Fundamentals of Material Balance
basis of process design
Determines the quantities of raw materials required and products
produced
Balances over individual process units set the process stream flows and
compositions
June 30, 2025 Department of Biotechnology, GST Course Code and Course Title:BTEN1031 , Bioprocess Plant design 1
useful tools for the study of plant operation and
trouble shooting.
used to check performance against design;
to extend the often limited data available from the
plant instrumentation;
to check instrument calibrations;
and to locate sources of material loss.
June 30, 2025 Department of Biotechnology, GST Course Code and Course Title:BTEN1031 , Bioprocess Plant design 2
Energy can be converted into mass, and mass into energy.
Conservation equation for any process system
Material out = Material in + Generation - Consumption – Accumulation
For a steady-state process the accumulation term will be zero
June 30, 2025 Department of Biotechnology, GST Course Code and Course Title:BTEN1031 , Bioprocess Plant design 3
A continuous process is set up for treatment of wastewater.
Each day, 105 kg cellulose and 103 kg bacteria enter in the
feed stream, while 104 kg cellulose and 1.5 x 104 kg bacteria
leave in the effluent. The rate of cellulose digestion by the
bacteria is 7 x 104 kg d-1. The rate of bacterial growth is 2 x
104 kg d-l; the rate of cell death by lysis is 5 x 102 kg d-1. Write
balances for cellulose and bacteria in the system.
STOICHIOMETRY
Stoichiometric equation
Law of Conservation
System Boundary
June 30, 2025 Department of Biotechnology, GST Course Code and Course Title:BTEN1031 , Bioprocess Plant Design 5
Choice of Basis
1. Time
2. Use one batch, for batch processes.
3. The mass basis
4. Work in mols, rather than weight, even when no reaction is
involved.
5. For gases, if the compositions are given by volume, use a
volume basis
June 30, 2025 Department of Biotechnology, GST Course Code and Course Title:BTEN1031 , Process Calculations 6
NUMBER OF INDEPENDENT
COMPONENTS
Molasses enters the system at a rate of 50 lb h- 1; at
the same instant in time, fermentation broth leaves
at a rate of 20 lb h-1.
Differential Balance
100 kg substrate is added to the reactor; after 3
days' incubation, 45 kg product is recovered.
Integral balance
June 30, 2025 Department of Biotechnology, GST Course Code and Course Title:BTEN1031 , Bioprocess Plant Design 7
Application of mass balance eq.
June 30, 2025 Department of Biotechnology, GST Course Code and Course Title:BTEN1031 , Bioprocess Plant Design 8
Humid air enriched with oxygen is prepared for a
gluconic acid fermentation. The air is prepared in a
special humidifying chamber. 1.5 I h- 1 liquid water
enters the chamber at the same time as dry air
and 15 gmol min- 1 dry oxygen gas. All the water is
evaporated. The outflowing gas is found to contain
1% (w/w) water. Draw and label the flow sheet for
this process.
June 30, 2025 Department of Biotechnology, GST Course Code and Course Title:BTEN1031 , Bioprocess Plant Design 9
General Algebraic
method
Algebraic symbols are assigned to all the unknown
flows and compositions.
Balance equations are then written around each sub-
system for the independent components
Same number of independent equations as there are
unknowns.
June 30, 2025 Department of Biotechnology, GST Course Code and Course Title:BTEN1031 , Process Calculations 10
Continuous Filtration
A fermentation slurry containing Streptomyces
kanamyceticus cells is filtered using a continuous rotary
vacuum filter. 120 kg h-1 slurry is fed to the filter; 1 kg slurry
contains 60 g cell solids. To improve filtration rates,
particles of diatomaceous-earth filter aid are added at a
rate of 10 kg h-1. The concentration of kanamycin in the
slurry is 0.05% by weight. Liquid filtrate is collected at a rate
of 112 kg h-1; the concentration of kanamycin in the filtrate
is 0.045% (w/w). Filter cake containing cells and filter aid is
continuously removed from the filter cloth.
a) What percentage liquid is the filter cake?
b) If the concentration of kanamycin in the filter-cake
liquid is the same as in the filtrate, how much
June 30, 2025
kanamycin isDepartment
absorbed per kg filterCourse
of Biotechnology, GST
aid?
Code and Course Title:BTEN1031 , Bioprocess Plant Design 11
