Ethanol production in a multimembrane bioreactor: Cell and reactor modeling and continuous fermentation

Miscellaneous · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:5879836

Steinmeyer, D E

A novel bioreactor, in which hydrophilic and hydrophobic membranes segregate cells, nutrient, and solvent, has been previously described. The model system studied has been ethanol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae with tributyl phosphate as the extractive solvent. A structured, nonsegregated model of model of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, similar in philosophy to the E. coli models extensively developed at Cornell, has been constructed. The model establishes a basis for a realistic model of multi-membrane bioreactor fermentations as well as lays the groundwork for an increasingly detailed description of the cell. A model of a pressure cycled reactor has been constructed around the model of the cells. Tested against actual reactor fermentations, the model's predictions were in quantitative agreement. The model was used to computationally survey the relative utility of variations in system design and operating strategy, suggesting that increased mixing between the cell and nutrient layers and the use of a solvent with a distribution coefficient much higher than that of TBP would significantly improve productivity. The reactor has been operated continuously without failure for over 3000 hours, demonstrating that it can be run for the periods dictated by process economics. Two natural substrates were fermented in the reactor. Corn starch hydrolysate appears to be a highly suitable substrate, blackstrap molasses does not. Zymomonas mobilis was a less effective catalyst than Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

• Research Organization: Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5879836
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BIOREACTORS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
ETHANOL
BIOSYNTHESIS
SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE
BIOCHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
DESIGN
FERMENTATION
MAIZE
MEMBRANES
MIXING
MOLASSES
OPERATION
STARCH
TBP
ZYMOMONAS MOBILIS
ALCOHOLS
BACTERIA
BIOCONVERSION
BUTYL PHOSPHATES
CARBOHYDRATES
CEREALS
ESTERS
EUMYCOTA
FUNGI
GRASS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
KINETICS
LILIOPSIDA
MAGNOLIOPHYTA
MICROORGANISMS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHORIC ACID ESTERS
PLANTS
POLYSACCHARIDES
REACTION KINETICS
REAGENTS
SACCHARIDES
SACCHAROMYCES
SYNTHESIS
YEASTS
090900* - Biomass Fuels- Processing- (1990-)
550700 - Microbiology