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Biochemical and Polymer Reaction Engineering
Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:07:29
Abstract
Polymerization reactions and processes. Homogeneous and heterogeneous (emulsion) kinetics of free radical polymerization. Post treatment of polymer colloids. Bioprocesses for the production of molecules and therapeutic proteins. Kinetics and design of aggregation processes of macromolecules and proteins.
Objective
The aim of the course is to learn how to design polymerization reactors and bioreactors to produce polymers and proteins with the specific product qualities that are required by different applications in chemical, pharmaceutical and food industry. This activity includes the post-treatment of polymer latexes, the downstream processing of proteins and the analysis of their colloidal behavior.
Content
We will cover the fundamental processes and the operation units involved in the production of polymeric materials and proteins. In particular, the following topics are discussed: Overview on the different polymerization processes. Kinetics of free-radical polymerization and use of population balance models. Production of polymers with controlled characteristics in terms of molecular weight distribution. Kinetics and control of emulsion polymerization. Surfactants and colloidal stability. Aggregation kinetics and aggregate structure in conditions of diffusion and reaction limited aggregation. Modeling and design of colloid aggregation processes. Physico-chemical characterization of proteins and description of enzymatic reactions. Operation units in bioprocessing: upstream, reactor design and downstream. Industrial production of therapeutic proteins. Characterization and engineering of protein aggregation. Protein aggregation in biology and in biotechnology as functional materials.
Resources
Lecture Notes
Scripts are available on the web page of the Arosio-group:http://www.arosiogroup.ethz.ch/education.htmlAdditional handout of slides will be provided during the lectures.
Literature
R.J. Hunter, Foundations of Colloid Science, Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, 2001 D. Ramkrishna, Population Balances, Academic Press, 2000 H.W. Blanch, D. S. Clark, Biochemical Engineering, CRC Press, 1995
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- DR , MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- session examination
- Mode
- oral 30 minutes
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise | Biochemical and Polymer Reaction Engineering | No time listed | 3 h weekly |
Offered In
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Elective Courses (The students are free to choose individually from the entire course offer of ETH Zürich on the Master level. Please consult the study administration in case of questions.)
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Recommended Elective Courses (These courses are particularly recommended for the Molecular Bioengineering track. Please consult your track advisor if you wish to select other subjects.)
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Doctorate Materials Science (Further information at: )
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Compensatory Courses (Compensatory courses can be used to compensate for core subjects that have been failed twice. The assignment of the corresponding course units to the regulatory category "core subjects and compensatory courses" in the transcript of records is only made upon application by the student to the study administration office of the degree programme.)
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