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Bubble column bioreactors

Tower bioreactors without mechanical agitation

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Advances in Biochemical Engineering, Volume 7

Part of the book series: Advances in Biochemical Engineering ((ABE,volume 7))

Abstract

The present article investigates the behavior of bubble column bioreactors with yeast culture media in the absence of cells. To aid in the assessment of these reactors the following properties were estimated and partly theoretically treated: relative mean gas hold-up, bubble swarm velocity, bubble size, gas/liquid interfacial area, energy requirement for aeration, oxygen transfer coefficient across the gas/liquid interface and back-mixing in the liquid phase. All of these properties are strongly influenced by the composition of the culture medium and the type of aerator. It is shown that in bubble column bioreactors, in the absence of antifoam agents and with low viscosity culture medium, high oxygen transfer rates can be achieved at low energy requirement. By application of multistage columns particular properties of the bubble column can be varied significantly. A comparison of bubble column reactors with mechanically agitated, as well as with air-lift bioreactors, indicates that bubble columns are economical reactors, especially for aerobic cultivations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Technische Chemie der Technischen Universität Hannover, D-3000, Hannover

    K. Schügerl & J. Lücke

  2. Bayer AG, Werk Uerdingen, D-4150, Krefeld-Uerdingen

    U. Oels

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  1. K. Schügerl
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  2. J. Lücke
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  3. U. Oels
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Schügerl, K., Lücke, J., Oels, U. (1977). Bubble column bioreactors. In: Advances in Biochemical Engineering, Volume 7. Advances in Biochemical Engineering, vol 7. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0048441

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0048441

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-08397-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-37196-0

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