Characterization of the growth dynamics and development of a mechanistic model of a methanol-utilizing bacterium

Thesis/Dissertation · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:5149491

Agrawal, P

A set-point-controlled two fermentor setup (SPC-controlled TFS) was built as a part of a general hierarchical micro-minicomputer fermentor network (Hi MiMiC Fermwork). The SPC-controlled TFS was used to study the growth dynamics of a methanol utilizing bacterium (L3). The study included batch, continuous culture startup and transient relaxation, and perturbed continuous growth experiments. The batch growth dynamics of L3 was characterized by the presence of unbalanced and balanced growth phases, whereas the continuous growth dynamics was categorized as growth under carbon limited (C/sub lim/) and carbon excess (C/sub exs/) conditions. The density of dynamic growth was ascribed to the existence of C/sub lim/ and C/sub exs/ growth conditions in fermentors. Based on the biochemical knowledge of methanol utilizing microorganisms and current knowledge of the isolate L3, a non-segregated mechanistic model was developed. Structure in the model was classified as basic structure and regulatory structure. The mechanistic model can adequately describe: (a) the stable steady state and batch growth of L3 on methanol and mixtures of methanol and formaldehyde, (b) the unstable steady state growth of L3, and (c) the fast continuous growth transients quantitatively and the slow transients qualitatively.

• Research Organization: Purdue Univ., Lafayette, IN (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5149491
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550700* -- Microbiology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ALCOHOLS
ALDEHYDES
BACTERIA
BATCH CULTURE
BIOCHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTINUOUS CULTURE
FORMALDEHYDE
GROWTH
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INHIBITION
KINETICS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METHANOL
MICROORGANISMS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
POPULATION DYNAMICS
REACTION KINETICS