Abstract

Design and Optimization of Bioprocesses at the Micro Scale

Igor Plazl, Professor, University of Ljubljana

A numerous excellent publications in the last two decades demonstrated the advantages of microfluidic devices for very efficient performing of chemical and biochemical processes at controlled and repeatable conditions. The new concepts, like continuous processing, flow chemistry, high-throughput screening, and process intensification, have been established to open novel pathways in process design and engineering. Besides, a number of highly innovative and systematic approaches, protocols, tools, and strategies are currently being developed in both industry and academia, all to minimize the gap between research and industry, and to define a smooth transfer of (bio)chemical process to the industrial environment. To meet these challenges, we must advance the field from biocatalyst discovery to biocatalytic microprocess design. This advance will require not only a new level of understanding of reaction mechanisms and transport phenomena at the micro scale, but also the development of computational tools [1]. In this work the multiscale modeling concept is presented, which combines existing and emerging methods from diverse scientific disciplines to bridge the wide range of time and length scales that are inherent in a number of essential phenomena and processes in materials science and engineering. Multiscale modeling may help to design and optimize microsystems technology for biocatalytic processes from a microscopic point of view [1].