Optimization of Bioreactor Volumes in Steady-State - A Simulation Study

This work deals with the analysis and design of bioreactors formed by a number of completely stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) in series. The model includes three main components: the concentration of one dominant particulate biomass, one soluble substrate component and one particulate inert matter. The model is analyzed in steadystate conditions. Monod kinetics is used for describing the specific growth rate, and the decay rate of the biomass is included. Two main optimization problems were studied: (i) minimize the effluent substrate concentration for a given total volume, and (ii) minimize the total volume for a given effluent substrate concentration. An alternative to optimize a large number of CSTRs is to consider the asymptotic case of one CSTR followed by a plug-flow reactor (PFR). Numerical results show that there is an optimal volume distribution for the two configurations in each optimization problem.