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Real-Time Monitoring and Control of Lignocellulosic Ethanol Fermentation Processes
Part of the BTEC Fall 2020 Seminar Series
Friday, Oct. 16, 2020
10:40–11:30 a.m.
Speaker: Pau Cabañeros Lopez, Ph.D.
Process Data Analyst
Specshell A/S
Join us Friday, Oct. 16, 2020, for a presentation on Real-Time Monitoring and Control of Lignocellulosic Ethanol Fermentation Processes by Pau Cabañeros Lopez, Ph.D.
The primary challenges preventing lignocellulose-based fermentation at commercial industrial scale include:
- inhibitors generated during the pretreatment of the biomass,
- diauxic growth on different carbon sources,
- inherent variability of the feedstocks, and
- risk of contamination.
To minimize the toxic effects of the inhibitors and thus maximize the realized yield, these fermentations are operated in fed-batch mode with a slow feed of substrate into the fermenter. However, the inability to monitor feedstock variations and take necessary control actions in real-time results in a loss of production efficiency and equipment utilization. This study addresses these practical needs by developing cost-efficient real-time process monitoring and control solutions that increase the operational flexibility of lignocellulosic-based fermentation.