Biological conversion of synthesis gas

Technical Report · Sun Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6744576· OSTI ID:6744576

Klasson, K T; Basu, R; Johnson, E R; Clausen, E C; Gaddy, J L

Mass transfer and kinetic studies were carried out for the Rhodospirillum rubrum and Chlorobium thiosulfatophilum bacterial systems. R. rubrum is a photosynthetic anaerobic bacterium which catalyzes the biological water gas shift reaction: CO + H[sub 2]0 [yields] CO[sub 2] + H[sub 2]. C. thiosulfatophilum is also a H[sub 2]S and COS to elemental sulfur. The growth of R. rubrum may be satisfactorily carried out at 25[degree] and 30[degree]C, while CO uptake and thus the conversion of CO best occurs at temperatures of either 30[degree], 32[degree] or 34[degree]C. The rate of conversion of COs and H[sub 2]O to CO[sub 2] and H[sub 2]S may be modeled by a first order rate expression. The rate constant at 30[degree]C was found to be 0.243 h[sup [minus]1]. The growth of C. thiosulfatophilum may be modeled in terms of incoming light intensity using a Monod equation: [mu] = [sub 351] + I[sub o]/[sup 0.152]I[sub o]. Comparisons of the growth of R. rubrum and C. thiosulfatophilum shows that the specific growth rate of C. thiosulfatophilum is much higher at a given light intensity.

• Research Organization: Arkansas Univ., Fayetteville, AR (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: FG21-90MC27225
• OSTI ID: 6744576
• Report Number(s): DOE/MC/27225-3258; ON: DE93008552
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
100200* -- Synthetic Fuels-- Production-- (1990-)
BACTERIA
BIOCONVERSION
BIOREACTORS
CULTURE MEDIA
FLUIDS
GASES
GROWTH
MASS TRANSFER
MICROORGANISMS
PARTIAL PRESSURE
PHOTOSYNTHETIC BACTERIA
RHODOSPIRILLUM
SULFUR-OXIDIZING BACTERIA
SYNTHESIS GAS