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The effects of cells on oxygen transfer in bioreactors

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Abstract

Cells may affect oxygen transfer rates by three mechanisms: respiration of cells accumulated at the gas/liquid interface, physical presence of cells as solid particles, and modification of the medium by cells. These effects were studied experimentally in bubble-aerated bioreactors using baker's yeast at different cell concentrations, agitation speeds, aeration rates, and specific oxygen uptake rates. The overall effect of cells was to enhance oxygen transfer rates. The physical presence of cells as solid particles was found to retard oxygen transfer, presumably due to the lower oxygen permeability in the cell layer accumulated near the bubble surfaces. Cell respiration and medium modification, on the other hand, enhanced oxygen transfer rates. The retardation by nonrespiring cells and the enhancement due to cell respiration were found stronger at higher agitation speeds and lower aeration rates employed. This was attributed to the higher interfacial cell accumulation associated with the smaller bubbles produced under these conditions in the systems studied.

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Abbreviations

c :

dissolved oxygen concentration, kg/m3

c i :

dissolved oxygen concentration at the start of aeration, kg/m3

c ⋆ :

equilibrium dissolved oxygen concentration, kg/m3

d b :

bubble diameter, m

d c :

cell diameter, m

k La:

volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient, s−1

OUR :

oxygen uptake rate, mol O2/m3-s

Re:

bubble Reynolds number, (=ρUd/μ)

t :

time, s

η :

cell interceptional collision efficiency

τ E :

time constant for the electrode, s

τ F :

time constant for the liquid film, s

τ G :

time constant due to gas hold-up, s

f :

filtered (cell-free) medium

o :

fresh medium

sa :

suspension of non-respiring cells achieved by addition of soidum azide

sp :

specific value

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Akron, 44325-3906, Akron, Ohio, USA

    L. K. Ju & A. Sundararajan

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  1. L. K. Ju
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Ju, L.K., Sundararajan, A. The effects of cells on oxygen transfer in bioreactors. Bioprocess Engineering 13, 271–278 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00417639

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