BIOCHEMICAL-ENGINEERING IN BIOTECHNOLOGY, (TECHNICAL REPORT)

The role of biochemical engineering in biotechnology, as the technolog y of industrial exploitation of biochemical systems, is illustrated. T he scientific disciplines underlying biotechnology are pointed out. Bi ochemical engineering is described as an established discipline, drawi ng upon chemical, biological and engineering sciences and concerned wi th design, development, implementation and operation of processes and process plant for handling biological materials and biocatalysts. The principal aspects of bioprocessing are outlined, including processing steps, biocatalysts, bioreactors and downstream processing considerati ons, to impart a flavour of the biochemical engineering activities and their interaction with chemical sciences. As shown by examples, appli cations of bioprocessing and biochemical engineering are wide ranging, covering such major facets of civilization as healthcare, agriculture and food, resource recovery, bulk and fine chemicals, energy and envi ronmental pollution abatement.