Preliminary Process Synthesis Traditionally, like many other industrial bioprocesses, ABE fermentation has bee n run in batch

mode (Beesch, 1952). However, because Clostridia are inhibited by the sol vent products of the fermentation, much recent research has focused on improving the practical ity of continuous in situ product removal. Techniques that are being developed for thi s process include in situ gas stripping, liquid-liquid extraction, and pervaporation (Ezeji, Qures hi, and Blaschek, 2004). These continuous product removal options looked promising, but most expe riments with them have been limited to a laboratory scale, and Ezeji, Qureshi, and Blaschek ( 2005) suggest that necessary substrate and product conditions to run these technologies on an industrial scale would be different than on a laboratory scale. Thus, we concluded that incorpor ating these technologies into our project without an experimental component would introduce too many uncertainties into the design and decided to design the process in traditional b atch mode. 23