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The effect of dilution rate variation on the performance of continuous fermentation

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Abstract

The effect of dilution rate variation on the performance of bioreactors used for continuous biomass producton is discussed. Calculations based on Powell's model of microbial dynamics show that such a mode of operation does not improve the performance of the process. Remarkable improvement of the process performance reported in literature is caused by incorrectness of the dynamic model of microbial growth which has been used in the calculations.

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Abbreviations

A 1/h:

metabolic activity

c :

parameter of Powell's model

D 1/h:

dilution rate

J kg/(m3 h):

performance of continuous process

K s kg/m3 :

saturation coefficient

q :

relative cost of substrate

S kg/m3 :

substrate concentration

t h:

time

X kg/m3 :

biomass concentration

Y :

yield factor

Z kg/m3 :

weighted average of substrate concentration

α 1/h:

delay parameter

β :

dimensionless cost factor

μ 1/h:

specific growth rate

ν 1/h:

specific substrate uptake rate

σ s :

weight fraction of carbon in substrate

σ x :

weight fraction of carbon in biomass

F :

feed

m :

maximum

opt :

optimum

cycl :

cycling operation

st. st. :

steady-state

References

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  3. Dang, N. D. P.: The building and uses of dynamic models for biological studies. J. Ferment. Technol. 54 (1976) 396–405

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  5. San, K. Y.; Stephanopoulos, G.: The effect of growth rate delays in substrate-inhibited kinetics on the optimal profile of fed-batch reactors. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 28 (1986) 356–361

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Chemical and Process Engineering, Warsaw Technical University, Waryńskiego 1, Warsaw, Poland

    K. W. Szewczyk

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  1. K. W. Szewczyk
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Szewczyk, K.W. The effect of dilution rate variation on the performance of continuous fermentation. Bioprocess Eng. 6, 17–19 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00369273

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00369273

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