  We discuss a method of approximate model reduction for networks of
biochemical reactions. This method can be applied to networks with polynomial
or rational reaction rates and whose parameters are given by their orders of
magnitude. In order to obtain reduced models we solve the problem of tropical
equilibration that is a system of equations in max-plus algebra. In the case of
networks with nonlinear fast cycles we have to solve the problem of tropical
equilibration at least twice, once for the initial system and a second time for
an extended system obtained by adding to the initial system the differential
equations satisfied by the conservation laws of the fast subsystem. The two
steps can be reiterated until the fast subsystem has no conservation laws
different from the ones of the full model. Our method can be used for formal
model reduction in computational systems biology.
