Yeast suspension filtration: Flux enhancement using an upward gas/liquid slug flow -- Application to continuous alcoholic fermentation with cell recycle

Journal Article · Sun Apr 05 04:00:00 EDT 1998 · Biotechnology and Bioengineering

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0290(19980405)58:1<47::AID-BIT5>3.0.CO;2-U· OSTI ID:619423

Mercier, M; Maranges, C; Fonade, C; Lafforgue-Delorme, C ^[1]

---

1. Institut National des Sciences Appliquees, Toulouse (France). Centre de Bioingenierie Gilbert Durand

This study deals with the use of an upward gas/liquid slug flow to reduce tubular mineral membrane fouling. The injection of air into the feedstream is designed to create hydrodynamic conditions that destabilize the cake layer over the membrane surface inside the filtration module complex. Experimental study was carried out by filtering a biological suspension (yeast) through different tubular mineral membranes. The effects of operating parameters, including the nature of the membrane, liquid and gas flowrates, and transmembrane pressure, were examined. When external fouling was the main limiting phenomenon, flux enhancements of a factor of three could be achieved was gas sparging compared with single liquid phase crossflow filtration. The economic benefits of this unsteady technique have also been examined. To investigate the possibility of long-term operation of the two-phase flow principle, dense cell perfusion cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were carried out in a fermentor coupled with an ultrafiltration module. The air injection allowed a high and stable flux to be maintained over 100 h of fermentation, with a final cell concentration of 150 g dry weight/L. At equal biomass level, a twofold gain in flux could be attained compared with classical steady crossflow filtration at half the cost.

• OSTI ID: 619423
• Journal Information: Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Journal Name: Biotechnology and Bioengineering Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 58; ISSN BIBIAU; ISSN 0006-3592
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
BIOLOGICAL FOULING
BIOREACTORS
BIOSYNTHESIS
CELL CULTURES
CONTINUOUS CULTURE
ETHANOL
FERMENTATION
MEMBRANES
MITIGATION
OPTIMIZATION
PERFORMANCE
SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE
SEPARATION PROCESSES