Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Industrial Microbiology INDM 4005 17/02/04
Industrial Microbiology INDM 4005 17/02/04
17/02/04
Lecture Overview
(1) Basic design criteria and limitations (2) Stirred Tank Reactor (STR)
Biotechnological processing
Types of Fermentation
Process Design
Fermenter Design
Performance
Optimisation
Construction
Configuration
Control
What is a Fermenter?
Vessel or tank in which whole cells or cell-free enzymes transform raw materials into biochemical products and/or less undesirable by-products
Also termed a Bioreactor
Fermentation System
In this lecture we will concentrate on fermenters used in traditional microbial, plant and animal cell culture
However with the advent of recombinant DNA technology alternate systems for producing specific cell products are now available
Fermenters range from simple stirred tanks to complex integrated systems involving varying levels of computer input.
Fermenter design involves cooperation in Microbiology, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Economics There are 3 groups of bioreactor currently used for industrial production; - non-stirred, non-aerated (Beer and wine) - non-stirred, aerated (Biomass, eg Pruteen) - stirred, aerated (Antibiotics)
Fermenter construction
All materials must be corrosion resistant to prevent trace metal contamination of the process Materials must be non-toxic so that slight dissolution of the material or components does not inhibit culture growth Materials of the fermenter must withstand repeated sterilization with high pressure steam Fermenter stirrer system and entry ports be sufficiently robust not to be deformed under mechanical stress Visual inspection of the medium and culture is advantageous, transparent materials should be used
The liquid phase contains dissolved nutrients, dissolved substrates and dissolved metabolites. The solid phase consists of individual cells, pellets, insoluble substrates, or precipitated metabolic products. The gaseous phase provides a reservoir for oxygen supply and for CO2 removal.
Parameters such as temperature of pH must be controlled, and the culture volume must be well mixed.
Therefore a need for control exists
(iii). Process factors; (a) Effect on other unit operations (b) Economics (c) Potential for scale-up
Types of Fermenter
Aerobic fermenters may be classified depending on how the gas is distributed Stirred Tank Reactor Airlift Loop Reactor Immobilised System
and
the
Mass Transfer
One of the most critical factors in the operation of a fermenter is the provision of adequate gas exchange.
Oxygen is the most important gaseous substrate for microbial metabolism, and carbon dioxide is the most important gaseous metabolic product. For oxygen to be transferred from a air bubble to an individual microbe, several independent partial resistances must be overcome
Microbial cell
1) The bulk gas phase in the bubble 2) The gas-liquid interphase 3) The liquid film around the bubble 4) The bulk liquid culture medium 5) The liquid film around the microbial cells 6) The cell-liquid interphase 7) The intracellular oxygen transfer resistance
Airlift reactors
Effluent gas
Draught tube
Inlet air
Airlift reactors
Advantages Low shear Easier to maintain sterility Increased oxygen solubility (KLa) Can allow large vessels Disadvantages High capital cost High energy costs Hard to control conditions Foaming hinders gas -liquid separation
SOME MODIFICATIONS
(i) Important in tank reactor design: 1. Continuous flow (activated sludge waste treatment) Suitable when substrate at low conc. Allows greater control on growth rate\ cell physiology 2. Immobilised cells - may be membrane (e.g. hollow fibre reactor), immobilised onto support such as ceramic (e.g packed-bed) or in polymers (e.g alginate beads) Increases rate of reaction Microenvironment created protects cells e.g. from shear damage
3. Low energy aeration\ mixing Air-lift, draft-tubes, loop reactors etc. Increase height to diameter ratio. Increased path length of bubble, improves mass transfer Results in decreased shear levels, important in floc systems.
SOME MODIFICATIONS
(ii) Industrial examples of modified STR / bioreactors (i) Waste treatment. - Activated sludge system. Characterised by: Low substrate conc. Therefore require (a) recycle of biomass, (b) continuous operation, (c) Low cost aeration / mixing. (ii) Brewing - Cylindro-conical fermenter; Note no aeration but gas produced by yeast cells contributes to mixing, closed to capture carbon dioxide produced, cone helps sedimentation of yeast, Low shear environment promotes flocculation.
(iii) Tissue culture - low shear, anchored and immobilised systems. (iv) Solid-state fermentations e.g. silage, mushroom production etc.
Conclusion
This lecture introduced the various parameters involved in design of an industrial fermenter.
Using a STR it illustrated the optimisation and control of a fermentation system.