Production of Chemical Building Blocks and Biopolymers

The team of Professor Wittmann at the University of Saarbruecken used engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum strains for the production of the compatible solute ectoine and the polyamide building block 1,5-diaminopentane. The researchers optimized culture conditions in a DASGIP® Parallel Bioreactor System and established high density, fed-batch processes which delivered high titers of the desired chemicals at high yield.

Lars Blank’s team at RWTH Aachen University have optimized a production process for itaconate using a genetically engineered strain of the fungus Ustilago maydis. Itaconate is used as a building block for the production of pharmaceuticals and adhesives, as a copolymer for synthetic resins, and is a promising starting material for biofuel production. Download application note (PDF)

Scientists at the Forschungszentrum Jülich (Research Center Jülich) have been using a cultivation set-up consisting of two connected stirred-tank reactors (STRs) to simulate inhomogeneous cultivation conditions as they can occur in production scale. This study exemplifies the benefits of flexible bench-scale bioreactor solutions and advanced bioprocess control software.

Biofuels

To make biofuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel competitive with fossil fuels extensive process development efforts are needed. Taking into account the special requirements of biofuel production, such as high temperatures, multi-step procedures, and anaerobic conditions, effective tools for streamlining development efforts must be provided.