Multimembrane bioreactor for extractive fermentation.

Area of Science:

• Biochemical Engineering
• Fermentation Technology
• Chemical Process Development

Background:

• Extractive fermentation aims to overcome product inhibition by removing fermentation products in situ.
• Solvent emulsification in fermentation broths is a common challenge, hindering process efficiency and solvent recovery.
• Tributyl phosphate (TBP) is a potential extractant but exhibits toxicity to microorganisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and validate a novel multimembrane reactor for extractive fermentation.
• To demonstrate the prevention of solvent emulsification in a fermentation system.
• To assess the feasibility of using Tributyl phosphate (TBP) as a practical extractant in yeast fermentation.

Main Methods:

• A four-layer multimembrane reactor was designed, separating gas, cells, nutrient, and solvent phases.
• Ethyl alcohol production from glucose using yeast was conducted in the developed reactor.
• Tributyl phosphate (TBP) was employed as the organic extractant.

Main Results:

• The multimembrane reactor effectively prevented solvent emulsification in the fermentation broth.
• Successful extractive fermentation for ethyl alcohol production was achieved using yeast and TBP.
• The absence of emulsification mitigated the toxic effects of TBP on yeast metabolism.

Conclusions:

• The developed multimembrane reactor offers a viable solution for preventing solvent emulsification in extractive fermentation.
• This technology enables the use of practical solvents like TBP, overcoming previous limitations.
• The system shows promise for efficient and scalable bio-production processes.