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Toxicity effects of compressed and supercritical solvents on thermophilic microbial metabolism
Author(s) -
Berberich Jason A.,
Knutson Barbara L.,
Strobel Herbert J.,
Tarhan Sefa,
Nokes Sue E.,
Dawson Karl A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0290(20001205)70:5<491::aid-bit3>3.0.co;2-u
Subject(s) - chemistry , supercritical fluid , compressed fluid , biocompatibility , solvent , thermophile , supercritical fluid extraction , biodegradation , chemical engineering , organic chemistry , environmental chemistry , chromatography , physics , mechanics , enzyme , engineering
Selection of biocompatible solvents is critical when designing bioprocessing applications for the in situ biphasic extraction of metabolic end‐products. The prediction of the biocompatibility of supercritical and compressed solvents is more complicated than for liquid solvents, because their properties can change significantly with pressure and temperature. The activity of the anaerobic thermophilic bacterium, Clostridium thermocellum , was studied when the organism was incubated in the presence of compressed nitrogen, ethane, and propane at 333 K and multiple pressures. The metabolic activity of the organisms in contact with compressed solvents was analyzed using traditional indicators of solvent biocompatibility, such as log P, interfacial tension, and solvent density. The toxicity of the compressed solvents was compared with the phase and molecular toxicity effects measured in liquid alkanes at atmospheric pressure. Inactivation increased with time in the presence of the compressed solvents, but was constant in the presence of atmospheric liquid solvents. Knowledge of molecular and phase toxicity provides a framework for the interpretation of C. thermocellum metabolism in contact with atmospheric and compressed solvents. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 70: 491–497, 2000.