A Century of Reactor Design and Kinetics: From Ethanol and Butanol Fermentations to Cell and Tissue Culture . . . and Back to Biofuels, 100 Years of Bioreactor Design, Operation, and Challenges

Ethanol fermentations were established industrial process in late 19th and early 20th century prior to the formal genesis of chemical engineering. Now, as we face the urgency to develop sustainable technologies for the production of chemicals and biofuels from renewable resources, there is a fresh set of challenges for efficient bioreactors and processes to meet perhaps the most diverse set of needs and applications.