Engineering Analysis of Biological Systems

This online book shall serve as a handy resource and repository for topics critical to biological systems engineers. It is a compilation of a variety of topics - all of which biological engineers need to understand. Biological systems are diverse, include plants, animals, and microbes, and range from grain, to food, to feed, to fuel, and other biological materials. Key tools for biological systems engineers include mathematics, physics, chemistry, and, of course, biology. Many other topics and applications are important as well, and we will try to compile as many as possible. If you have topics which should be included, please contact karosent@iastate.edu.

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List of Topics

Introductory Material Preface Introduction Biological Engineering Fundamentals Enzyme kinetics Enzyme kinetics Michaelis–Menten kinetics Microbial growth Monod equation Fermentation Bioreactor Reactors Fed batch Reactors Packed bed Continuous reactor Anaerobic digestion Kraft process Plant cell Photosynthesis Calvin cycle Carbon fixation Cellular respiration Light-dependent reactions Light-independent reactions Photosystem Photosystem I Photosystem II Photosynthetic reaction centre Photosynthetically active radiation Photon Light Rubisco C3 carbon fixation C4 carbon fixation Crassulacean acid metabolism Theoretical production ecology Leaf area index Evapotranspiration Biological Resources Cereal Grain Corn (Maize) Wheat Soybean Rice Barley Sorghum Millet Oats Triticale Rye Buckwheat Quinoa Pulse Ancient grains Pseudocereal Legume Corn stover Algae Biological Applications Agriculture Agricultural machinery Farm equipment Combine harvester Intensive farming No-till farming Beef cattle Dairy cattle Swine Aquaculture Biofuels Starch Ethanol fermentation Cellulose Cellulosic ethanol Biodiesel Algae fuel

Mathematics Fundamentals Exponential growth Rate-limited growth Sigmoid function Rate-limited growth Logistic function Engineering Fundamentals Thermodynamics Thermodynamic equilibrium Zeroth law of thermodynamics First law of thermodynamics Second law of thermodynamics Third law of thermodynamics Isobaric process Isochoric process Isothermal process Adiabatic process Isentropic process Isenthalpic process Thermodynamic system Volume Pressure Temperature Entropy Internal energy Enthalpy Gibbs free energy Helmholtz free energy Heat transfer Stefan-Boltzmann Law Thermal contact conductance Thermal conduction Convective heat transfer Thermal radiation Heat exchanger Fluid mechanics Engineering Ethics Engineering ethics Engineering Design Engineering design process Building code International Building Code Fire safety Process Engineering Food engineering Food processing Food safety Food physical chemistry Food chemistry Food microbiology Food preservation Food fortification Food storage Food packaging Packaging and labeling Rheology Unit Operations Mass balance Conveyor system Hammermill Pellet mill Pelletizing Extrusion Dehdration Evaporation Drying Drying (food) Spray drying Expeller pressing Dewatering screw preses Extraction Solid phase extraction Grain elevator Flour Corn wet-milling Dry milling and fractionation of grain Soy protein Texturized vegetable protein Soybean oil Malting Masa Nixtamalization Corn tortilla Compound feed Feed manufacturing Pet food Grain yield monitor Grain quality Grain damage Grain storage on subsistence farms Grain drying Post-harvest losses (grains) Pasta processing

Machine Analysis Machine operator efficiency Mechanical efficiency Mechanical advantage Electrical motor Electrical efficiency Thermal efficiency Techno-Economic Analysis Engineering economics Cash flow Net present value Depreciation Fixed costs Variable costs Total costs Economies of scale Internal rate of return Break-even Return on investment Economic value added Environmental Engineering Agroecology Hydrology Ecohydrology Water cycle Carbon cycle Nitrogen cycle Ocean acidification Ecosystem model Ecotoxicology Aquatic toxicology Industrial Ecology Industrial ecology Anthropogenic metabolism Emergy Energetics Exergy Life Cycle Assessment Life-cycle assessment Environmental footprint Carbon footprint Water footprint Ecosystem services Agroecosystem analysis EIOLCA Cradle-to-cradle Whole-life cost Climate Change Climate change Global warming Attribution of recent climate change Climate change mitigation Conclusions Conclusions