Search

To achieve good product quality and consistency the bioreactor has to be harvested in time. A prediction algorithm is developed which aids the operator in determining and scheduling the right moment of harvest. An observer was build for biomass concentration and specific growth rate from oxygen consumption measurements only. With these estimations and a dual-substrate kinetic model the substrate concentrations are calculated. With the estimated biomass and calculated substrateconcentrations the future trajectory of the cultivation is computed by forward simulation to successfully determine the harvest time on-line. Several experiments with a benchscale bioreactor to cultivate B. pertussiswere carried out.