Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering, 6th Edition

9. Reaction Mechanisms, Pathways, Bioreactions, and Bioreactors

The next best thing to knowing something is knowing where to find it.

—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)

Overview. This chapter applies chemical reaction engineering principles to nonelementary reactions and to bioreactions and bioreactors. The topics include the pseudo-steady-state hypothesis (PSSH), enzyme mechanisms and reaction kinetics, and the growth of microorganisms.

We start with Section 9.1 where we discuss PSSH and the formation of active intermediate species, which disappear virtually as fast as they are formed. Next, we show how to propose a mechanism and then apply the PSSH to active intermediate species to develop rate laws for chemical reactions that do not follow elementary ...