Analysis of substrate protection of an immobilized glucose isomerase reactor

The effect of substrate protection on enzyme deactivation was studied in a differential bed and a packed bed reactor using a commercial immobilized glucose isomerase (Swetase, Nagase Co.). Experimental data obtained from differential bed reactor were analyzed based on Briggs-Haldane kinetics in which enzyme deactivation accompanying the protection of substrate was considered. The deactivation constant of the enzyme-substrate complex was found to be about half of that of the free enzyme. The mathematical analysis describing the performance of a packed bed reactor under the considerations of the effects of substrate protection, diffusion resistance, and enzyme deactivation was studied. The system equations for the packed bed reactor were solved using an orthogonal collocation method. The presence of substrate protection and the diffusion effect within the enzyme particles resulted in an axial variation of effectiveness factor, eta(D), along the length of the packed bed. The axial distribution profile of eta(D) was found to be dependent on the operation temperature, Based on the effect of substrate protection, a better substrate feed policy could be theoretically found for promoting productivity in long-term operation.