Membrane bioreactors productivity

Membrane-based separation, lactic acid production and, 14 120 Membrane biocompatibility, in hemodialysis, 26 823—824 Membrane bioreactors, 16 26 Membrane-bound enzymes, 10 338 Membrane cell process, 9 620 Membrane cells... 

Generally, a distinction can be made between membrane bioreactors based on cells performing a desired conversion and processes based on enzymes. In ceU-based processes, bacteria, plant and mammalian cells are used for the production of (fine) chemicals, pharmaceuticals and food additives or for the treatment of waste streams. Enzyme-based membrane bioreactors are typically used for the degradation of natural polymeric materials Hke starch, cellulose or proteins or for the resolution of optically active components in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, food and chemical industry [50, 51]. In general, only ultrafiltration (UF) or microfiltration (MF)-based processes have been reported and little is known on the application of reverse osmosis (RO) or nanofiltration (NF) in membrane bioreactors. Additionally, membrane contactor systems have been developed, based on micro-porous polyolefin or teflon membranes [52-55]. 

An example of an industrial membrane bioreactor is the hollow-fiber membrane system for the production of (-)-MPGM (3-(4-methoxyphenyl)glycidic acid methyl ester), which is an important intermediate for the production of diltiazem hydrochloride [81, 82]. For the enantiospecific hydrolysis of MPGM a hollow-fiber ultrafiltration membrane with immobilized lipase from Serratia marcescens is used. (-f)-MPGM is selectively converted into (2S,3J )-(-F)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)glyci-dic acid and methanol. The reactant is dissolved in toluene, whereas the hydrophilic product is removed via the aqueous phase at the permeate side of the membrane, see Fig. 13.9. EnantiomericaUy pure (-)-MPGM is obtained from the to-... 

A.S. Bommarius, K. Drauz, U Groeger, et al, Membrane bioreactors for the production of enantiomerically pure a-amino acids, in Chirality in industry, (eds. A.N. Collins, G.N. Sheldrake, J. Crosby), Wiley, New York, 1992. 

Membranes have the property to retain one or more components of a hquid mixture, whereas others may pass. The size of the biocatalyst often differs considerally from the size of the product molecules. The pore size of the membrane must thus be chosen in such a way that the product can pass the membrane, while the biocatalyst is retained. Usually membrane bioreactors consist of ultrafiltration... 

A great deal of research work has been carried out to enhance bioreactor productivity (2 14 kg m 3h 1) using cell recycle via membrane processing (Boyaval and Corre, 1987 Boyaval et al., 1994) and recovering propionic acid by monopolar or bipolar ED (Boyaval et al., 1993 Weier et al., 1992 Zhang et al., 1993). 

Boyaval, P., Corre, C., and Madec, M.-N. 1994. Propionic acid production in a membrane bioreactor. 

The possibility of having membrane systems also as tools for a better design of chemical transformation is today becoming attractive and realistic. Catalytic membranes and membrane reactors are the subject of significant research efforts at both academic and industrial levels. For biological applications, synthetic membranes provide an ideal support to catalyst immobilization due to their biomimic capacity enzymes are retained in the reaction side, do not pollute the products and can be continuously reused. The catalytic action of enzymes is extremely efficient, selective and highly stereospecific if compared with chemical catalysts moreover, immobilization procedures have been proven to enhance the enzyme stability. In addition, membrane bioreactors are particularly attractive in terms of eco-compatibility, because they do not require additives, are able to operate at moderate temperature and pressure, and reduce the formation of by-products. 

In recent years, membrane bioreactors, bioreactors combined with membrane separation unit have established themselves as an alternative configuration for traditional bioreactors. The important advantages offered by membrane bioreactors are the several different types of membrane modules, membrane structures, materials commercially available. Membrane bioreactors seem particularly suited to carry out complex enzymatic/microbial reactions and/or to separate, in situ, the product in order to increase the reaction efficiency. The membrane bioreactor is a new generation of the biochemical/chemical reactors that offer a wide variety of applications for producing new chemical compounds, for treatment of wastewater, and so on. 

The use of membrane bioreactors in the pharmaceutical field has been documented for the production of amino acids, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, anticancer drugs, vitamins, and optically pure enantiomers [10, 29-31]. 

Membrane bioreactors have been reported for the production of diltiazem chiral intermediate with a multiphase/extractive enzyme membrane reactor [15, 16]. The reaction was carried out in a two-separate phase reactor. Here, the membrane had the double role of confining the enzyme and keeping the two phases in contact while maintaining them in two different compartments. This is the case of the multiphase/ extractive membrane reactor developed on a productive scale for the production of a chiral intermediate of diltiazem ((2R,3S)-methylmethoxyphenylglycidate), a drug used in the treatment of hypertension and angina [15]. The principle is illustrated in... 

A particular application of membrane bioreactors, patented in 2005 [20], concerns the production of an antitumor substance (paclitaxel). Since a full synthesis of paclitaxel is not possible due to its low yield, a semisynthesis of 10-deacetyl-baccatin... 

The production of aromatic compounds by a membrane bioreactor is widely studied and some examples are also patented. Aromatic compounds are important substances in pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries due to their natural properties and because they are strong antioxidant molecules with a strong free-radical scavenging activity. 

The hydrolysis of caroteno-proteins for the production of astaxanthin using protease was developed in an enzymatic membrane bioreactor [19], in which the concentration of the protein fraction by ultrafiltration and the separation of the pigments in the permeate were simultaneously carried out. 

One of the first cases of the application of membrane bioreactors in food processes was the production of milk with low lactose content. (3-galactosidase was entrapped into cellulose acetate fibers to carry out the hydrolysis of milk and whey lactose [2] recently the system was improved by the use of microfiltration and by UV irradiation of the enzyme solution to avoid growth of micro-organisms [45]. 

A very interesting field in membrane bioreactors is the production of cyclodextrins or oligosaccharides. In general, they have applications in food pharmaceutical, cosmetic agricultural, and plastics industries as emulsifiers, antioxidant, and stabilizing agents. In the food industry cyclodextrins are employed for the preparation of cholesterol-free products. The use of enzymatic membrane reactors to produce... 

The production of substances that preserve the food from contamination or from oxidation is another important field of membrane bioreactor. For example, the production of high amounts of propionic acid, commonly used as antifungal substance, was carried out by a continuous stirred-tank reactor associated with ultrafiltration cell recycle and a nanofiltration membrane [51] or the production of gluconic acid by the use of glucose oxidase in a bioreactor using P E S membranes [52]. Lactic acid is widely used as an acidulant, flavor additive, and preservative in the food, pharmaceutical, leather, and textile industries. As an intermediate product in mammalian metabolism, L( +) lactic acid is more important in the food industry than the D(—) isomer. The performance of an improved fermentation system, that is, a membrane cell-recycle bioreactors MCRB was studied [53, 54], the maximum productivity of 31.5 g/Lh was recorded, 10 times greater than the counterpart of the batch-fed fermentation [54]. 

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