A modelling approach for the analysis of xylose–ethanol bioconversion

A model for the degradation of xylose and ethanol production by Klebsiella planticola is proposed and compared with the exponential (E) and Michaelis–Menten (MM) approaches. This model follows an ecological approach, being based on H.T. Odum’s energy system diagrams and it is a simplified version a previous model developed for the glucose and ethanol kinetics of the yeast Saccharomices cerevisiae. In this model the dynamics of the substrate and of the final product are strictly related by means of the cellular activity. This model shows superior performances with respect to the two alternatives (E and MM), behaving better along the whole dynamics. Two different strains of K. planticola are analyzed to compare their performances from this viewpoint.