Nonlinear Adaptive Control of Fermentation Process in Stirred Tank Bioreactor

This paper proposes a nonlinear adaptive controller based on back-stepping method for tracking reference substrate concentration by manipulating dilution rate in a continuous baker's yeast cultivating process in stirred tank bioreactor. Control law is obtained from Lyapunov control function to ensure asymptotical stability of the system. The Haldane model for the specific growth rate depending on only substrate concentration is used in this paper. Due to the uncertainty of specific growth rate, it has been modified as a function including the unknown parameter with known bounded values. The substrate concentration in the bioreactor and feed line are measured. The deviation from the reference is observed when the external disturbance such as the change of the feed is introduced to the system. The effectiveness of the proposed controller is shown through simulation results in continuous system.