Fermentation, mass transfer

It is possible to model the fermentation biological process from a fluid mechanics standpoint, even though the impeller is not related properly geometrically to the gas-liquid mass transfer step. Thus, one scale of pilot plant might be usable for one or two of the fermentation mass transfer steps, and/or chemical reaction steps, but might not be suitable for analysis of other mass transfer steps. The decision, then, is based on how suitable existing data are for any steps which are not modeled properly in the pilot plant. 

Interfacial Phenomena These can significantly affect overall mass transfer. In fermentation reactors, small quantities of surface-active agents (especially antifoaming agents) can drastically reduce overall oxygen transfer (Aiba et al., op. cit., pp. 153, 154), and in aerobic... 

FIG. 18-28 Usually, the gas-liquid mass-transfer coefficient, K, is reduced with increased viscosity. This shows the effect of increased concentration of microbial cells in a fermentation process. 

A strain of Azotobacter vinelandii was cultured in a 15 m3 stirred fermenter for the production of alginate. Under current conditions the mass transfer coefficient, kLa, is 0.18 s. Oxygen solubility in the fermentation broth is approximately 8 X 10 3 kgm-3.9 The specific oxygen uptake rate is 12.5 mmol g 1 h. What is the maximum cell density in the broth If copper sulphate is accidentally added to the fermentation broth, which may reduce the oxygen uptake rate to 3 mmol g 1 h 1 and inhibit the microbial cell growth, what would be the maximum cell density in this condition ... 

This is the most accurate method of measuring the mass transfer coefficient and it can be used in the actual fermentation system. It depends on accurate oxygen analyses and... 

Agitation of fermentation broth creates a uniform distribution of ah in the media. Once you mix a solution, you exert an energy into the system. Increasing power input reduces the bubble size and this in turn increases the interfacial area. Therefore the mass transfer coefficient would be a function of power input per unit volume of fermentation broth, which is also affected by the gas superficial velocity.2,3 The general correlation is expected to be as follows ... 

The cooling duty can be provided by either making the draught tube an internal heat exchanger or with a heat exchanger in an external circulation loop. The mass transfer coefficient for external loop airlift Fermenter is estimated as 8... 

Mass transfer is calculated by the empirical correlation defined for non-Newtonian filamentous fermentation ... 

The mass transfer coefficient for non-coalescing air bubbled in the fermentation broth in turbulent regime is frequently discussed in the literature.6 The volumetric mass transfer coefficient is defined by the following correlation ... 

Table 13.1. Constants in mass transfer correlation for various fermenter size...

Hydrodynamics and mass transfer in bubble columns are dependent on the bubble size and the bubble velocity. As the bubble is released from the sparger, it comes into contact with media and microorganisms in the column. In sugar fermentation, glucose is converted to ethanol and carbon dioxide ... 

Calculate mass transfer, gas hold up, gassed and ungassed power for the fermenter with the given data ... 

Calculate mass transfer coefficient in a 60 m3 fermenter with a gas and liquid interfacial area of a = 0.3 m2-m 3, given pbroth = 1200kg m-3. The small reactor has working volume of 0.18m3, 1 vvm aeration rate. Oxygen transfer rate (OTR) is 0.25kmol in 3 h 3. There are two sets of impellers, and flat-blade turbine types of impeller were used, HL= 1.2/),. Find the exact specifications of a large fermenter. 

In spite of its wide application, the mechanisms of this reaction remain obscure. Many diverse arguments have been published since the reaction was first investigated in 1897 (Bl, C5, C9, F7, J6, M5, P9, R2, S5, W2, W4, Yl, Y4). Cooper et al. (C9) introduced this method as a yardstick for the measurement of volumetric mass-transfer coefficients in gas-liquid contacting. Karow et al. (Kl) later concluded that the sulfite oxidation is suitable for fermentation process scale-up studies. Cooper et al. established that the reaction proceeds at a rate independent of sulfite ion concentration over wide concentration ranges. In their work they considered the sulfite oxidation to be of zero order with respect to both sulfite and sulfate concentration. 

Many semibatch reactions involve more than one phase and are thus classified as heterogeneous. Examples are aerobic fermentations, where oxygen is supplied continuously to a liquid substrate, and chemical vapor deposition reactors, where gaseous reactants are supplied continuously to a solid substrate. Typically, the overall reaction rate wiU be limited by the rate of interphase mass transfer. Such systems are treated using the methods of Chapters 10 and 11. Occasionally, the reaction will be kinetically limited so that the transferred component saturates the reaction phase. The system can then be treated as a batch reaction, with the concentration of the transferred component being dictated by its solubility. The early stages of a batch fermentation will behave in this fashion, but will shift to a mass transfer limitation as the cell mass and thus the oxygen demand increase. 

Example 11.1 Suppose an aerobic fermentation is being conducted in an agitated vessel at 38°C and that k , = 0.1s and kgT, = 20s have been measured for the mass transfer of oxygen from air at atmospheric pressure. Determine A/H, and KgAi. 

To avoid gas-liquid mass transfer Hmitation, which would have a negative influence on productivity, in correctly operated bioreactors there are turbulent flow conditions with more or less pronounced turbulence, for which the Reynolds stress formula (Eq. (2)) can be used. Whereas, as a rule there is fully developed turbulent flow in technical apparatuses (see condition (6) and explanations in Sect. 8), this is frequently not the case in laboratory fermenters. Equations (3) and (4) are then only valid to a limited extent. 

The draft-tube airlift bioreactor was studied using water-in-kerosene microemulsions [263], The effect of draft tube area vs. the top-section area on various parameters was studied. The effect of gas flow rates on recirculation and gas carry over due to incomplete gas disengagement were studied [264], Additionally, the effect of riser to downcomer volume was also studied. The effect of W/O ratio and viscosity was tested on gas hold-up and mass transfer coefficient [265], One limitation of these studies was the use of plain water as the aqueous phase in the cold model. The absence of biocatalyst or any fermentation broth from the experiments makes these results of little value. The effect of the parameters studied will greatly depend on the change in viscosity, hold-up, phase distribution caused due to the presence of biocatalyst, such as IGTS8, due to production of biosurfactants, etc., by the biocatalyst. Thus, further work including biocatalyst is necessary to truly assess the utility of the draft-tube airlift bioreactor for biodesulfurization. 

Mass transfer considerations are critical in any bioprocess. In typical, aerobic, suspended cell fermentations, the major concern is the oxygen transfer rate, determined by the overall mass transfer coefficient, kft, and the driving force. In three-phase biofluidization, in which the cells are immobilized as a biofilm or within carrier particles, the situation is further complicated by possible intraparticle diffusion limitations. Numerous recent studies have addressed these issues. 

Gas logging, the adherence of small bubbles to particles, causing them to rise to the surface in the reactor and form an inefficient packed bed with poor mass transfer properties, can be a problem in various fermentations and in wastewater treatment. A double entry fluidized bed reactor has been developed with simultaneous top (inverse) and bottom (conventional) inlets to overcome this problem (Gilson and Thomas, 1993). 

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