Advanced fermentation technology practicum
Overall Course Objectives
To provide the students hands-on experience with pilot-scale microbial cultivations and with a more profound and advanced perspective on industrial fermentation applications.
See course description in Danish
Learning Objectives
- Apply fermentation technology and bioprocess theoretical knowledge on practical experimental problems
- Plan and implement fermentation experiments in pilot-scale
- Suggest strategies for monitoring of fermentation processes
- Quantitatively and qualitatively determine characteristics of a fermentation process
- Evaluate experimental data using simple mathematical models
- Relate experimental data to information found in scientific literature
- Reflect on challenges in process efficiency related to operational parameters and scaling-up of bioprocesses
- Report and present findings and conclusions in a well-structured manner
Course Content
Students will plan and perform an open-ended, practical fermentation process exercise in groups. Based on considerate calculations on generated data combined with data found in scientific literature the students will evaluate and conclude on the performance of the fermentation process tested and discuss possible process optimization strategies. The course will also deal specifically with monitoring techniques and challenges in scaling-up of bioprocesses. The course will be focused on selected processes, which may include e.g. production of biofuels, biogas, baker´s yeast, enzymes and antibiotics. Both processes based on pure production cultures and processes based on microbial consortia may be considered. The group work will be summarized in a written report, which forms the basis for the oral examination.
Recommended prerequisites
28344/27034/28345, Fermentation technology knowledge and Bachelor in Chemistry & Technology Biotechnology or equivalent.
For a successful participation in this course it is very important to have previous experience with microbial cultures. We expect you to have some previous experience with the following basic techniques (or a part of it): media preparation, sterilization in lab scale, inoculation, starting up and operating microbial cultivations in lab scale fermenters, sampling and preparation of samples for analysis. If you are not coming with the above described experience (or a part of it) it is better not to take the course.
Teaching Method
3-weeks period with practical and theoretical group work
Faculty
Limited number of seats
Minimum: 6, Maximum: 24.
Please be aware that this course has a minimum requirement for the number of participants needed, in order for it to be held. If these requirements are not met, then the course will not be held. Furthermore, there is a limited number of seats available. If there are too many applicants, a pool will be created for the remainder of the qualified applicants, and they will be selected at random. You will be informed 8 days before the start of the course, whether you have been allocated a spot.