Generalized morphological modeling of aggregating, filamentous microorganisms

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Filamentous microorganisms are widely used in industry for biotechnological production of antibiotics, organic acids, and proteins. It is well-known that processing conditions, especially hydrodynamics, affect the morphology of microorganisms. They may appear in form of freely dispersed hyphae, flocs/clumps, or pellets. In turn, the morphology strongly affects the production rate and therefore the economics of the process. Mathematical models can provide the means of a better understanding and eventually process optimization. Previous modeling approaches fall short in addressing only specific conditions with limited capabilities of handling detailed morphology. For a comprehensive model, the necessary coupling of the structured and the property distributed character of the systems intrinsically leads to a multiscale, multivariate population balance modeling problem with many challenges. Such a modeling approach will not only reflect the new experimental opportunities that appeared in the recent years. Instead, a framework will be developed to support also future experimental efforts by introducing a generic morphology description.