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The influence of polymeric membrane gas spargers on hydrodynamics and mass transfer in bubble column bioreactors

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Abstract

Gas sparging performances of a flat sheet and tubular polymeric membranes were investigated in 3.1 m bubble column bioreactor operated in a semi batch mode. Air–water and air–CMC (Carboxymethyl cellulose) solutions of 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 % w/w were used as interacting gas–liquid mediums. CMC solutions were employed in the study to simulate rheological properties of bioreactor broth. Gas holdup, bubble size distribution, interfacial area and gas–liquid mass transfer were studied in the homogeneous bubbly flow hydrodynamic regime with superficial gas velocity (U G) range of 0.0004–0.0025 m/s. The study indicated that the tubular membrane sparger produced the highest gas holdup and densely populated fine bubbles with narrow size distribution. An increase in liquid viscosity promoted a shift in bubble size distribution to large stable bubbles and smaller specific interfacial area. The tubular membrane sparger achieved greater interfacial area and an enhanced overall mass transfer coefficient (K La) by a factor of 1.2–1.9 compared to the flat sheet membrane.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Danish Council for Strategic Research under the project “SYMBIO-Integration of biomass and wind power for biogas enhancement and upgrading via Hydrogen assisted anaerobic digestion”. The authors are responsible for the content of this publication.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology and Environmental Technology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense M, Denmark

    Gossaye Tirunehe & B. Norddahl

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  1. Gossaye Tirunehe
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Correspondence to Gossaye Tirunehe.

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Tirunehe, G., Norddahl, B. The influence of polymeric membrane gas spargers on hydrodynamics and mass transfer in bubble column bioreactors. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 39, 613–626 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-016-1543-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-016-1543-7

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