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A horizontal bioreactor for ethanol production by immobilized cells

Part 1: Reactor design and performance

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Abstract

Continuous ethanol production in a three stage horizontal tank bioreactor (HTR) by yeast cells entrapped in Ca-alginate was about 30% higher than in a vertical type of bioreactor and reached 31 kg/(m3 · h) at 95% glucose utilization. Maximum ethanol productivity obtained was 41.2 kg/(m3 · h), however, with 38% of the glucose fed to the HTR being wasted. The higher performance of the HTR had been mainly accounted for the reduction of the adverse CO2 gas phase effect and the more pronounced plug-flow character. Glucose and ethanol profiles along the HTR revealed that 50–80% of the overall fermentation activity was present in the first stage. Within a test period of 23 d the HTR showed an excellent operational stability.

Compared to other continuous ethanol production processes using entrapped yeast cells the HTR presented here belongs to the top ones.

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  1. Institute of Biochemical Technology and Microbiology, Technical University of Vienna, Getreidemarkt 9, A-1060, Vienna, Austria

    W. Wöhrer

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  1. W. Wöhrer
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Wöhrer, W. A horizontal bioreactor for ethanol production by immobilized cells. Bioprocess Engineering 4, 35–41 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00612668

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00612668

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