Sustainable Industrial Processes & Biochemical Conversion – Core Vocabulary

120 vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, organisms, processes, equipment, kinetics, products and sustainability concepts from the lecture "Sustainable Industrial Processes / Biochemical Conversion of Renewable Resources".

Planetary Emergencies

The three interconnected global crises: climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution.

Industrial Biotechnology

The use of microorganisms or enzymes to manufacture bio-based products such as chemicals, materials, fuels or food ingredients.

White Biotechnology

Synonym for industrial biotechnology, emphasising clean, bio-based production that can replace petrochemical processes.

Bioeconomy

An economy that relies on renewable biological resources to produce food, materials, energy and services.

Upstream Processing

All operations before the bioreactor, including strain selection, genetic engineering and media preparation.

Bioproduction

The phase inside the bioreactor where the biological system converts substrates into desired products.

Downstream Processing (DSP)

All steps after the bioreactor that isolate, concentrate, purify and formulate the product.

Biorefinery

A facility that converts biomass into a spectrum of valuable products (fuels, chemicals, materials, power).

GRAS Status

"Generally Recognized As Safe" – designation by FDA for microorganisms or substances considered safe for use in food and feed.

Feedstock

Raw material (e.g., crops, residues, wastes) supplied to a bioprocess.

Lignocellulose

Structural plant biomass composed mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.

Cellulose

A linear β-1,4-linked glucose polymer forming the main component of plant cell walls.

Hemicellulose

A heteropolysaccharide of pentoses and hexoses surrounding cellulose fibres in plants.

Lignin

A complex aromatic polymer that provides rigidity to plant cell walls and hinders enzymatic hydrolysis.

Primary Metabolite

A compound produced during active growth that is essential for cell function (e.g., ethanol, amino acids).

Secondary Metabolite

A non-essential compound produced post-exponential phase, often with ecological functions (e.g., antibiotics, pigments).

Fermentation

Microbial conversion of substrates to products under aerobic or anaerobic conditions.

Aerobic Fermentation

Bioprocess using oxygen as terminal electron acceptor; high agitation and cooling needs.

Anaerobic Fermentation

Bioprocess without oxygen, typically producing solvents or organic acids.

Batch Culture

Closed bioprocess where all nutrients are supplied at the start and products are harvested at the end.

Fed-Batch Culture

Semi-open process where substrate is fed during cultivation to control growth and avoid inhibition.

Continuous Culture

Open bioprocess (chemostat) with constant inflow of fresh medium and outflow of broth at steady state.

Dilution Rate (D)

Flow rate divided by culture volume in a continuous reactor; equals specific growth rate at steady state.

Monod Equation

Kinetic model describing how microbial growth rate depends on substrate concentration.

Productivity (PV)

Amount of product formed per volume per time (g L⁻¹ h⁻¹).

Yield (YP/S)

Mass or mole of product generated per mass or mole of substrate consumed.

kLa

Volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient—key parameter for aeration efficiency.

OTR

Oxygen Transfer Rate; actual amount of O₂ transferred to the culture per time.

Rushton Impeller

Flat-blade radial-flow stirrer commonly used for microbial fermentations.

Marine Propeller

Axial-flow impeller providing gentle mixing, preferred for shear-sensitive cells.

Bubble Column Reactor

Tall vessel where gas is sparged at the bottom and mixing is achieved by rising bubbles.

Fluidised-Bed Bioreactor

Reactor where solid particles (cells or carriers) are suspended by upward liquid or gas flow.

Tubular Photobioreactor

Long transparent tubes for algal cultivation with controlled light and CO₂ supply.

Sterilisation-in-Place (SIP)

Steam or heat treatment that sterilises a bioreactor system without disassembly.

Clean-in-Place (CIP)

Automated cleaning of process equipment using circulating detergents and rinses.

GRAS Notice Inventory

FDA database listing substances and organisms recognised as safe for food use.

Metabolic Engineering

Directed genetic modification of metabolic pathways to enhance product formation.

Synthetic Biology

Design and construction of new biological parts or systems for useful purposes.

Penicillin

β-lactam antibiotic originally produced by Penicillium chrysogenum; first industrially important secondary metabolite.

β-Lactam Antibiotics

Class of antibiotics containing a β-lactam ring, including penicillins and cephalosporins.

Citric Acid

Tricarboxylic acid produced mainly by Aspergillus niger; large-volume organic acid commodity.

Succinic Acid

Four-carbon dicarboxylic acid considered a bio-based platform chemical for polymers and solvents.

Acetic Acid

Two-carbon carboxylic acid produced chemically via methanol carbonylation or biotechnologically by Acetobacter.

Lactic Acid

Fermentative product used for food, pharmaceuticals and PLA bioplastic synthesis.

Itaconic Acid

Bio-based unsaturated dicarboxylic acid produced by Aspergillus terreus; platform for polymers.

Propane-1,3-Diol (PDO)

Bio-based diol used to make PTT polymer; produced by engineered E. coli from glucose.

Butane-1,4-Diol (BDO)

Chemical building block for PBS polymer; now produced via engineered microbes in commercial scale.

Isoprene

Five-carbon monomer for synthetic rubber; target of engineered E. coli and yeast pathways.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)

Bacterial storage polyesters that can be harvested as biodegradable bioplastics.

Polylactic Acid (PLA)

Thermoplastic biopolymer made by ring-opening polymerisation of lactide derived from lactic acid.

Bio-Nylon (PA 5.10)

Polyamide made from bio-based cadaverine (1,5-diaminopentane) and sebacic acid from castor oil.

PBS (Polybutylene Succinate)

Biodegradable polyester synthesised from succinic acid and butane-1,4-diol.

Monoclonal Antibody

Uniform immunoglobulin produced by a single hybridoma clone or recombinant mammalian cells.

CHO Cells

Chinese Hamster Ovary cells widely used for therapeutic protein production.

Glycosylation

Post-translational attachment of sugars to proteins, crucial for activity of many biopharmaceuticals.

Fed-Batch Feed Strategy

Controlled addition of concentrated substrate to maintain low residual levels and defined growth rate.

Overflow Metabolism

Excretion of by-products (e.g., acetate in E. coli) when cells receive excess substrate.

Carbon Catabolite Repression (CCR)

Regulatory mechanism where presence of preferred carbon source inhibits utilisation of others.

Crabtree Effect

Aerobic fermentation of glucose to ethanol by S. cerevisiae when sugar concentration is high.

Pasteur Effect

Suppression of fermentative pathways by oxygen in facultative anaerobes.

Specific Growth Rate (µ)

Increase of biomass per biomass per time (h⁻¹).

Doubling Time (τ)

Time needed for the biomass to double; τ = ln2/µ.

Luedeking–Piret Equation

Empirical model separating growth-associated and non-growth-associated product formation.

Gaden Classification

System categorising product formation as Type I (growth-linked), Type II (mixed) or Type III (non-growth linked).

Maintenance Energy

Substrate consumed for cell upkeep rather than growth or product formation.

CSTR

Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactor; ideal model for continuous bioprocess calculations.

Heat of Reaction (Q̇ H)

Metabolic heat generated during microbial growth and product synthesis.

Depth Filter

Porous filtration medium used to sterilise air or clarify liquids by trapping particles within its matrix.

Membrane Filtration

Separation technique using semi-permeable membranes (micro-, ultra-, nano-, RO) for cell harvest or concentration.

Disk Separator

High-speed centrifuge with stack of conical discs for continuous cell–broth separation.

High-Pressure Homogeniser

Equipment that lyses cells by forcing slurry through a small orifice at high pressure.

Inclusion Body

Dense aggregate of recombinant protein formed inside microorganisms, requiring solubilisation.

Chromatography

Separation method based on differing interactions of molecules with stationary and mobile phases.

Affinity Chromatography

Purification exploiting specific binding (e.g., His-tag to Ni-NTA) to obtain high product purity.

Isoelectric Point Precipitation

Protein separation by adjusting pH to the point where net charge is zero, causing aggregation.

Spray Drying

Rapid drying method that converts liquids into powders using hot air.

Lyophilisation

Freeze-drying process removing water by sublimation under vacuum.

First-Generation Biofuel

Fuel produced from food crops rich in sugars or starch (e.g., corn ethanol).

Second-Generation Biofuel

Fuel derived from non-food lignocellulosic biomass (e.g., cellulosic ethanol).

Third-Generation Biofuel

Fuel obtained from CO₂ or algae with minimal land competition.

A-B-E Fermentation

Clostridial process producing acetone, butanol and ethanol.

Basfia succiniciproducens

Naturally occurring bacterium able to produce high titres of succinic acid.

Synthetic Operon

Engineered cluster of genes introduced into a host chromosome for coordinated expression.

Codon Optimisation

Redesigning gene sequence to match host codon usage, increasing expression efficiency.

Acidogenic Phase

Early phase in Clostridium fermentation producing acids (acetate, butyrate).

Solventogenic Phase

Later phase in ABE fermentation where acids are re-assimilated and solvents produced.

Overflow Threshold

Substrate concentration above which overflow metabolism starts.

Hydrolase (EC 3)

Enzyme class catalysing bond cleavage with water addition (85 % of industrial enzymes).

Protease

Hydrolase that cleaves peptide bonds; important in detergents and food industry.

Amylase

Enzyme hydrolysing starch into sugars; used in brewing, baking and bioethanol.

Gluconobacter

Acetic-acid bacterium performing incomplete oxidation of sugars or alcohols.

Acetate Overflow

Accumulation of acetate by E. coli under high substrate uptake rates.

Chemostat

Bioreactor operated at constant dilution to study microbial kinetics at steady state.

Heat Exchanger Jacket

Outer vessel layer through which cooling or heating fluid circulates to control temperature.

Headspace

Gas volume above the liquid in a bioreactor; contains exhaust gases and foam.

Foam Control

Use of mechanical breakers or antifoam agents to prevent foam overflow.

Foam Trap

Device in exhaust line collecting liquid foam to protect sterile filters.

Stainless Steel 316L

Common corrosion-resistant alloy used for industrial bioreactor fabrication.

Disposable Bioreactor

Single-use plastic vessel or bag that reduces cleaning and cross-contamination risk.

Bioprocess Economics

Assessment of capital and operating costs, revenues and profitability of a bioprocess.