2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Biochemical processes in chemical engineering are widely utilized to produce a variety of products that are used in pharmaceuticals, food processing, biofuel production and many more. A large fraction of recent graduates from chemical engineering programs are seeing increased employment opportunities in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries [1]. Hence, it is necessary to train, educate, and expand the knowledge of undergraduate chemical engineering students in the areas of biochemical and bioprocess engineering. One way to achieve this is by integrating biochemical engineering experiments into the undergraduate chemical engineering laboratory curriculum. However, biochemical processes are complex, involving strict handling protocols and long times linked to biological activity to convert raw materials into products. In addition, preparation steps and downstream separations differ significantly from those found in conventional chemical processing.
The Chemical Engineering program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) offers a biological concentration for students who choose to focus their studies on biological processes. In addition, to reach a larger percentage of our graduates and to capture the complexity of biochemical processes, a biochemical and biomanufacturing track is now being developed as part of Chemical Engineering’s senior level Unit Operations II course (CHE4402). The CHE4402 course, part of the Unit Operations sequence that represents the major laboratory component of the chemical engineering curriculum at WPI, was chosen to implement this track. The goals of this track, which align with ABET outcomes for engineering programs, are to familiarize students with the typical operations of biological processes used in the biochemical industry; to train students to tackle the unique and complex challenges associated with biological systems; and to introduce students to the practical applications and limitations of biochemical engineering models.
The new track introduces three biochemical and biomanufacturing process experiments in two phases. During the first phase, a batch bioreactor is piloted for bacterial fermentation under controlled oxygen concentrations. Students operate the process over the course of two weeks while spending one 4-hour session/week, plus pre- and post-lab work. During the first phase, students assemble the bioreactor, prepare growth media, learn aseptic techniques, and run the batch fermentation experiment to measure substrate utilization, biomass concentration, and acetate production over time. Good manufacturing practice (GMP) is emphasized by mandatory use of batch records and standard operating protocols (SOPs). During the second phase, biochemical and biomanufacturing offerings of CHE4402 will be expanded to include two downstream processes. Examples of new experiments include cell harvesting by continuous centrifugal separation and protein concentration using ultrafiltration followed by column separations for purification. To optimize these student experiences, assessment of student learning outcomes will be performed by evaluating written and oral reports, comparing student assignments from pre- and post-lab work, and conducting a Qualtrics survey. In addition, to help guide the development of the second phase, a separate survey from biochemical companies will be collected and analyzed. It is our expectations at the end of the implementation period that students will have acquired hands-on experience in the operation of biochemical processes and are able to articulate essential steps involved in producing a biochemical product.