Agitation in bioreactors helps distribute nutrients and gases evenly,
ensuring optimal conditions for microorganism growth.

Conclusion

Filtration and agitation are fundamental processes in biotechnology, aiding in the efficient
recovery of bio-products and the optimization of bioreactor operations.
Unit 5: Basic Concepts in Thermodynamics
Introduction

Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that deals with energy changes and the laws
governing energy transformations. In biotechnology, thermodynamics plays a critical role in
understanding how energy is used and conserved in biological systems, including bioreactors,
fermentation, and enzyme reactions.

Key Concepts and Applications

5.1 Laws of Thermodynamics

• First Law: The conservation of energy is central in biotechnological processes. In

anaerobic digestion, for instance, organic matter is converted into biogas (methane)
and energy.
• Second Law: The increase in entropy, or disorder, in biochemical reactions helps
explain the efficiency of biological processes and the inevitable loss of energy as heat.
• Third Law: Cryopreservation and low-temperature biotechnology applications rely
on this law to prevent cellular damage during freezing and thawing processes.
5.2 Thermodynamic Properties

Enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy are important in understanding the energy changes
in biochemical reactions. For instance, in enzyme-catalyzed reactions, the Gibbs free energy
determines whether the reaction will proceed spontaneously.

5.3 Thermodynamic Cycles

Thermodynamic cycles such as those used in heat engines or refrigeration are also applicable
in biotechnology. For example, in biogas production (anaerobic digestion), thermodynamic
models are used to design systems that optimize energy recovery from waste materials.

Applications in Biotechnology

• Fermentation: Understanding thermodynamics helps optimize energy use during

fermentation, especially in processes that produce biofuels or bio-based chemicals.
• Cryopreservation: Thermodynamics is critical in the preservation of biological
materials at low temperatures, ensuring minimal cellular damage during storage.

Conclusion

Thermodynamics is an essential concept in biotechnology, helping to optimize energy use

and improve the efficiency of biotechnological processes such as fermentation, bioreactor
design, and protein synthesis.