Biothermodynamics of live cells: a tool for biotechnology and biochemical engineering

Abstract

The aim of this contribution is to review the application of thermodynamics to live cultures of microbial and other cells and to explore to what extent this may be put to practical use. A major focus is on energy dissipation effects in industrially relevant cultures, both in terms of heat and Gibbs energy dissipation. The experimental techniques for calorimetric measurements in live cultures are reviewed and their use for monitoring and control is discussed. A detailed analysis of the dissipation of Gibbs energy in chemotrophic growth shows that it reflects the entropy production by metabolic processes in the cells and thus also the driving force for growth and metabolism. By splitting metabolism conceptually up into catabolism and biosynthesis, it can be shown that this driving force decreases as the growth yield increases. This relationship is demonstrated by using experimental measurements on a variety of microbial strains. On the basis of these data, several literature correlations were tested as tools for biomass yield prediction. The prediction of other culture performance characteristics, including product yields for biorefinery planning, energy yields for biofuel manufacture, maximum growth rates, maintenance requirements, and threshold concentrations is also briefly reviewed.

Relating subsurface temperature changes to microbial activity at a crude oil-contaminated site

“…Use of laboratory calorimeters to show that microbial activity in soil produces heat is well established (see reviews by Braissant et al, 2010;Maskow et al, 2010;von Stockar, 2010) and some laboratory studies have focused on heat production during aerobic degradation of contaminants such as phenol, phenylacetate and its hydroxyl isomers, dodecane, dodecene, benzene, toluene, and other compounds (Anderson and Dagley, 1980;Lovrien et al, 1990;Sandler and Orbey, 1991;Tissot, 1999). A number of researchers have demonstrated with laboratory soil studies that heat output can be used to estimate microbial activity (Albers et al, 1995;Kimura and Takahashi, 1985;Sparling, 1981Sparling, , 1983.…”

Review on biothermoydnamics applications: timeline, challenges, and opportunities

“…Comprehensive reports were prepared to draw attention on the sustainability of food production 2000-2010 Studies like aging stress on the organs [14], exergetic efficiency of adenosine triphosphate production in neuronal glucose metabolism [15,16] were carried out. Von Stockar [17] and Özilgen and Sorgüven [18] published books on biothermodynamics…”

“…A very similar path with that of Mexico, Central America, and South America was also followed in Turkey. Von Stockar [17], in association with the recently edited book Biothermodynamics, The Role of Thermodynamics in Biochemical Engineering, refers to biochemical engineering as one of the pillars of basic technological knowledge, with applications in food, pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and water treatment industries, and emphasizes the basic thermodynamics of processes that involve cells or other forms of life as a complementary part of the subject.…”

Thermodynamics-based design of microbial cell factories for anaerobic product formation

“…In anaerobic processes, the product pathway must provide the energy for synthesis of ATP. Suitable substrates must therefore have higher energy content than the products [24] to produce sufficient Gibbs free energy to sustain the anabolic activity of the cell. It is clear that, under standard anaerobic conditions, energy production from any substrate to any product is only possible when D e G S À D e G P > 0.…”