Formation of propylene oxide by Nocardia corallina immobilized in liquid paraffin

Nocardia corallina B276 cells were immobilized by emulsification with liquid paraffin and an antifoam agent at room temperature. The immobilized cells were studied for their ability to carry out the formation of propylene oxide from propylene and oxygen. The evaluations were done with the cells in a bubble-type reactor with a continuous gas feed of 5% propylene and 11.6-95% oxygen, with the balance nitrogen. By using liquid paraffin and antifoam, both the epoxidation activity and the stability were improved, especially for the P-1-200 strain, over that for nonimmobilized cells. The N. corallina cells showed an apparent preference for a hydrophobic, as compared to a hydrophilic, environment. The propylene-oxide-forming activity of the immobilized cells was higher at 40 than at 30 degrees C reactor temperature and with 20% (versus 95%) oxygen in the feed. The stability was markedly better at 30 degrees C and with 20% oxygen. High gas flowrates gave increased apparent activity probably because of less resistance to substrate mass transfer. The effects of pH were minor. The role of glucose as the energy source for regeneration of cofactors for the monooxygenase system also is discussed.