A chemical engineering design view of biotechnology

The possibilities of biotechnology are being widely discussed and promoted. Because of this there will be many studies directed at evaluating biotechnology projects. At some stage this will require the generation of potential process plant designs. The paper provides an introduction to those aspects of biotechnology which will be the concern of the chemical engineer, with an emphasis on design tasks. This is supported by a commentary on the similarities with and differences from mainline chemical engineering design. In addition the principal material relating to design has been drawn together from the available literature and summarized for engineers new to the area of biotechnology.