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Problems concerning the operation of high productivity biomass fermentations using volatile liquid hydrocarbon feedstocks
Author(s) -
Hamer G.,
Hamdan I. Y.,
Khamis Alisar S.,
Baroon Zainab H.
Publication year - 1980
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/bit.260220508
Subject(s) - raw material , alkane , biomass (ecology) , fermentation , hydrocarbon , chemistry , petroleum , substrate (aquarium) , waste management , pulp and paper industry , organic chemistry , ecology , engineering , biology
The possibilities of using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) heavy ends, predominantly volatile liquid n ‐alkanes (a location‐specific hydrocarbon feedstock) for single‐cell protein (SCP) production are examined against criteria established to define potentially attractive SCP production processes. The factors discussed include the use of the heat of vaporization for fermentor cooling, the efficiency of conversion of n alkane vapors, problems of maintaining constant composition substrates when feeding volatile liquid n ‐alkane vapors to laboratory fermentors, the possible solvent effect of liquid n ‐alkanes, and the possibilities of competitive inhibition. The study confirms that mixed volatile n ‐alkane feedstocks will introduce major physical and biological problems for both product and process research and development. Even when the technical problems are solved, the economic question of whether a direct production route using the feedstock as the fermentation substrate or an indirect route involving the conversion of the feedstock, by chemical means, into methanol, which can then be used as the fermentation substrate, needs careful examination.