Alcoholic fermentation by agar-immobilized yeast cells

Immobilized yeast cells in agar gel beads were used in a packed bed reactor for the production of ethanol from cane molasses at 30°C, pH 4.5. The maximum productivity, 79.5g ethanol/l.h was obtained with 195g/l reducing sugar as feed. Substrate (64.2%) was utilized at a dilution of 1.33h^-1. The immobilized cell reactor was operated continuously at a constant dilution rate of 0.67h^-1 for 100 days. The maximum specific ethanol productivity and specific sugar uptake rate were 0.610g ethanol/g cell.h and 1.275g sugar/g cell.h, respectively.