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Coupling of microbial kinetics and oxygen transfer for analysis and optimization of gluconic acid production with Aspergillus niger

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Abstract

Gluconic acid fermentation has been widely used for the analysis of various aspects of kinetics and gas liquid transfer of oxygen. Most of these studies are, however, restricted to processes with bacteria. Mathematical models for industrially important productions with fungi have not been elaborated.

In the experimental part of this work computer coupled fermentations of gluconic acid production with Aspergillus niger NRRL 3 have been performed. Knowledge of the stoichiometric relationship in the key reaction (glucose oxidase) provides an excellent opportunity for on-line estimation of glucose, biomass and product gluconate from oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide evolution rates.

Starting then from experimental observations on the pH-depending oxygen kinetics of gluconic acid formation and influences of product concentrations on the growth of Aspergillus niger a mathematical framework is developed in which the kinetics of growth and production are coupled with gas liquid oxygen transfer. The model can be successfully applied to simulations of the experimental results of gluconic acid fermentations with cyclic addition of glucose. An important aspect in the coupling of transport and microbial reaction in this model is the incorporation of the influence of sugar and gluconate on the solubility of oxygen and k La via changes of viscosities and molecular diffusivities.

With the development of such a comprehensive model, it appears feasible to investigate the influence of various process conditions (sugar feeding, pressure, optimal pH profiles) and to study their possible impacts on the productivity of the overall process.

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Abbreviations

a 0,a 1,a 2 :

coefficients in the polynom function for the specific production rate (Eq. (17))

b 0,b 1,b 2 :

coefficients in the polynom function for the specific growth rate (Eq. (19))

c 0,c 1,c 2 :

coefficients in pH = f(t)

c L :

concentration of dissolved oxygen

c *L :

saturation concentration of oxygen

\(D_{O_2 } \) :

molecular diffusivity of oxygen in the fermentation fluid

g :

acceleration due to gravity

K M :

Michaelis-Menten constant in the oxygen kinetics

k La:

volumetric mass transfer coefficient

\(m_{Co_{_2 } } \) :

maintenance coefficient for carbon dioxide

m O :

maintenance coefficient for oxygen

m S :

maintenance coefficient for substrate

m 1,m2 :

coefficients (Eqs. (21), (22))

P :

product concentration

P G :

power input under gassed conditions

P max :

critical gluconate concentration for growth

\(Q_{O_2 } \) :

volumetric oxygen uptake rate

\(Q_{CO_2 } \) :

volumetric carbon dioxide evolution rate

\(q_{O_2 } \) :

specific oxygen uptake rate

S :

substrate concentration

Sc:

Schmidt number

t :

time

t:

time at which pH control is switched off

t * :

final fermentation time

t 1 :

switching time for optimal pH control

T :

time constant in the delay of product formation

u G0 :

superficial gas velocity

V L :

liquid volume

V G :

gas flow rate

X :

biomass concentration

\(Y_{Co_2 } \) :

volume fraction of carbon dioxide in the air

\(Y_{o_2 } \) :

volume fraction of oxygen in the air

YX/O \(Y_{x/co_2 } \) 79-08}:

yield coefficients

Y P/O, Y P/S :

yield coefficients

η :

dynamic viscosity

μ :

specific growth rate

μ max :

maximum specific growth rate

ν P :

specific production rate

ν P,max :

maximum specific production rate

ν :

kinematic viscosity

ϱ :

density of the liquid

α :

at the inlet

ω :

at the outlet

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  1. Fachgebiet Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Berlin, Seestr. 13, D-1000, Berlin 65

    M. Reuss, S. Fröhlich, B. Kramer, K. Messerschmidt & G. Pommerening

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  2. S. Fröhlich
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Reuss, M., Fröhlich, S., Kramer, B. et al. Coupling of microbial kinetics and oxygen transfer for analysis and optimization of gluconic acid production with Aspergillus niger. Bioprocess Engineering 1, 79–91 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00387499

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