In-situ extraction and purification of ethanol using commercial oleic acid

The flash process for the removal of ethanol from commercial oleic acid has been experimentally studied and modelled using a modified Redlich-Kwong-Soave equation of state (RKAES) and the ASPEN process simulator. Using feed ethanol and water concentrations spanning the range of expected liquid-liquid extraction concentrations, it was found that 93.6% by weight of ethanol in the distillate was obtained consuming only 2 MJoules of energy per kilogram of ethanol recovered. The RKAES model was found to reasonably predict the ethanol recovery and purity with errors under 5%. Commercial oleic acid was found to be completely non-inhibitory towards the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells when used for in-situ extraction at a concentration of 50% of the total fermenter volume.     

Two‐Parameter Continuation and Bifurcation Strategies for Oscillatory Behavior Elimination from a Zymomonas mobilis Fermentation System

Two‐parameter continuation and bifurcation analysis strategies were applied to deal with the oscillatory phenomena of a Zymomonas mobilis ethanol fermentation system. A structured verified non‐linear mathematical model considering the physiological limitations of microorganisms for a single continuous fermenter for ethanol production using Z. mobilis was built to identify the Hopf bifurcation (HB) points, which indicate the oscillatory behavior, using the inlet substrate concentration and the dilution rate as bifurcation parameters. The path of the HB points can be determined with different controlling operating parameters. It was found that with the addition of a small amount of cells or ethanol to the feed stream or by increasing the dilution rate, the oscillations could be eliminated and steady‐state behavior was attained. Using a two‐parameter continuation strategy, the Z. mobilis fermentation system could operate at steady state without oscillatory behavior.     

Fermentation of cheese whey powder solution to ethanol in a packed‐column bioreactor: effects of feed sugar concentration

BACKGROUND: Cheese whey powder (CWP) is a concentrated source of lactose and other essential nutrients for ethanol fermentation. CWP solution containing different concentrations of total sugar was fermented to ethanol in an up‐flow packed‐column bioreactor (PCBR) at a constant hydraulic residence time (HRT) of 50 h. Total sugar concentration in the feed was varied between 50 and 200 g L^?1 and a pure culture of Kluyveromyces marxianus was used for ethanol fermentation of lactose. Variations of ethanol and sugar concentrations with the height of the column and with the feed sugar concentration were determined. RESULTS: Ethanol concentration increased and total sugar decreased with the column height for all feed sugar contents. The highest effluent ethanol concentration (22.5 g L^?1) and ethanol formation rate were obtained with feed sugar content of 100 g L^?1. Percentage sugar utilization decreased with increasing feed sugar content above 100 g L^?1 yielding lower ethanol contents in the effluent. The highest ethanol yield coefficient (0.52 gE g^?1S) was obtained with a feed sugar content of 50 g L^?1. Biomass concentration also decreased with column height, yielding low ethanol formation in the upper section of the column. CONCLUSION: The packed column bioreactor was found to be effective for ethanol fermentation from CWP solution. The optimum feed sugar content maximizing the effluent ethanol and the specific rate of ethanol formation was found to be 100 g L^?1. High sugar content above 100 g L^?1 resulted in low ethanol productivities due to high maintenance requirements. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Oxidation of ethanol vapors in a spiral bioreactor

A fixed film spiral bioreactor containing immobilized activated sludge microorganisms has been used to degrade ethanol vapors. The effect of air flow rate, and ethanol feed concentration on elimination capacity has been investigated. Air flow rate is varied in the range from 2?34 to 40?0 dm³ min^?1. Ethanol feed concentration is varied in the range from 600 to 7000 ppmv. In the concentration range studied, the elimination capacity increased proportionately with an increase in feed concentration. However, the elimination capacity decreased significantly at flow rates greater than 20 dm³ min^?1 owing to insulfficient residence time. The maximum elimination capacity observed was 185 g ethanol h^?1 m^?3 of reactor volume. Critical ethanol loading, defined as the maximum loading to achieve greater than 99% elimination at various residence times have been determined. These data are extremely useful in designing bioreactor for large scale applications.     

Production of ethanol by continuous fermentation and liquid–liquid extraction

A continuous pilot plant was constructed for fermentation production of ethanol, using liquid–liquid extraction to remove the product and with recycle of the fermented broth raffinate. The plant was operated for up to 18 days with feed glucose concentrations in the range 10·0–45·8% (w/w). The solvent was n-dodecanol and immobilised yeast was used to overcome the problem of emulsification. The concentration of by-products in the fermented broth had no adverse effect on the rate of ethanol production. A mathematical model to predict the time required for achievement of 99% of the steady-state by-products concentrations was shown to be in good agreement with the experimentally determined concentration of the main by-product, glycerol. At a feed glucose concentration of 45·8% (w/w), the aqueous purge was equivalent to 2·8 m³ of effluent per m³ of ethanol produced and represented a 78% reduction in the volume of the aqueous purge compared with using a feed containing 10% (w/w) glucose.     

Permeability of ethanol solution through poly(lactic acid) film

The permeation properties of ethanol solution through poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films were investigated. The total flux of ethanol solution through PLA films was strongly depended on the flux of water. In addition, the diffusion coefficient of water was 1000 times higher than that of ethanol, and decreased with increasing feed concentration. After the permeation measurement, crystallization (X_C‐DSC = 1–2%) was observed. However, the crystallinity was not dependent on the feed concentration. On the other hand, the mole ratio of ethanol and water molecules in the PLA film strongly depended on the feed concentration. Based on the results, we concluded that the interaction with ethanol molecules caused the decrease in diffusion coefficient of water in PLA film. Thus, the permeation mechanism of the ethanol solution to the PLA film was investigated in detail. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42031.     

Fuzzy control of ethanol concentration for emulsan production in a fed-batch cultivation ofAcinetobacter Calcoaceticus RAG-1

A fuzzy control system was organized and applied to the control of ethanol concentration in a fed-batch cultivation process for emulsan production byAcinetobacter calcoaceticus RAG-1. The membership functions and fuzzy rules were determined by sets of data and experiences obtained from the preliminary culture experiments. The input variables, error (the difference between the set point value and the process variable) and the change of the error, were fuzzified by using the membership functions and the output variable, change of the ethanol feed rate, was inferred based on the membership functions and the given fuzzy rules. To obtain the numerical value for the output variable, the center-of-gravity method was used in the defuzzification procedure. The results showed that the ethanol concentration was well regulated around optimal level and the emulsan yield was increased compared with that of the cultivation controlled by the conventional feedback control loop.     

Continuous fermentation with product recovery by in-situ extraction

The productivity of fermentations is often limited by end product inhibition. This can be avoided by continuous removal of the inhibiting product from the broth. Such in-situ separation can be conveniently accomplished by liquid-liquid extraction. As an example, the continuous fermentation of ethanol by the thermophilic, anaerobic bacterium Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum is investigated in a 20-1 fermenter with simultaneous in-situ extraction by oleyl alcohol as organic solvent. Continuous fermentations with and without in-situextraction were carried out with systematic variation of the independent operating conditions, viz. feed glucose concentration, broth flow rate and solvent flow rate. The experimental results of 18 steady states are reported. They show that in-situ extractions doubles the yield, selectivity and space-time yield of ethanol in comparison to fermentations without in-situ extraction. A biomodel elucidates the influence of feed glucose concentration, broth flow rate and solvent flow rate on the productivity of the fermentation process. Finally, a cost model was developed for the investigated fermentation which allows economic evaluation of the results of experiments and simulation. A sensitivity study elucidates the economic limits and advantages of fermentation with in-situ extraction compared to a common fermentation without product separation.     

Multiple steady-states for the oxidation of aqueous ethanol with oxygen on a carbon supported platinum catalyst

The selective oxidation of aqueous ethanol by dioxygen over a platinum on carbon catalyst was investigated in a three-phase continuously stirred tank reactor at a total pressure of 600 kPa, a temperature of 323 K, a pH of 8.4, and a catalyst concentration of 2.3 kg m^–3. Multiple steady-states were obtained by systematic changes in the start-up procedure and variation of the feed concentration of ethanol and partial oxygen pressure in the reactor. The ethanol feed concentration was varied from 100 to 2500 mol m^–3 and the partial oxygen pressure from 8 to 120 kPa. On the time scale of the experiments, i.e. 21 ks, two steady-states of the net disappearance rate of ethanol are observed in the ethanol feed concentration range from 500 to 2500 mol m^–3 at a partial oxygen pressure of 58 kPa and in the range of partial pressure of oxygen from 8 to 120 kPa at an ethanol feed concentration of 500 mol m^–3. Three steady-states are observed in the feed ethanol concentration range from 200 to 400 mol m^–3 and a partial oxygen pressure of 58 kPa.     

Development of dissolved carbon dioxide-driven-and-controlled repeated batch fermentation process for ethanol production

We previously observed that as glucose is completely exhausted during ethanol fermentation, the dissolved carbon dioxide (DCO₂) level in the fermenter will suddenly decline. This observation was implemented to design and develop a DCO₂-driven-and-controlled repeated batch fermentation process for ethanol production. The process was tested at four different glucose concentrations (~150 g/L, ~200 g/L, ~250 g/L, and ~300 g/L), and each glucose concentration was controlled under three respective DCO₂ control levels (without DCO₂ control, and DCO₂ controlled at either 1000 mg/L or 750 mg/L). The results show that reported process features complete glucose utilization and is self-driven. For glucose concentration less than 200 g/L, ~41%-50% of fermentation time per batch was saved during the repeated batch operation. It took 12.1 ± 1.1 hours-14.9 ± 1.9 hours to complete a batch with glucose feed at ~250 g/L and 21.7 ± 6 hours-31.5 ± 7 hours to complete a batch with glucose feed at ~300 g/L. The reported process is time saving and stable, but the ethanol yield is ~20% lower than the operation without DCO₂ control. Dissolved CO₂ control became essential for glucose concentrations greater than 250 g/L if zero glucose discharge in each batch during the operation is desired.     

Optimization and modeling of the performance of polydimethylsiloxane for pervaporation of ethanol−water mixture

Response surface methodology was used to optimize the performance of pervaporation of ethanol aqueous solution using polydimethylsiloxane hollow-fiber membrane. The effects of four operating conditions, that is, the feed temperature (30–50°C), the feed flow rate (10–50 L/h), ethanol concentration (5–20 wt%), and the vacuum pressure (10–50 KPa) on the membrane selectivity and the total flux of permeation were investigated with response surface methodology. The results showed that a quadratic model was suggested for both selectivity and total flux showing a high accuracy with R² = 0.9999 and 0.9995, respectively. The developed models indicated a significant effect of the four studied factors on both selectivity and total flux with some significant interactions between these factors. The optimum selectivity was 15.56, achieved for a feed temperature of 30°C, feed flow rate of 10 L/h, ethanol concentration of 15 wt%, and a permeate pressure of 10.74 KPa whereas the optimum total flux was 1833.66 g/m².h was observed for at a feed temperature of 50°C, a feed flow rate of 50 L/h, ethanol concentration of 15 wt%, and a permeate pressure of 49.38 KPa.     

Continuous ethanol production from carob pod extract by immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a packed-bed reactor

The continuous production of ethanol from carob pod extract by immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a packed-bed reactor has been investigated. At a substrate concentration of 150 g dm^?3, maximum ethanol productivity of 16 g dm^?3 h^?1 was obtained at D = 0·4 h^?1 with 62·3% of theoretical yield and 83·6% sugars′ utilization. At a dilution rate of 0·1 h^?1, optimal ethanol productivity was achieved in the pH range 3·5–5·5, temperature range 30–35·C and initial sugar concentration of 200 g dm^?3. Maximum ethanol productivity of 24·5 g dm^?3 h^?1 was obtained at D = 0·5 h^?1 with 58·8% of theoretical yield and 85% sugars′ utilization when non-sterilized carob pod extract containing 200 g dm^?3 total sugars was used as feed material. The bioreactor system was operated at a constant dilution rate of 0·5 h^?1 for 30 days without loss of the original immobilized yeast activity. In this case, the average ethanol productivity, ethanol yield (% of theoretical) and sugars′ utilization were 25 g dm^?3 h^?1, 58·8% and 85·5%, respectively.     

Dehydration of ethanol/water mixtures by pervaporation using soluble polyimide membranes

A series of soluble polyimides derived from 3,3′,4,4′‐benzhydrol tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BHTDA) with various diamines such as 1,4‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)‐2‐tert‐butylbenzene (BATB), 1,4‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)‐2,5‐di‐tert‐butylbenzene (BADTB), and 2,2′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐ bis(4‐aminophenoxy)biphenyl (DBAPB) were investigated for pervaporation separation of ethanol/water mixtures. Diamine structure effect on the pervaporation of 90 wt% aqueous ethanol solution through the BHTDA‐based polyimide membranes was studied. The separation factor ranked in the following order: BHTDA–DBAPB > BHTDA–BATB > BHTDA–BADTB. The increase in molecular volume for the substituted group in the polymer backbone increased the permeation rate. As the feed ethanol concentration increased, the permeation rate increased, while the water concentration in the permeate decreased for all polyimide membranes. The optimum pervaporation performance was obtained by the BHTDA–DBAPB membrane with a 90 wt% aqueous ethanol solution, giving a separation factor of 141, permeation rate of 255 g m^?2 h^?1 and 36 000 pervaporation separation index (PSI) value. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

A comparison between a conventional submerged culture fermenter and a new concept gas/solid fluid bed bioreactor for glutathione production

Glutathione is produced conventionally by submerged culture fermentation with yeast S. cerevisiae using L-cysteine, L-glutamate, and glycine as precursors. To obtain high glutathione concentrations, as well as high reaction rates, optimum temperature and high precursor concentrations have to be applied. Therefore, due to dilution in submerged culture, large quantities of precursor are needed. On the other hand, in solid state fermentation, increased precursor concentration is reached by the reduction of the water holdup in the fermenter. Experiments were performed to compare submerged culture fermentation in a stirred tank reactor with solid state fermentation in a gas/solid fluid bed bioreactor. In a 1.5 L stirred tank reactor the influence of temperature, substrate composition, and precursor concentration on reaction rate and maximum glutathione accumulation in the yeast cells was evaluated. A laboratory scale fluid bed fermenter of 0.15 m diameter and a pilot scale fermenter of 1.0 m diameter with 42 kg of yeast load were used to evaluate the optimum feed strategy to optimize glutathione yield with respect to precursor feed and glutathione accumulation in the yeast cells. In submerged culture, the maximum glutathione yield with respect to the precursor cysteine at maximum glutathione accumulation ranged from 4 to 8 mole %, whereas, with the gas/solid fermentation, yields of up to 40 mole % were obtained.     

The optimum taper angle for ethanol fermentation in a packed-bed column reactor

In ethanol fermentation, tapered columns facilitate the liberation of CO₂ and, since the bed expands through a larger cross-sectional area, smaller pressure drops occur. In this work, 0°, 2°, and 4° tapered columns, containing Saccharomyces cerevisiae entrapped in beads of K-carrageenan, were operated for continuous production of ethanol from glucose. The column inlet diameters and the bead volume were maintained constant for the three columns. With decreasing taper angle, increasing feed glucose concentration, increasing feed flow rate and increasing bead volume in the reactor, the pressure drop across the bed increased. There was no significant difference between the ethanol productivities obtained in the 0°, 2°, and 4° tapered columns when a packed volume of 52% of the total volume was examined. Increasing the packed volume to 84% of the total caused the cylindrical column to become inoperable due to pressure buildup and bead compression. When the columns were packed to 84% capacity, the productivity and pressure drop values obtained on the 2° and 4° tapered columns did not significantly differ. For a feed concentration of 150 g glucose dm^?3 and a residence time range of 5.4–15.94 h, the pressure drop varied between 4.5 × 10³ and 1.28 × 10⁴ Pa in the 2° and between 4 × 10³ and 7.98 × 10³ Pa in the 4° tapered column. Conversion in the 2° tapered column varied from 94% to 78.8% and in the 4° tapered column from 92.6% to 78.8%. Defining optimum taper angle as the smallest angle which allows for stable operation without any pressure buildup, the taper angle of 2° was selected as nearest to the optimum value.     

Wood blocks as a carrier for Saccharomyces Cerevisiae used in the production of ethanol and fructose

Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 39859 was immobilized onto small cubes of wood in order to produce very enriched fructose syrup from synthetic glucose-fructose mixtures, through the selective fermentation of glucose. The kinetics of growth and ethanol production rates were studied. Several tests to assess the influence of substrate and product concentration on the production rates were carried out and appropriate rate equations were proposed as a design basis for continuous immobilized reactors. The ethanol production rate and cell growth rate were found to be inhibited linearly by both substrate and product concentrations. A maximum ethanol productivity of 21.9 g 1⁻¹ h⁻¹ was attained from a feed containing 10% (by weight) glucose and 10% (by weight) fructose. The ethanol concentration was 29.6 g 1⁻¹, the glucose conversion was 78% and a fructose yield of 99% was obtained. This resulted in a final fructose:glucose ratio of 2.7. At lower ethanol productivity levels the fructose:glucose ratio increased, as did the ethanol concentration in the effluent. The ethanol productivities obtained in this study were 33%–132% higher than those obtained in a previous study using the same system, under similar conditions, with the cells immobilized in alginate beads.     

Utilization of zearalenone- contaminated corn for ethanol production

Two lots of yellow corn, severely damaged byFusarium fungi and contaminated with 8.0 and 33.5 ppm zearalenone, respectively, were used for ethanol fermentations. Substrate corn (5-kg samples) was processed in a laboratory procedure similar to that used by the fermentation industry. Stillages obtained were 7.0 to 9.0% ethanol. Ethanol was recovered by distillation, residual grain solids by filtration, and solubles by concentration. No zearalenone could be detected in the ethanol fraction. Zearalenone in the original corn was concentrated in the residual solids and solubles, which are generally used for animal feed. Treatment with formaldehyde significantly reduced the level of zearalenone in fermentation solids. Ammonium hydroxide was a much less effective agent for toxin degradation. Presented at ISF/AOCS World Congress, New York,NY,April 27-May 1, 1980     

Production of pure ethanol from azeotropic solution by pressure swing adsorption

Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is attractive for final separation in the process of water removal especially for fuel ethanol production. Despite many researches on simulation and experimental works on adsorption of water on 3A zeolite in a fixed bed, none have studied a process with the actual PSA system. The purpose of this research was to study the PSA process with two adsorbers and effects of several parameters. The research also included analysis of kinetic and thermodynamic data of ethanol-water adsorption on commercial 3A zeolites in a single fixed bed. A two-level factorial design experiment was used in this research work to preliminarily screen the influence and interaction among the factors. Effects of important parameters such as initial temperature, feed concentration and feed rate were investigated. It was proven that the Langmuir isotherm could best predict the experimental results. In the PSA pilot test, the principal factors, which had effects on the performance, were feed rate, feed concentration, adsorption pressure and the cycle time. Prediction of the process efficiency in terms of ethanol recovery and enrichment was proposed in the form of regression models. The results of the study in a fixed bed adsorber could help designing a pilot-scale PSA unit. The experiments proved to be successful in terms of producing high concentration ethanol with high percentage of ethanol recovery. With further simulation work the process could be scaled up for an industrial use.     

Kinetics of continuous whey fermentation by Kluyveromyces fragilis

Continuous whey fermentation by Kluyveromyces fragilis was studied in a 30-dm³ stirred fermenter as a function of the dilution rate (D) and feed concentration of lactose (S_o). By using the concept of material and energy balances, it was possible not only to check the consistency of the experimental steady-state responses, but also to develop an unstructured model based on a Monod-type kinetic equation for cell growth and two independent linear equations for the consumption rates of lactose and oxygen. Moreover, a typical Lineweaver—Burk plot enabled the yeast specific growth rate to be described as that of an enzyme-catalysed reaction in the presence of an unknown noncompetitive inhibitor (that was identified with a reference intermediate compound produced by the microorganism itself under partially anaerobic conditions and expressed in terms of ethanol equivalent). In this way, the experimental cell concentrations were reconstructed with a mean standard error of about 10%, thus confirming the capability of this model to provide a reliable basis for further scale-up of this fermentation process.     

A study on the ethanol production by immobilized cells ofZymomonas mobilis

Cells ofZymomonas mobilis immobilized in Ca-alginate matrix were used for ethanol production under various conditions. Immobilized cells showed broad optimum pH profile and their operational optimum temperature shifted from 30‡C to 40‡C upon immobilization. As reportedlyZ. mobilis did get the substrate inhibition by glucose, but at high concentration level of glucose the reduction of activity for ethanol production was less severe than that for yeast. The used beads of the immobilizedZ. mobilis were reactivated by incubating them in the activation medium. The increase in cell number and the enhancement of the specific activity per each cell are considered the two major factors responsible for the overall activation. A packed-bed reactor with the feed glucose concentration of 20% (W/V) gave an ethanol productivity as high as 33.0 g/l.hr at the flow rate of 58.5 ml/hr. A comparison between the experimental results from the real packed-bed reactor and the simulation results of an ideal case showed a two-fold inferior performance by the real reactor and this is at least partly attributed to the CO₂ gas effect.