Yeast cells entrapped in low-gelling temperature agarose for the continuous production of ethanol

Summary Continuous ethanol production byS. uvarum immobilized in a low-gelling temperature agarose namely SeaPlaque agarose was studied in a packed bed reactor at 30°C using sugarcane molasses containing 13.5% fermentable sugars as feed. The productivity at 95% conversion was 23 g/l.h (on reactor volume basis). The bioreactor was run continuously at a fixed dilution rate and it retained 60% of its initial activity upto 80 days.