Dynamic Flux Balance Analysis of a Genetic Engineered Cyanobacterium for Ethanol Production. Parameter Estimation

JUAN I. LAIGLECIA; VANINA ESTRADA; REBECA VIDAL VIDAL; FRANCISCO FLORENCIO; MIGUEL GUERRERO; M. SOLEDAD DÍAZ

Chemical Engineering Transactions

AIDIC Servizi S.R.L. - Chemical Engineering Transactions

Año: 2013 vol. 32 p. 955 - 960

1974-9791

In this work, we present parameter estimation problem for Dynamic Flux Balance Analysis to study the production of ethanol by a mutant strain of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, as well as experimental data. This modified strain harbors the genes pdc and adhII from Zymomonas mobilis. The model includes two major components: (1) a dynamic model with mass balances for biomass, ethanol, nitrate, phosphate, internal nitrogen and phosphorus, and (2) a steady state genome-scale metabolic LP model. The biomass equation includes limiting functions for temperature and kinetics of growth inhibition by ethanol toxicity. Limitation of light by biomass accumulation is also taken into account. We formulate a dynamic parameter estimation problem with a weighted least-squares objective function, subject to dynamic mass balance equations at the bioreactor level and the intracellular LP model. The problem is solved in GAMS through a simultaneous optimization approach. Data set for parameter estimation were obtained in experiments performed over 73 h in batch liquid cultures. Numerical results provide useful insights on ethanol production by the genetic modified strain within the context of genomic-scale cyanobacterial metabolism.