The Chemostat

The chemostat is a laboratory device invented around 1940 (Monod, Novick and Szilard) for microorganism culture. It is a device commonly used in microbiology laboratories and the biotechnology industry (as a "bioreactor"). It allows us to study in detail the conditions for growth and the performance of new bacterial strains in pure and mixed cultures. Its mathematical modeling is central in ecology and in biotechnology.

"The Chemostat" deals with the mathematical theory of microorganism cultures; it does not assume any special mathematical knowledge and is aimed at a public level license or engineering school. This is the first book in a series that intends to address particular aspects of ecology such as the theory of the "consumer resource" relationship or the optimal control theory bioprocesses.