A growing trend in chemical engineering curricula in the past decade has been the introduction of biochemical engineering into undergraduate laboratory courses. A biotechnology laboratory that incorporates studies in microbial fermentation kinetics, enzymology, biochemical reactor analysis, and bioseparation techniques is included in the chemical engineering curriculum to acquaint undergraduates with these important experimental methods. Equipment in this laboratory includes a batch/continuous fermenter, an ultrafiltration system, chromatography and spectrophotometry units, and devices to monitor cell growth such as densitometers and dissolved oxygen and pH probes. Such a laboratory exposes undergraduate students in chemical engineering to many important aspects of the new and emerging technology that biotechnology represents.
