Continuous Fermentation in High Flow Rate Fermenter Systems

In commercial batch processes the productivity of product formation is low. But a significant increase of productivity can be achieved in continuous fermentations. By using high flow rate fermenter systems characterized by a relatively long retention time of biomass in comparison with the retention time of the liquid we can realize a high-performance fermentation. The problem of holding back the biomass within the reactor could be solved by means of membranes being impenetrable to the cells, but permeable to the hydraulic phase. Such a process technology was successfully tested for its applicability in alcoholic and lactic acid fermentations. The maximum productivities obtained on this way were ṗ = 120 g/l. · h for ethanol production and ṗ = 51 g/l. h for lactic acid fermentation, respectively.

[1]  S. Nagai,et al.  Ethanol Production by Repeated Batch Culture with Hollow Fibers , 1984 .

[2]  M. Cheryan,et al.  Hollow fibre bioreactor for ethanol production: application to the conversion of lactose by Kluyveromyces fragilis. , 1984 .

[3]  T. Leahy,et al.  Practical aspects of tangential flow filtration in cell separations , 1985 .

[4]  K. Richter.  Inhibitory effects of ethanol in alcoholic fermentation , 1986 .

[5]  C. Shin,et al.  Performance, kinetics, and substrate utilization in a continuous yeast fermentation with cell recycle by ultrafiltration membranes , 2004, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[6]  C. Rosén,et al.  Studies on continuous ethanol fermentation of sugar cane molasses , 1982, European journal of applied microbiology and biotechnology.

[7]  S. Nagai,et al.  Ethanol Production by Cell Recycling with Hollow Fibers , 1983 .

[8]  M. Cheryan,et al.  Ethanol production in a hollow fiber bioreactor using Saccharomyces cerevisiae , 1984, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[9]  Horst Chmiel,et al.  Membranen in der Verfahrenstechnik , 1985 .

[10]  U. Becker,et al.  Inhibierungserscheinungen bei der alkoholishchen Gärung III. Der Einfluß des osmotischen Druckes auf die Lebensfähigkeit von Saccharomyces cerevisiae , 1985 .

[11]  D. Omstead,et al.  MEMBRANE SEPARATIONS IN ALCOHOL PRODUCTION * , 1981 .

[12]  C. Wilke,et al.  The rotorfermentor. I. Description of the apparatus, power requirements, and mass transfer characteristics , 1978 .

[13]  M. Rogosa,et al.  A MEDIUM FOR THE CULTIVATION OF LACTOBACILLI , 1960 .

[14]  K. Schügerl,et al.  High productivity ethanol fermentations with crossflow membrane separation techniques for continuous cell recycling , 1985 .

[15]  A. Azhar,et al.  Alcohol fermentation of sweet potato. Membrane reactor in enzymatic hydrolysis , 1981 .

[16]  U. Becker,et al.  Inhibierungserscheinungen bei der alkoholischen Gärung, I. Einfluß der Ethanolkonzentration auf die spezifische Ethanolbildungsgeschwindigkeit von Saccharomyces cerevisiae , 1985 .