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Foam and Its Mitigation in Fermentation Systems
Author(s) -
Junker Beth
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
biotechnology progress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.572
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6033
pISSN - 8756-7938
DOI - 10.1021/bp070032r
Subject(s) - defoamer , silicone , fermentation , biochemical engineering , process engineering , environmental science , pulp and paper industry , polymer science , computer science , chemistry , food science , engineering , organic chemistry , dispersant , physics , optics , dispersion (optics)
Key aspects of foaming and its mitigation in fermentation systems are presented. Foam properties and behavior, conditions that affect foaming, and consequences of foaming are discussed, followed by methods to detect and prevent foam, both without and with the use of antifoam, and their implications. Antifoams were catalogued according to their class (e.g., polyalkylene glycols, silicone emulsions, etc.) to facilitate recognition of antifoams possessing similar base compositions. Relatively few published studies directly comparing antifoams experimentally are available, but those reports found only partially identify clear benefits/disadvantages of any one antifoam type. Consequently, desired characteristics, trends in antifoam application, and chemical types of antifoams are evaluated on the basis of a thorough review of available literature reports describing a specific antifoamapos;s usage. Finally, examples of specific foaming situations taken from both the literature and from actual experience in an industrial fermentation pilot plant are examined for their agreement with expected behavior.