Masters Theses

Bo Huang

Date of Award

12-1993

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Chemical Engineering

Major Professor

T. W. Wang

Committee Members

Gary Sayler, Paul Bienkowski

Abstract

During the operation of any bioreactor process two of the most crucial elements are the microbial biomass products and their metabolic state of growth. One of the major inhibiting factors in the development and implementation of effective bioreactor control regimes has been the lack of suitable on-line sensors for measuring such parameters and variables. The aim of the work is to develop and evaluate an on-line biosensor for a continuous bioreactor based on the light emission capabilities of the recombinant host cell culture. The cells have been genetically engineered to include the luz gene operon, originally isolated from bioluminescent marine bacteria, such as Vibrio fischeri. The lux gene codes for products that lead to the bioluminescence phenomenon. The focus of this work is to derive an on-line growth and biomass estimation scheme based on the intensity of emitted light. Experimental data is presented, and it appears that bioluminescence level corresponds to the relative dilution rate which is equal to the growth rate at steady state. It was found that higher dilution rate leads to higher bioluminescence level. It confirmed the batch experimental results that bioluminescence is a reflection of the relative rate of growth rather than the absolute amount of biomass.

Download
Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as..."

Share

COinS