Ethanol Production Using Zymomonas mobilis and In Situ Extraction in a Capillary Microreactor.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Biochemical Engineering
• Microbial Fermentation

Background:

• Zymomonas mobilis is a bacterium utilized for ethanol production.
• Microreactors offer advantages in mass and heat transfer due to high surface-to-volume ratios.
• Continuous flow systems can improve efficiency in bioprocesses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate Zymomonas mobilis cultivation and in situ ethanol extraction in a Coiled Flow Inverter (CFI) microreactor.
• To evaluate the CFI's suitability for microbial production of valuable compounds.
• To compare ethanol production in the CFI with traditional batch experiments.

Main Methods:

• Cultivation of Zymomonas mobilis in a two-phase system (aqueous and oleyl alcohol) within a CFI microreactor.
• In situ extraction of ethanol using oleyl alcohol.
• Monitoring bacterial growth and ethanol concentration.
• Comparison with batch cultivation experiments.

Main Results:

• The CFI facilitated efficient cultivation of Zymomonas mobilis.
• A maximum ethanol concentration of 1.26 g L^-1 was achieved in the CFI.
• Cultivation in the CFI resulted in faster bacterial growth and 25% higher ethanol production compared to batch experiments.

Conclusions:

• The Coiled Flow Inverter (CFI) is a suitable microreactor for microbial production of ethanol.
• The CFI's design, with its inherent mixing through vortices, is advantageous for cell cultivation without damage.
• Continuous flow microreactors offer a promising approach for enhanced bioproduct recovery.