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Performance, kinetics, and substrate utilization in a continuous yeast fermentation with cell recycle by ultrafiltration membranes

  • Biotechnology
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Summary

A continuous single stage yeast fermentation with cell recycle by ultrafiltration membranes was operated at various recycle ratios. Cell concentration was increased 10.6 times, and ethanol concentration and fermentor productivity both 5.3 times with 97% recycle as compared to no recycle. Both specific growth rate and specific ethanol productivity followed the exponential ethanol inhibition form (specific productivity was constant up to 37.5 g/l of ethanol before decreasing), similar to that obtained without recycle, but with greater inhibition constants most likely due to toxins retained in the system at hight recycle ratios.

By analyzing steady state data, the fractions of substrate used for cell growth, ethanol formation, and what which were “wasted” were accounted for. Yeast metabolism varied from mostly aerobic at low recycle ratios to mostly anaerobic at high recycle ratios at a constant dissolved oxygen concentration of 0.8 mg/kg. By increasing the cell recycle ratio, “wasted” substrate was reduced. When applied to ethanol fermentation, the familiar terminology of substrate used for “Maintenance” must be used with caution: it is not the same as the “wasted” substrate reported here.

A general method for determining the best recycle ratio is presented; a balance among fermentor productivity, specific productivity, and wasted substrate needs to be made in recycle systems to approach an optimal design.

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Abbreviations

B :

Bleed flow rate, l/h

C T :

Concentration of toxins, arbitrary units

D :

Dilution rate, h-1

F :

Filtrate or permeate flow rate, removed from system, l/h

F o :

Total feed flow rate to system, l/h

K s :

Monod form constant, g/l

P :

Product (ethanol) concentration, g/l

P o :

Ethanol concentration in feed, g/l

PP}:

Adjusted product concentration, g/l

PD :

Fermentor productivity, g/l-h

R :

Recycle ratio, F/F o

S :

Substrate concentration in fermentor, g/l

S o :

Substrate concentration in feed, g/l

V :

Working volume of fermentor, l

V MB :

Viability based on methylene blue test

X :

Cell concentration, g dry cell/l

X o :

Cell concentration in feed, g/l

Y ATP :

Cellular yield from ATP, g cells/mol ATP

Y ATPS :

Yield of ATP from substrate, mole ATP/mole glucose

Y G :

True growth yield or maximum yield of cells from substrate, g cell/g glucose

Y P :

Maximum theoretical yield of ethanol from glucose, 0.511 g ethanol/g glucose

Y P/S :

Experimental yield of product from substrate, g ethanol/g glucose

Y x/s :

Experimental yield of cells from substrate, g cell/g glucose

ΔS NP/X:

Non-product associated substrate utilization, g glucose/g cell

k 1, k2, k3, k4 :

Constants

k APP1 , k APP2 :

Apparent k 1, k3

k TRUE1 :

True k 1

m :

Maintenance coefficient, g glucose/g cell-h

m * :

Coefficient of substrate not used for growth nor for ethanol formation, g glucose/g cell-h

μ:

Specific growth rate, g cells/g cells-h, reported as h-1

μm :

Maximum specific growth rate, h-1

v :

Specific productivity, g ethanol/g cell-h, reported as h-1

v m :

Maximum specific productivity, h-1

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, P.O. Box 909, 08854, Piscataway, NJ, USA

    Dominick Damiano, Chul-Soo Shin, Nai-hu Ju & Shaw S. Wang

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  1. Dominick Damiano
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  2. Chul-Soo Shin
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  3. Nai-hu Ju
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  4. Shaw S. Wang
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Damiano, D., Shin, CS., Ju, Nh. et al. Performance, kinetics, and substrate utilization in a continuous yeast fermentation with cell recycle by ultrafiltration membranes. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 21, 69–77 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00252365

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