Multiphase reactors fermenters

Naouri et al. (1991) described another contained fluidized bed, the so-called high compacting multiphasic reactor (HCMR), which they used for malic and lactic acid fermentations for wine improvement. Bioparticles were contained within a tapered region and liquid was rapidly recycled through this region by pumping improved liquid/solid contact was cited as the advantage of this reactor. 

Aerobic fermentations are carried out in bubble columns when scale advantage is required, and the cells can be considered a third phase, making these multiphase reactors. 

Three phase catalytic slurry reactors are characterized by a continuous liquid phase in which a gas phase is dispersed and a solid (catalyst) is suspended. They are commonly used for catalytic hydrogenation, oxidation, halogenation or polymerization reactions such as edible oil hydrogenation, olefin oxidation or hydroformylation etc. But also fermenters can be included into this category of multiphase reactors. 

In a multiphase membrane reactor, the conversion of benzylpenicillin to 6-aminopenidllinic acid is performed. The type of microstructured reactor used is a fermentation reactor which contains the enzyme penicillin acylase immobilized on the wall of a hollow-fiber tube. The hollow-fiber tube extracts 6-aminopenicillinic acid at the same time selectively. Benzylpenicillin is converted at the outer wall of the hollow fiber into the desired product, which passes into the sweep stream inside the fiber where it can be purified, e.g. by ion exchange. The non-converted benzylpenicillin is recycled back through the reactor [84],... 

The two extreme hypotheses on mixing produce lumped models for the fluid dynamic behavior, whereas real reactors show complex mixing patterns and thus gradients of composition and temperature. It is worthwhile to stress that the fluid dynamic behavior of real reactors strongly depends on their physical dimensions. Moreover, in ideal reactors the chemical reactions are supposed to occur in a single phase (gaseous or liquid), whereas real reactors are often multiphase systems. Two simple examples are the gas-liquid reactors, used to oxidize a reactant dissolved in a liquid solvent and the fermenters, where reactions take place within a solid biomass dispersed in a liquid phase. Real batch reactors are briefly discussed in Chap. 7, in the context of suggestions for future research work. 

Slurry Bubble Column Reactors As in the case of gas-liquid slurry agitated reactors, bubble column reactors may also be used when solids are present. Most issues associated with multiphase bubble columns are analogous to the gas-liquid bubble columns. In addition, the gas flow and/or the liquid flow have to be sufficient to maintain the solid phase suspended. In the case of a bubble column fermenter, the sparged oxygen is partly used to grow biomass that serves as the catalyst in the system. Many bubble columns operate in semibatch mode with gas sparged continuously and liquid and catalyst in batch mode. 

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