Area 400: Cellulase enzyme production. An on-site enzyme production section was
included in this design. Purchased glucose (corn syrup) is the primary carbon source for
enzyme production. Media preparation involves a step in which a portion of the glucose
is converted to sophorose to induce cellulase production. The enzyme-producing fungus
(modeled after Trichoderma reesei) is grown aerobically in fed-batch bioreactors. The entire fermentation broth, containing the secreted enzyme, is fed to Area 300 to carry out
enzymatic hydrolysis.