Title

MODELLING AND SIMULATION OF ETHANOL PRODUCTION VIA ALCOHOL FERMENTATION OF DILUTE ACID HYDROLYSED CORN STOVER USING SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE.

Authors

AMENAGHAWON, Andrew; OGBEIDE, Samuel; OKIEIMEN, Charity

Abstract

Efficient design, controllability and operability of biological systems require an understanding of how the process functions. This is often achieved via mathematical modelling of the process. In this work, the modelling of ethanol production during fermentation of corn stover hydrolysate was carried out. A dynamic mathematical model was developed and validated via estimation of model parameters. The growth of microbial cells was simulated using a low order kinetic model. The results obtained showed that the model was able to replicate to a high level of confidence, the concentrations of substrate, microbial cells and ethanol as obtained experimentally indicating validity of the model. Also, the parameters were estimated with very low confidence intervals and standard deviation values indicating that the model gave a good representation of the experimental data. Furthermore, implementation of the validated model via simulation using an equation oriented modelling software indicated that important fermentation variables such as microbial cell yield, specific microbial growth rate, ethanol yield, and specific ethanol production rate were affected by ethanol concentration. The inhibitory effect of ethanol on these variables was shown to be as a result of decreasing microbial cell yield.

Subjects

BIOLOGICAL systems; MATHEMATICAL models; ETHANOL; FERMENTATION; BACTERIAL growth

Publication

Annals of the Faculty of Engineering Hunedoara - International Journal of Engineering, 2014, Vol 12, Issue 3, p133

ISSN

1584-2665

Publication type

Academic Journal