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Application Of Process Systems Engineering Tools And Methods To Fermentation-Based Biorefineries, Kwabena Darkwah

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Biofuels produced from lignocellulosic biomass via the fermentation platform are sustainable energy alternatives to fossil fuels. Process Systems Engineering (PSE) uses computer-based tools and methods to design, simulate and optimize processes. Application of PSE tools to the design of economic biorefinery processes requires the development of simulation approaches that can be integrated with existing, mature PSE tools used to optimize traditional refineries, such as Aspen Plus. Current unit operation models lack the ability to describe unsteady state fermentation processes, link unsteady state fermentation with in situ separations, and optimize these processes for competing factors (e.g., yield and productivity). This work …