Macro-kinetic investigation on phenol uptake from air by biofiltration: Influence of superficial gas flow rate and inlet pollutant concentration

The macro-kinetic behavior of phenol removal from a synthetic exhaust gas was investigated theoretically as well as experimentally by means of two identical continuously operating laboratory-scale biological filter bed columns. A mixture of peat and glass beads was used as filter material. After sterilization it was inoculated with a pure strain of Pseudomonas putida, as employed in previous experimental studies. To determine the influence of the superficial gas flow rate on biofilter performance and to evaluate the phenol concentration profiles along the column, two series of continuous tests were carried out varying either the inlet phenol concentration, up to 1650 mg . m(-3), or the superficial gas flow rate, from 30 to 460 m(3) . m(-2) . h(-1). The elimination capacity of the biofilter is proved by a maximum volumetric phenol removal rate of 0.73 kg . m(-3) . h(-1). The experimental results are consistent with a biofilm model incorporating first-order substrate elimination kinetics. The model may be considered a useful tool in scaling-up a biofiltration system. Furthermore, the deodorization capacity of the biofilter was investigated, at inlet phenol concentrations up to 280 mg . m(-3) and superficial gas flow rates ranging from 30 to 92 m(3) . m(-2) . h(-1). The deodorization of the gas was achieved at a maximum inlet phenol concentration of about 255 mg . m(-3), operating at a superficial gas flow rate of 30 m(3) . m(-2) . h(-1). (c) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Simulation of a reactor for glucose isomerization to fructose by immobilized glucose isomerase with continuous enzyme renewal

Two different dispositions of laboratory-scaled columns have been tested to simulate the isomerization of glucose to fructose in a mobile bed reactor where exhausted immobilized glucose isomerase is continuously renewed. If the simulation columns working at 65°C are arranged in parallel and connected to a section for final enzyme exploitation at 75°C, a syrup with constant composition can be produced, at relatively constant total throughput, by feeding the individual columns at flow rate decreasing according to the enzyme decay profile and following a programmed disphased mode of operation.This revised version was published online in October 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

2,3-Butanediol production by Enterobacter aerogenes: selection of the optimal conditions and application to food industry residues

Optimum values of temperature, pH, and starting substrate concentration are experimentally determined for 2,3-butanediol production by Enterobacter aerogenes through three set of batch fermentations of synthetic glucose solutions. The results of tests carried out at variable temperature show an optimum of 39 °C and are used to estimate, for both fermentation and thermal inactivation, the activation enthalpies (7.19 and 23.6 kJ mol^у) and the related entropies (т.32 and т.27 kJ mol^у K^у). An optimum pH value of 6.0 is evidenced from batch runs at variable pH, whose results are also used to make reasonable hypotheses on the reaction controlling the metabolic pathway which leads to butanediol. The fermentability of different food industry wastes, namely starch hydrolysate, both raw and decoloured molasses, and whey, is finally checked.     

Chlorella vulgaris as a lipid source: Cultivation on air and seawater‐simulating medium in a helicoidal photobioreactor

The freshwater microalga Chlorella vulgaris was cultured batchwise on the seawater‐simulating Schlösser medium either in a 1.1‐L‐working volume helicoidal photobioreactor (HeP) or Erlenmeyer flask (EF) as control and continuously supplying air as CO₂ source. In these systems, maximum biomass concentration reached 1.65 ± 0.17 g L^?1 and 1.25 ± 0.06 g L^?1, and maximum cell productivity 197.6 ± 20.4 mg L^?1 day^?1 and 160.8 ± 12.2 mg L^?1 day^?1, respectively. Compared to the Bold's Basal medium, commonly employed to cultivate this microorganism on a bench‐scale, the Schlösser medium ensured significant increases in all the growth parameters, namely maximum cell concentration (268% in EF and 126% in HeP), maximum biomass productivity (554% in EF and 72% in HeP), average specific growth rate (67% in EF and 42% in HeP), and maximum specific growth rate (233% in EF and 22% in HeP). The lipid fraction of biomass collected at the end of runs was analyzed in terms of both lipid content and fatty acid profile. It was found that the seawater‐simulating medium, despite of a 56–63% reduction of the overall biomass lipid content compared to the Bold's Basal one, led in HeP to significant increases in both the glycerides‐to‐total lipid ratio and polyunsaturated fatty acid content compared to the other conditions taken as an average. These results as a whole suggest that the HeP configuration could be a successful alternative to the present means to cultivate C. vulgaris as a lipid source. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:279–284, 2016     

Metabolic behavior of immobilized Candida guilliermondii cells during batch xylitol production from sugarcane bagasse acid hydrolyzate

Candida guilliermondii cells, immobilized in Ca-alginate beads, were used for batch xylitol production from concentrated sugarcane bagasse hydrolyzate. Maximum xylitol concentration (20.6 g/L), volumetric productivity (0.43 g/L. h), and yield (0.47 g/g) obtained after 48 h of fermentation were higher than similar immobilized-cell systems but lower than free-cell cultivation systems. Substrates, products, and biomass concentrations were used in material balances to study the ways in which the different carbon sources were utilized by the yeast cells under microaerobic conditions. The fraction of xylose consumed to produce xylitol reached a maximum value (0.70) after glucose and oxygen depletion while alternative metabolic routes were favored by sub-optimal conditions.     

Toluene vapour removal in a laboratory-scale biofilter

A bench-scale biofilter with a 0.5-m high filter bed, inoculated with a toluene-degrading strain of Acinetobacter sp. NCIMB 9689, was used to study toluene removal from a synthetic waste air stream. Different sets of continuous tests were conducted at influent toluene concentrations ranging over 0.1–4.0 g m⁻³ and at superficial gas velocities ranging over 17.8–255 m h⁻¹. The maximum volumetric toluene removal rate for the biofilter (242 g m⁻³ h⁻¹) was obtained at a superficial gas velocity of 127.5 m h⁻¹ (corresponding to a residence time of 28 s) and a toluene inlet concentration of 4.0 g m⁻³. Under these operating conditions, toluene removal efficiency was only 0.238, which suggested that effective operation required higher residence times. Removal efficiencies higher than 0.9 were achieved at organic loads less than 113.7 g m⁻³ h⁻¹. A macro-kinetic study, performed using concentration profiles along the bioreactor, revealed this process was limited by diffusion at organic loads less than 100 g m⁻³ h⁻¹ and by biological reaction beyond this threshold. Received: 10 October 1999 / Received revision: 15 February 2000 / Accepted: 18 February 2000     

Mycelium-bound carboxylesterase from Aspergillus oryzae: an efficient catalyst for acetylation in organic solvent

Dry mycelium of a strain of Aspergillus oryzae efficiently catalyzed the esterification between free acetic acid and primary alcohols (geraniol and ethanol) in organic solvent. The growth conditions to obtain high activity of mycelium-bound enzymes were firstly evaluated. A medium containing Tween 80 as carbon source furnished mycelium with the highest activity in the hydrolysis of alpha-naphthyl esters (alpha-N-acetate, butyrate, caprylate). Dry mycelium was employed to select suited conditions for an efficient acetylation of ethanol and geraniol in heptane. Maximum productions were obtained using 30 g l(-)(1) of lyophilized cells: 12.4 g l(-)(1) of geranyl acetate were produced at 80 degrees C starting from 75 mM geraniol and acetic acid (84% molar conversion) and 4.1 g l(-)(1) of ethyl acetate at 50 degrees C from 50 mM ethanol and acetic acid (94% molar conversion) after 24 h. The stability of the mycelium-bound carboxylesterases are notable since only 10-30% loss of activity was observed after 14 days at temperatures between 30 and 50 degrees C.     

Production and characterization of a collagenolytic serine proteinase by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium aurantiogriseum</Emphasis> URM 4622: A factorial study

A 2⁴ full factorial design was used to identify the main effects and interactions of the initial medium pH, soybean flour concentration, temperature and orbital agitation speed on extracellular collagenase production by Penicillium aurantiogriseum URM4622. The most significant variables for collagenase production were soybean flour concentration and initial medium pH that had positive main effects, and temperature that had a negative one. Protein concentration in soybean flour revealed to be a significant factor for the production of a collagenase serine proteinase. The most favorable production conditions were found to be 0.75% soybean flour, pH 8.0, 200 rpm, and 28°C, which led to a collagenase activity of 164 U. The enzyme showed an optimum activity at 37°C and pH 9.0, was stable over wide ranges of pH and temperature (6.0 ∼ 10.0 and 25 ∼ 45°C, respectively) and was strongly inhibited by 10 mM phenylmethylsulphonylfluoride. The firstorder rate constants for collagenase inactivation in the crude extract, calculated from semi-log plots of the residual activity versus time, were used in Arrhenius and Eyring plots to estimate the main thermodynamic parameters of thermoinactivation (E* _d = 107.4 kJ/mol and ΔH* _d = 104.7 kJ/mol). The enzyme is probably an extracellular neutral serine collagenase effective on azocoll, gelatin and collagen decomposition.     

Liquid-liquid extraction of commercial glucose oxidase by reversed micelles

Aim of this work was to establish the optimum operating conditions for the extraction and recovery by cationic reversed micelles of commercial glucose oxidase (GOX) from Aspergillus niger, in view of possible application to raw cell homogenates. The influence of pH, temperature, electric conductivity and solvent/co-solvents ratio on the extraction was investigated by a fractional factorial design of 2(3-1) type, conjugated with a mixture experimental design, using the residual enzyme activity to evaluate the results. The best conditions for GOX extraction were ensured using isooctane as solvent and hexanol and butanol as co-solvents at 76/6/18 volume ratio, pH 6.0, 0.2 M cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as cationic surfactant, and electrical conductivity (kappa) of 4.8 mS cm-1. The highest yield of GOX activity recovery (about 90%) was in fair accordance with the value predicted by the model.     

Ammonium and urea removal by Spirulina platensis

Different concentrations either of ammonium chloride or urea were used in batch and fed-batch cultivations of Spirulina platensis to evaluate the possibility of substituting nitrate by cheaper reduced nitrogen sources in wastewaters biotreatment. The maximum nitrogen concentration able to sustain the batch growth of this microalga without inhibition was 1.7 mM in both cases. Ammonium chloride was limiting for the growth at lower concentrations, whereas inhibition took place at higher levels. This inhibition effect was less marked with urea, likely because the enzymatic hydrolysis of this compound by urease controlled the ammonia transfer into the cell. Fed-batch experiments carried out by pulse-feeding either ammonium or urea proved that the use of these compounds as nitrogen sources can sustain the long term-cultivation of S. platensis, provided that the conditions for their feeding are accurately optimized.