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Description and evaluation of reciprocating plate bioreactors

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Abstract

The environment in which live microorganisms has a major impact on their productivity. One important factor is the mechanical mixing that is used to promote good heat and mass transfer in bioreactors. In this paper, the performance of reciprocating plate bioreactors is first evaluated for their ability to produce high oxygen transfer coefficients. Pure water and a glycerol water (50∶50 wt%) solution are used for this evaluation. Then, the performance of reciprocating plate bioreactors for the production of an exocellular polysaccharide (pullulan) by yeast Aureobasidium pullulans is analyzed in terms of quantity and quality of the polysaccharide. Results clearly show that a more efficient substrate utilisation is achieved with reciprocating plate bioreactors.

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Abbreviations

A m:

amplitude

C :

constant in Eq. (1)

D m:

diameter

H L m:

height of liquid in the column

K L a 1/s:

overall oxygen mass transfer coefficient

P g/l:

pullulan concentration

P G W:

gassed power input

U G m/s:

superficial gas velocity

V L m3 :

liquid volume

α,β:

constant in Eq. (1)

g3:

gas holdup

\(\dot \gamma\) s−1 :

shear rate

η Pa s:

viscosity

φ :

fractional free area

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Laval University, G1K 7P4, Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada

    M. Lounes, J. Audet, J. Thibault & A. LeDuy

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  1. M. Lounes
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  2. J. Audet
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  3. J. Thibault
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  4. A. LeDuy
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Lounes, M., Audet, J., Thibault, J. et al. Description and evaluation of reciprocating plate bioreactors. Bioprocess Engineering 13, 1–11 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00368758

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