Multiplicity of steady states in a bioreactor during the production of 1,3-propanediol by Clostridium butyricum

In recent decades, the production of compounds from microorganisms has increased significantly. Glycerol as a source of substrate appears to have great potential, due to its large supply because of the increase in biodiesel production. This paper will discuss the multiplicity of steady states for the production of 1,3-propanediol from glycerol by Clostridium butyricum , employing a model that takes into account inhibition by fermentation products. The theoretical study of bifurcation enabled us to make a qualitative adjustment to the various experimental steady states, using the theoretical steady states obtained from the AUTO2007 program. The theoretical model parameters were varied to fit qualitatively the values of the experimental steady states. In addition, this work is a qualitative study, using experimental steady states that can be used as an initial study for more advanced work on optimizing the production of 1,3-propanediol.