Overview

This program presents the essential knowledge required for producing (bio)chemical products for materials, nutrition and energy at industrial scale, from renewable and/or recycled feedstocks, using microorganisms. The design process and design thinking are at the core of this program to help learners with the application of biotech innovations to industrial factories for commercialization. This program examines the essence of a bioprocess, with fermentation at the center, where microorganisms perform efficient conversions, flanked by upstream and downstream operations to make up a full value chain.

You will apply design thinking, ‘beginning with the end in mind’ to understand what is important in your manufacturing process transformation and what are pitfalls. This will help you to circumvent or shortcut the ‘innovation valley of death’.

Syllabus

Courses under this program:
Course 1: Industrial Biotechnology

Get introduced to the basics of designing industrial processes for biobased products, from renewable feedstock to biomaterials, chemicals, nutrition products and biofuels.

Course 2: Industrial Fermentation

Get introduced to the essentials of industrial fermentation processes, which convert renewable feedstocks into biomaterials, chemicals, nutrition products and biofuels with the help of microorganisms.

Courses

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7 weeks, 6-8 hours a week, 6-8 hours a week
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This course provides the insights and tools for designing biotechnological processes with sustainability advantages, where choices of product and feedstock determine the specific process requirements. As fossil-based fuels and raw materials contribute to climate change, the use of renewable feedstocks, materials and energy as an alternative is in full swing.

This transition is not a luxury, it is a necessity. We can use microorganisms to convert organic streams (‘waste’ or residues) and/or CO2 into biomaterials, chemicals, nutrition products and biofuels.

Eight experienced course leaders will unfold the basics of industrial biotechnology and how to apply these to the design of fermentation-based processes to produce a wide range of bioproducts. Throughout the course, you will be challenged to design your own biotechnological process and evaluate its performance and sustainability.

The course includes guest lectures from industry and universities. By following this course, you will be able to contribute up-to-date ideas in the biotechnology field.
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7 weeks, 6-8 hours a week, 6-8 hours a week
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Industrial fermentation is the central operation in a broad, sustainable value chain, also involving the upstream generation and supply of renewable feedstocks, and downstream purification of the products formed.

In this course you will understand how the essential process inputs and outputs are connected via biological and physical mechanisms, and form the basis of process design, scrutiny, optimization and scaling between factory and lab.

This course provides the insights and tools for designing industrial fermentation processes with sustainability advantages, where choices of product and feedstock determine the specific process requirements. Six experienced course leaders will reveal the essentials of industrial fermentation and how to apply these for conceptual design and quantification, resulting in basic mathematical frames and models. Throughout the course, you will apply the theory to a case study where you will produce the building block 1,3-propane diol (PDO) from sugar. Also, you will experience what are the main pitfalls (‘banana skins’) and how to stay away from them.

The course includes guest lectures from industry and universities.

This course is geared towards Biologists, Biotechnologists and Chemical and Environmental Engineers, but will also be of value to others with a different science and engineering background or interest, working in the field of research, development and manufacturing, who wish to deepen their knowledge of industrially relevant fermentation technology and operations.

Taught by

Adrie Straathof, Cees Haringa, John Posada Duque, Ludovic Jourdin, Wouter van Winden, Jack Pronk, J.J. (Sef) Heijnen, Henk Noorman and Patricia Osseweijer