Scaling oxygen mass transfer in agitated fermentors

There are many scaling formulas that predict the oxygen mass transfer coefficient as k(L).a = constant.(Hp/V)(alpha)Vs(beta) Exponents alpha and beta frequently are scale dependent themselves. A general formula has been derived from the work of Calderbank,(1) Miller,(2) and Tilton,(3) resulting in k(L).a = C(1) phi + C(2) log (Pm/V) phi where phi equals the gas-holdup fraction and Pm/V equals the effective mechanical power input per unit of volume. This formula is consistent with the formula of Westerterp(4) modified by Miller.(2) Gas holdup can be predicted in several ways. Gas-sparged isothermal expansion power input, used for predicting phi, demonstrates that scaling can be done by using either superficial air velocity or volume per volume per minute for aeration.The importance of mixing in replenishing oxygen at the boundary layers of microorganisms will be assessed and compared with the k(L).a as the oxygen transfer ratelimiting step.     

Modelling plasmid instability in batch and continuous fermentors

The probability of complete loss of plasmid material from plasmid bearing cells undergoing active growth has been modelled and incorporated into predictions for the dynamic concentrations of plasmid bearing cells in both batch and continuous flow, stirred tank bioreactors. The new model is based on an extension of the well-used model of Imanaka and Aiba [Ann. New York Acad. Sci. 369 (1981) 1] and is relatively easy to use compared to complex structured models. The new model predicts that both accelerating and decelerating rates of plasmid loss occur in both batch and continuous flow operation, and agrees well with data collected here and published earlier by others.     

Mixing and oxygen transfer in conventional stirred fermentors

A set of experiments has been performed in an industrial 112 m(3) fermentor in order to get a complete map of oxygen concentration and temperature distribution in the system. Five fermentations of non-Newtonian broths of two different strains, in various operating conditions, were examined. A simple model has been developed which takes into account both the mixing and the mass-transfer properties of the fermentor, and a dimensionless parameter has been identified which is sufficient to characterize the oxygen axial distribution in the reactor in any operating condition.     

Modeling and simulation of oxygen transfer in airlift fermentors

A mathematical model for simulation of oxygen transfer in airlift fermentors is presented. The airlift fermentor is represented by a number of interconnected compartments, each of which is assumed to be well mixed. In the annular region, the model includes both upflow and downflow for the gas phase. The model contains several adjustable parameters through which important hydrodynamic effects affecting oxygen transfer are incorporated. The effect of hydrostatic pressure is also included in the model. The model is simple enough to be used in design studies and it can be easily adapted to other airlift system configurations. The simulation results show good qualitative agreement with available experimental results.     

Improved performance in viscous mycelial fermentations by agitator retrofitting

For viscous mycelial fermentations it was demonstrated at the pilot-plant scale that the replacement of standard radial flow Rushton turbines with larger diameter axial-flow Prochem hydrofoil impellers significantly improved oxygen transfer efficiency. It was also determined that the Streptomyces broth under evaluation is highly shear thinning. Separate experiments using a Norcardia broth with similar Theological properties demonstrated that the oxygen transfer coefficient, K(L)a, can be greatly increased by use of water additions to reduce broth viscosity. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that the improvement in oxygen transfer by changing agitator types is primarily due to an improvement in bulk mixing. A model is presented, based on the concepts of Bajpai and Reuss, which explains this improvement in performance in terms of enlargement of the well mixed micromixer region for viscous mycelial broths.     

Modeling particle transport by bubbles for performance guidelines in airlift fermentors

A calculation method has been developed to model the statistical transport of biological particles in bubble-driven flows, with special reference to the biokinetics of environmental excursions experienced by individual cells, aggregated cells, or immobilization beads in airlift bioreactors. Interim developments on modeling the transport of such particles in concentric tube devices are reported. The calculation is driven by user-prescribed global parameters for the bioreactor geometry, bulk air flow rate, and particle parameters (size and slip speed). The algorithm calls on empirical data correlations for void fraction, bulk liquid flow rate, and bubble sizes and slip speeds, optimally selected from a large bibliographic database. The Monte Carlo algorithm concentrates on simulating particle transport in the bubbly riser flows.The packaged family of correlations and calculations represents, in effect, an expert system augmented by a transport simulation suited to characterizing the biokinetic response of cells cultured in airlift bioreactors.     

Effect of drop interactions on the performance of hydrocarbon fermentors

A drop-interaction model devised by the authors, which successfully predicts experimentally observed drop-size distributions in stirred batch vessels, has been used to assess the importance of droplet coalescence and redispersion in hydrocarbon fermentation yields. Calculations, which have been made with both n-alkane and gas–oil fermentations, have been compared with previous calculations based on simpler and, hence, less realistic droplet interaction mechanisms. The comparison shows that the differences in yield are not spectacularly different.     

Oxygen transfer kinetics of riboflavin fermentation by Ashbya gossypii in agitated fermentors

Effects of agitation and aeration rates on volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient and oxygen uptake rate of a riboflavin broth containing Ashbya gossypii were investigated in three batch, sparged, and agitated fermentors having the working volumes of 0.42, 0.85, and 2.5 l. The change of oxygen uptake rate with time at 250 rev min⁻¹ stirring and vvm aeration rates was shown. The volumetric oxygen transfer coefficients and maximum oxygen uptake rates obtained have been correlated to mechanical power inputs per unit volume of the fermentation broth and the superficial air velocities.     

Improved performance with multiple fermentors for repeated batch cultivation for non-growth-associated products

Based on batch cultivation data for the production of L-glutamic acid from glucose, a comparative evaluation was made for repeated batch cultivations using one and more fermentors. The problem was formulated as maximizing the productivity of metabolic product with the specified conversion with respect to the cell age and the volume fraction used as seed for the subsequent repeated batch cultivation. Simulations were carried out with the assumption of no lag in product formation for the cases where the total operation time was specified as 200 h with reproducible batch cultivation cycles. The product production was assumed to be solely a function of product concentration. The computation results show the advantage of using more than one fermentor from the viewpoints of productivity and conversion, which will apply in general to non-growth-associated product production with delay time. In particular, three fermentors are recommended for the production of L-glutamic acid chosen as an example in this article.     

Reproducing shake flasks performance in stirred fermentors: production of alginates by Azotobacter vinelandii

Keeping equal the initial power drawn (0.27 W l(-1)) in shake flasks and in a stirred fermentor did not reproduce the behaviour of alginate production by Azotobacter vinelandii. A lower mean molecular weight (1.1x10(6) Da) of the polymer was obtained in the bioreactor as compared to that obtained in shake flasks (1.9x10(6) Da). The reasons for this can reside in the fact that the evolution of the power drawn in the shake flasks could be considerably different to that observed in the stirred bioreactor. A drastic drop in the specific power drawn is expected in the shake flasks as a consequence of the increased viscosity, which caused the liquid not following the movement of the shaker. This was supported by the fact that cultures developed in the fermentor at lower initial power drawn (as low as 0.027-0.056 W l(-1)) or in a culture in which the power drawn was deliberately reduced along cultivation, produced alginates with similar molecular characteristics as that obtained in shake flasks.     

Modelling of radiocaesium soil-plant transfer

Existing methods of predicting of radiocaesium transfer from soil to plants was critcally reviewed. The analysis of radiocaesium behavior in the system "soil solid phase/pore solution/plant" was carried out. Equations for calculation of radiocaesium uptake by plants as a function of soil properties were obtained and tested using the reported experimental data. Key soil parameters which natural variability and estimation difficulty are the main sources of prediction uncertainty were identified.     

Modelling phosphorus transfer rates in lake water

A modification of Lean's (1973a,b) four-compartment model of the transfer of phosphorus between soluble and particulate forms in the epilimnion of lakes is necessary to make the model consistent with certain observed transfer curves. By splitting the particulate compartment into two distinct fractions and incorporating appropriate transfer coefficients, differential rates of exchange with the particulate compartment can be simulated. At least two different rates of exchange with the particulate compartment appear to be necessary to make the model consistent with experimentally observed, diphasic phosphorus transfer curves.     

Modelling heat transfer in a bone-cement-prosthesis system

The heat transfer in a general bone-cement-prosthesis system was modelled. A quantitative understanding of the heat transfer and the polymerization kinetics in the system is necessary because injury of the bone tissue and the mechanical properties of the cement have been suggested to be effected by the thermal and chemical history of the system. The mathematical model of the heat transfer was based on first principles from polymerization kinetics and heat transfer, rather than certain in vitro observed properties, which has been the common approach. Our model was valid for general three-dimensional geometries and an arbitrary bone cement consisting of an initiator and monomer. The model was simulated for a cross-section of a hip with a potential femoral stem prosthesis and for a cement similar to Palacos R. The simulations were conducted by using the finite element method. These simulations showed that this general model described an auto accelerating heat production and a residual monomer concentration, which are two phenomena suggested to cause bone tissue damage and effect the mechanical properties of the cement.     

Oxygen transfer efficiency in the biosynthesis of antibiotics in bioreactors with a modified RUSHTON turbine agitator

In this work, the oxygen mass transfer efficiency and power consumption in a non-biological system and an antibiotic biosynthesis process, using a modified RUSHTON turbine agitator, were investigated. It was demonstrated that a simple modification of the blades through the increase of the blade height, simultaneously with the discontinuation of the blade surface, could improve the oxygen transfer efficiency by about 30%. Experiments performed in stirred tank bioreactors with an overall volume of 20 m³, equipped with the modified RUSHTON turbine agitator, showed that the power consumption diminished by a factor of 1.18 to 1.6 during the fermentation processes of Streptomyces erithreus, Streptomyces griseus, Streptomyces noursei, and Nocardia mediaterranei, compared to the witness bioreactor. The use of the modified RUSHTON turbine for the antibiotic biosynthesis process may contribute to the decrease of the overall costs and the obtainment of better productivity, allowing an intensive utilization of power inputs for aeration and agitation.     

Propagation of Bacillus popilliae in laboratory fermentors

The insect pathogen Bacillus popilliae Dutky causes a fatal milky disease of Japanese beetle larvae. Spores of the bacterium offer a biological means of controlling this insect. While satisfactory sporulation in vitro has not yet been accomplished, conditions have been developed for the proliferation of vegetative cells in shaken flasks and aerated fermentors. Vegetative cultures are maintained by frequent transfer or by lyophilization. Media based on yeast extract are used routinely, but corn steep liquor and casein hydrolyzates afford comparable yields of 5 × 10⁸ cells/ml. in 16–24 hr. Nutritional requirements have been established for growth in a synthetic medium. Oxygen availability affects the pathway of carbohydrate catabolism and is necessary for optimal growth. In rapidly growing cultures, a short period of maximum viability is characteristically followed by rapid death of the cells. When inoculum size and transfer time are suitably manipulated, viable cell yields reach 1–2 × 10⁹/ml. Alternative methods of propagation, including the addition of particulate carbon, and procedures designed either to neutralize acids or to remove metabolic products by dialysis, do not markedly enhance the yield of cells per volume of medium, although viability may be prolonged.