Ethanol production from an industrial feedstock by immobilized Zymomonas mobilis in a fluidized-bed bioreactor

Conference · Thu May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5166780

Davison, B H; Scott, C D

The utilization of a continuous system to ferment glucose to ethanol offers considerable advantages over the traditional batch technology. The combination of high cell loading and rapid flow rate allows the use of nonsterile feed because free contaminants will be washed out of the system. Operation of a columnar reactor filled with the biocatalyst beads as a fluidized - bed reactor will minimize mass transfer resistances and channeling and allow improved disengagement of the gas product, CO/sub 2/. Zymomonas mobilis has been sown to have a higher specific conversion rate and to be more efficient at ethanol fermentation than the conventional Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The response of Z. mobilis to typical unrefined industrial feedstocks, particularly the supplemental nutrients, was unknown and might be a stumbling block to commercialization. Z. mobilix, immobilized in kappa-carrageenan beads has been shown in our laboratory to assimilate and to convert industrial feedstocks as well as the laboratory medium. 4 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 5166780
• Report Number(s): CONF-860508-6; ON: DE88007254
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
090222* -- Alcohol Fuels-- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass-- (1976-1989)
ALCOHOLS
ALDEHYDES
BACTERIA
BIOCONVERSION
BIOSYNTHESIS
CARBOHYDRATES
CEREALS
ETHANOL
FERMENTATION
FLUIDIZED BEDS
GLUCOSE
GRASS
HEXOSES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
IMMOBILIZED CELLS
MAIZE
MICROORGANISMS
MONOSACCHARIDES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
PRODUCTION
SACCHARIDES
SYNTHESIS
ZYMOMONAS MOBILIS