Ethanol fermentation kinetics in a continuous and closed-circulating fermentation system with a pervaporation membrane bioreactor

Extraction and purification of saponins from Sapindus mukorossi

Fermentation was used to further purify saponins extracted from the pericarp of Sapindus; both the purity and foam half-life was greatly increased.

Feasibility Study on Long-Term Continuous Ethanol Production from Cassava Supernatant by Immobilized Yeast Cells in Packed Bed Reactor

In this study, yeast cell immobilization was carried out in a packed bed reactor (PBR) to investigate the effects of the volumetric capacity of carriers as well as the different fermentation modes on fuel ethanol production. An optimal volumetric capacity of 10 g/l was found to obtain a high cell concentration. The productivity of immobilized cell fermentation was 16% higher than that of suspended-cell fermentation in batch and it reached a higher value of 4.28 g/l/h in repeated batches. Additionally, using this method, the ethanol yield (95.88%) was found to be higher than that of other tested methods due to low concentrations of residual sugars and free cells. Continuous ethanol production using four bioreactors showed a higher productivity (9.57 g/l/h) and yield (96.96%) with an ethanol concentration of 104.65 g/l obtained from 219.42 g/l of initial total sugar at a dilution rate of 0.092 h^-1. Furthermore, we reversed the substrate-feed flow directions in the in-series bioreactors to keep the cells at their highest activity and to extend the length of continuous fermentation. Our study demonstrates an effective method of ethanol production with a new immobilized approach, and that by switching the flow directions, traditional continuous fermentation can be greatly improved, which could have practical and broad implications in industrial applications.

Synergy of biofuel production with waste remediation along with value-added co-products recovery through microalgae cultivation: A review of membrane-integrated green approach

Development of advanced biofuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel from renewable resources is critical for the earth's sustainable management and to slow down the global climate change by partial replacement of gasoline and diesel in the transport sector. Being a diverse group of aquatic micro-organisms, algae are the most prominent resources on the planet, distributed in an aquatic system, a potential source of bioenergy, biomass and secondary metabolites. Microalgae-based biofuel production is widely accepted as non-food fuel sources and better choice for achieving goals of incorporation of a clean fuel source into the transportation sector. The present review article provides a comprehensive literature survey as well as a novel approach on the application of microalgae for their simultaneous cultivation and bioremediation of high nutrient containing wastewater. In addition to that, merits and demerits of different existing conventional techniques for microalgae culture reactors, harvesting of algal biomass, oil recovery, use of different catalysts for transesterification reactions and other by-products recovery have been discussed and compared with the membrane-based system to find out the best optimal conditions for higher biomass as well as lipid yield. This article also deals with the use of a tailor-made membrane in an appropriate module that can be used in upstream and downstream processes during algal-based biofuels production. Such membrane-integrated system has the potential of low-cost and eco-friendly separation, purification and concentration enrichment of biodiesel as well as other valuable algal by-products which can bring the high degree of process intensification for scale-up at the industrial stage.

Bioethanol production in vacuum membrane distillation bioreactor by permeate fractional condensation and mechanical vapor compression with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane

A vacuum membrane distillation bioreactor (VMDBR) by permeate fractional condensation and mechanical vapor compression with PTFE membrane was developed for bioethanol production. Cell concentration of 11.5 g/L, glucose consumption rate of 5.2 g/L/h and ethanol productivity of 2.3 g/L/h could be obtained with fermentation continues lasting for 140 h. Membrane flux of over 10 kg/m²/h could be obtained for model solution separation. Higher temperature and flow rate could promote membrane separation. Membrane flux could be reduced to about 2000 g/m²/h with fermentation proceeding owing to the deposited cell on membrane surface. The membrane separation performance could be resumed by water rinse. High ethanol concentration of 421 g/L could be obtained by permeate fractional condensation with the process separation factor increased to 19.2. Energy of only 14 MJ/kg was required in VMDBR and the energy consumption would be reduced further if the compressed vapor could be used to heat the feed.

Extractive Fermentation of Ethanol from Sweet Sorghum Using Vacuum Fractionation Technique: Optimization and Techno-Economic Assessment

Direct extraction of high purity ethanol from fermentation broth was investigated using a vacuum fractionation technique. Batch and repeated-batch extractive fermentation of ethanol were carried out using concentrated sweet sorghum as a carbon source. The effect of product inhibition was reduced by continuous removing ethanol from the fermented broth. About 60 % relative viability was observed in fermented broth with a higher productivity value. Due to the high value of living cells presented in the medium, repeated-batch extractive fermentation was subsequently performed. The ethanol was continuously fractionated out from the system at the average rate of 10.2 g/h with the concentration of approximately 80 wt%. There were 8 cycles of fermentation using only 1 time inoculation. Nevertheless, the calculated ethanol productivity and relative viability for each fermentation cycle were decreased gradually due to the accumulation of toxic substances in fermented broth. The simulation of 200 liters continuous extractive fermentation system using ASPEN PLUS was studied including process optimization and economical consideration. 18.5 liters of ethanol solutions 82 wt% with insignificant amounts of by-product was produced from a 200 liters extractive fermentation system per day. Production cost including raw material and utilities cost was approximately 0.71 €/liter. The economic and systemic performance process were subsequently analyzed, and including that ethanol loss was recovered using a gas scrubber connected to the vapor exiting the venturi tank as well as in the stillage stream. The calculated utility costs after process modification were 0.5 €/liter of ethanol, approximately 30 % of production cost was reduced.

Immobilized ethanol fermentation coupled to pervaporation with silicalite-1/polydimethylsiloxane/polyvinylidene fluoride composite membrane

A novel silicalite-1/polydimethylsiloxane/polyvinylidene fluoride hybrid membrane was used in ethanol fermentation-pervaporation integration process. The sweet sorghum bagasse was used as the immobilized carrier. Compared with the conventional suspend cells system, the immobilized fermentation system could provide higher ethanol productivity when coupled with pervaporation. In the long-term of operations, the ethanol productivity, separation factor, total flux and permeate ethanol concentration in the fed-batch fermentation-pervaporation integration scenario were 1.6g/Lh, 8.2-9.9, 319-416g/m(2)h and 426.9-597.2g/L, respectively. Correspondingly, 1.6g/Lh, 7.8-9.8, 227.8-395g/m(2)h and 410.9-608.1g/L were achieved in the continuous fermentation-pervaporation integration scenario, respectively. The results indicated that the integration process could greatly improve the ethanol production and separation performances.

Energy efficient of ethanol recovery in pervaporation membrane bioreactor with mechanical vapor compression eliminating the cold traps

An energy efficient pervaporation membrane bioreactor with mechanical vapor compression was developed for ethanol recovery during the process of fermentation coupled with pervaporation. Part of the permeate vapor at the membrane downstream under the vacuum condition was condensed by running water at the first condenser and the non-condensed vapor enriched with ethanol was compressed to the atmospheric pressure and pumped into the second condenser, where the vapor was easily condensed into a liquid by air. Three runs of fermentation-pervaporation experiment have been carried out lasting for 192h, 264h and 360h respectively. Complete vapor recovery validated the novel pervaporation membrane bioreactor. The total flux of the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane was in the range of 350gm(-2)h(-1) and 600gm(-2)h(-1). Compared with the traditional cold traps condensation, mechanical vapor compression behaved a dominant energy saving feature.

Ethanol fermentation integrated with PDMS composite membrane: An effective process

The polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane, prepared in water phase, was investigated in separation ethanol from model ethanol/water mixture and fermentation-pervaporation integrated process. Results showed that the PDMS membrane could effectively separate ethanol from model solution. When integrated with batch ethanol fermentation, the ethanol productivity was enhanced compared with conventional process. Fed-batch and continuous ethanol fermentation with pervaporation were also performed and studied. 396.2-663.7g/m(2)h and 332.4-548.1g/m(2)h of total flux with separation factor of 8.6-11.7 and 8-11.6, were generated in the fed-batch and continuous fermentation with pervaporation scenario, respectively. At the same time, high titre ethanol production of ∼417.2g/L and ∼446.3g/L were also achieved on the permeate side of membrane in the two scenarios, respectively. The integrated process was environmental friendly and energy saving, and has a promising perspective in long-terms operation.

Kinetic model of continuous ethanol fermentation in closed-circulating process with pervaporation membrane bioreactor by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Unstructured kinetic models were proposed to describe the principal kinetics involved in ethanol fermentation in a continuous and closed-circulating fermentation (CCCF) process with a pervaporation membrane bioreactor. After ethanol was removed in situ from the broth by the membrane pervaporation, the secondary metabolites accumulated in the broth became the inhibitors to cell growth. The cell death rate related to the deterioration of the culture environment was described as a function of the cell concentration and fermentation time. In CCCF process, 609.8 g L(-1) and 750.1 g L(-1) of ethanol production were obtained in the first run and second run, respectively. The modified Gompertz model, correlating the ethanol production with the fermentation period, could be used to describe the ethanol production during CCCF process. The fitting results by the models showed good agreement with the experimental data. These models could be employed for the CCCF process technology development for ethanol fermentation.

Continuous acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation and gas production under slight pressure in a membrane bioreactor

Two rounds of acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation under slight pressure were carried out in the continuous and closed-circulating fermentation (CCCF) system. Spores of the clostridium were observed and counted, with the maximum number of 2.1 × 10(8) and 2.3 × 10(8)ml(-1) separately. The fermentation profiles were comparable with that at atmospheric pressure, showing an average butanol productivity of 0.14 and 0.13 g L(-1)h(-1). Moreover, the average gas productivities of 0.28 and 0.27 L L(-1)h(-1) were obtained in two rounds of CCCF, and the cumulative gas production of 52.64 and 25.92 L L(-1) were achieved, with the hydrogen volume fraction of 41.43% and 38.08% respectively. The results suggested that slight pressures have no obvious effect on fermentation performance, and also indicated the significance and feasibility of gas recovery in the continuous ABE fermentation process.

Inhibition effect of secondary metabolites accumulated in a pervaporation membrane bioreactor on ethanol fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The secondary metabolites accumulated in a pervaporation membrane bioreactor during ethanol fermentation were mostly composed of acetic acid, lactic acid, propionic acid, citric acid, succinic acid and glycerol. The inhibition effect of these compounds at a broad concentration range was studied through ethanol fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. An increasing concentration of the secondary metabolites led to longer lag time and a reduction of cell growth. The specific cell growth rate, cell yield, ethanol productivity were only 0.061 h(-1), 0.024, 0.47 g L(-1) h(-1) respectively, when the medium contained 3.12 g of acetic acid, 10.23 g of lactic acid, 2.72 g of propionic acid, 1.35 g of citric acid, 2.26 g of succinic acid and 49.25 g of glycerol per liter (a concentration level in pervaporation membrane bioreactor at later fermentation period). By increasing pH of the medium to 6.0-8.0, the inhibition of these secondary metabolites could be greatly relieved.

Current challenges in commercially producing biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass

Biofuels that are produced from biobased materials are a good alternative to petroleum based fuels. They offer several benefits to society and the environment. Producing second generation biofuels is even more challenging than producing first generation biofuels due the complexity of the biomass and issues related to producing, harvesting, and transporting less dense biomass to centralized biorefineries. In addition to this logistic challenge, other challenges with respect to processing steps in converting biomass to liquid transportation fuel like pretreatment, hydrolysis, microbial fermentation, and fuel separation still exist and are discussed in this review. The possible coproducts that could be produced in the biorefinery and their importance to reduce the processing cost of biofuel are discussed. About $1 billion was spent in the year 2012 by the government agencies in US to meet the mandate to replace 30% existing liquid transportation fuels by 2022 which is 36 billion gallons/year. Other countries in the world have set their own targets to replace petroleum fuel by biofuels. Because of the challenges listed in this review and lack of government policies to create the demand for biofuels, it may take more time for the lignocellulosic biofuels to hit the market place than previously projected.

Continuous ethanol production from sugarcane molasses using a newly designed combined bioreactor system by immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Continuous ethanol fermentation using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), immobilized yeast, and sugarcane molasses (22 and 35°Bx) with 8 g/L urea was run in a combined bioreactor system consisting of three-stage tubular bioreactors in series. The effect of the dilution rate (D) at 0.0037, 0.0075, 0.0117, 0.0145, 0.018, and 0.0282 H(-1) on continuous ethanol fermentation was investigated in this study. The results showed that D had a significant effect on fermentation efficiency, sugar-utilized rate, ethanol yield, and ethanol productivity in this designed continuous fermentation system. The D had a linear relationship with residual sugar and ethanol production under certain conditions. The highest fermentation efficiency of 83.26%, ethanol yield of 0.44 g/g, and the lowest residual sugar content of 6.50 g/L were achieved at 0.0037 H(-1) in the fermentation of 22°Bx molasses, indicating that the immobilization of cells using PVA, sugarcane pieces, and cotton towel is feasible and the established continuous system performs well.

Enhanced ethanol fermentation in a pervaporation membrane bioreactor with the convenient permeate vapor recovery

A continuous and closed-circulating fermentation (CCCF) system with a pervaporation membrane bioreactor was built for ethanol fermentation without a refrigeration unit to condense the permeate vapor. Two runs of experiment with a feature of complete and continuous coupling of fermentation and pervaporation were carried out, lasting for 192h and 264h, respectively. The experimental measurement indicated that the enhanced fermentation could be achieved with additional advantages of convenient permeate recovery and energy saving of the process. During the second experiment, the average cell concentration, glucose consumption rate, ethanol productivity, ethanol yield and total ethanol amount produced reached 19.8gL(-1), 6.06gL(-1)h(-1), 2.31gL(-1)h(-1), 0.38, and 609.8gL(-1), respectively. During the continuous fermentation process, ethanol removal in situ promoted the cell second growth obviously, but the accumulation of the secondary metabolites in the broth became the main inhibitor against the cell growth and fermentation.

Modeling of breakthrough curves of single and quaternary mixtures of ethanol, glucose, glycerol and acetic acid adsorption onto a microporous hyper-cross-linked resin

The adsorption of quaternary mixtures of ethanol/glycerol/glucose/acetic acid onto a microporous hyper-cross-linked resin HD-01 was studied in fixed beds. A mass transport model based on film solid linear driving force and the competitive Langmuir isotherm equation for the equilibrium relationship was used to develop theoretical fixed bed breakthrough curves. It was observed that the outlet concentration of glucose and glycerol exceeded the inlet concentration (c/c0>1), which is an evidence of competitive adsorption. This phenomenon can be explained by the displacement of glucose and glycerol by ethanol molecules, owing to more intensive interactions with the resin surface. The model proposed was validated using experimental data and can be capable of foresee reasonably the breakthrough curve of specific component under different operating conditions. The results show that HD-01 is a promising adsorbent for recovery of ethanol from the fermentation broth due to its large capacity, high selectivity, and rapid adsorption rate.

Acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation in a continuous and closed-circulating fermentation system with PDMS membrane bioreactor

Acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation by combining a PDMS membrane bioreactor and Clostridium acetobutylicum was studied, and a long continuous and closed-circulating fermentation (CCCF) system has been achieved. Two cycles of experiment were conducted, lasting for 274 h and 300 h, respectively. The operation mode of the first cycle was of fermentation intermittent coupling with pervaporation, and the second cycle was of continuous coupling. The average cell weight, glucose consumption rate, butanol productivity and butanol production of the first cycle were 1.59 g L(-1), 0.63 g L(-1)h(-1), 0.105 g L(-1)h(-1) and 28.03 g L(-1), respectively. Correspondingly, the four parameters of the second cycle were 1.68 g L(-1), 1.12 g L(-1)h(-1), 0.205 g L(-1)h(-1) and 61.43 g L(-1), respectively. The results indicate the fermentation behaviors under continuous coupling mode were superior to that under intermittent coupling mode. Besides, two peak values were observed in the time course profiles, which means the microorganism could adapt the long CCCF membrane bioreactor system.

Efficiency of Blenke cascade system for continuous bio-ethanol fermentation

A gas lift-system with inserts (so-called Blenke cascade system) for continuous bio-ethanol fermentation was constructed. Gas introduced at the bottom of the column created toroidal vortices in the fluid cells between inserts, enhancing mixing and improving residence time behavior without stirring equipment being necessary. The parameters mash type, start-up strategy, yeast-recycle model and yeast separation were studied concerning the efficiency of the ethanol production. The best results obtained were for a filtered mash, a double saccharification principle (DSP), a batch start-up strategy, an activation-recycle model and a lamella settler connected in series with a small conventional gravitational settler for yeast cells separation. Using this system, the fermentation residence time was τ=4-5.5h, depending on substrate type. Eighty five percent of the yeast cells could be separated. High volumetric ethanol productivity (Q(p)=20.43g/Lh) and yield E(y)=98% were achieved. Continuous fermentation, yeast recycling and sedimentation were contamination-free processes.