Premium
Continuous acetone‐butanol‐ethanol (ABE) fermentation using immobilized cells of Clostridium acetobutylicum in a packed bed reactor and integration with product removal by pervaporation
Author(s) -
Friedl Anton,
Qureshi N.,
Maddox Ian S.
Publication year - 1991
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.260380510
Subject(s) - clostridium acetobutylicum , pervaporation , chemistry , butanol , fermentation , acetone , lactose , chromatography , solvent , product inhibition , yield (engineering) , ethanol , membrane , organic chemistry , biochemistry , permeation , materials science , non competitive inhibition , metallurgy , enzyme
An integrated solvent (ABE) fermentation and product removal process was investigated. A stable solvent productivity of 3.5 g/L h was achieved by using cells of Clostridium acetobutylicum immobilized onto a packed bed of bonechar, coupled with continuous product removal by pervaporation. Using a concentrated feed solution containing lactose at 130g/L, a lactose value of 97.9% was observed. The integrated fermentation and product removal system, with recycling of the treated fermentor effluent containing only low amount of solvents (/but lactose and acids), leads to only low acid losses. Therefore, most of the acids are converted to solvents, and this results in a high solvent yield of 0.39 g solvents/g lactose utilized. The pervaporation system provided a high product removal rate even at low solvent concentrations. A solvent membrane flux of 7.1 g/m 2 h with a selectivity of 5 was achieved during these investigations. The system proved to be very reliable.