scholarly journals Potential and Scale-Up of Pore-Through-Flow Membrane Reactors for the Production of Prebiotic Galacto-Oligosaccharides with Immobilized β-Galactosidase

Catalysts ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Ines Pottratz ◽  
Ines Müller ◽  
Christof Hamel

The production of prebiotics like galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) on industrial scale is becoming more important due to increased demand. GOS are synthesized in batch reactors from bovine lactose using the cost intensive enzyme β-galactosidase (β-gal). Thus, the development of sustainable and more efficient production strategies, like enzyme immobilization in membrane reactors are a promising option. Activated methacrylatic monoliths were characterized as support for covalent immobilized β-gal to produce GOS. The macroporous monoliths act as immobilized pore-through-flow membrane reactors (PTFR) and reduce the influence of mass-transfer limitations by a dominating convective pore flow. Monolithic designs in the form of disks (0.34 mL) and for scale-up cylindric columns (1, 8 and 80 mL) in three different reactor operation configurations (semi-continuous, continuous and continuous with recirculation) were studied experimentally and compared to the free enzyme system. Kinetic data, immobilization efficiency, space-time-yield and long-term stability were determined for the immobilized enzyme. Furthermore, simulation studies were conducted to identify optimal operation conditions for further scale-up. Thus, the GOS yield could be increased by up to 60% in the immobilized PTFRs in semi-continuous operation compared to the free enzyme system. The enzyme activity and long-time stability was studied for more than nine months of intensive use.

2013 ◽  
Vol 634-638 ◽  
pp. 382-385
Author(s):  
Ke Guo Liu ◽  
Li Li Gu ◽  
Hui Guang Hu ◽  
Rong Yang ◽  
Jun Tao

The experimental studies for purification of 1,8-cineole by vacuum batch distillation as well as the application of additives in 1,8-cineole purification were carried out. There were two steps during the purification. In the first step, experimental results showed that the optimal operation conditions for purification of 1,8-cineole were the temperature of the reboiler at about 320.15 K under a certain vacuum degree. In the second step, the optimal operation temperature of the reboiler was 331.15 K. The optimal reflux ratio was generated finally. Vacuum degree was controlled between 1.1 kPa and 1.3 kPa.


2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satu Ojala ◽  
Ulla Lassi ◽  
Paavo Perämäki ◽  
Riitta L. Keiski

Catalytic oxidation is a feasible and affordable technology for solvent emission abatement. However, finding optimal operation conditions is important, since they are strongly dependent on the application area of VOC incineration. This paper presents the results of the laboratory experiments concerning four most central parameters, that is, effects of concentration, gas hourly space velocity (GHSV), temperature, and moisture on the oxidation of n-butyl acetate. Both fresh and industrially aged commercial Pt/Al2O3catalysts were tested to determine optimal process conditions and the significance order and level of selected parameters. The effects of these parameters were evaluated by computer-aided statistical experimental design. According to the results, GHSV was the most dominant parameter in the oxidation of n-butyl acetate. Decreasing GHSV and increasing temperature increased the conversion of n-butyl acetate. The interaction effect of GHSV and temperature was more significant than the effect of concentration. Both of these affected the reaction by increasing the conversion of n-butyl acetate. Moisture had only a minor decreasing effect on the conversion, but it also decreased slightly the formation of by products. Ageing did not change the significance order of the above-mentioned parameters, however, the effects of individual parameters increased slightly as a function of ageing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (35) ◽  
pp. e2108647118
Author(s):  
Qiang Guo ◽  
Yuxuan Zhang ◽  
Azin Padash ◽  
Kenan Xi ◽  
Thomas M. Kovar ◽  
...  

The dynamics of granular materials are critical to many natural and industrial processes; granular motion is often strikingly similar to flow in conventional liquids. Food, pharmaceutical, and clean energy processes utilize bubbling fluidized beds, systems in which gas is flowed upward through granular particles, suspending the particles in a liquid-like state through which gas voids or bubbles rise. Here, we demonstrate that vibrating these systems at a resonant frequency can transform the normally chaotic motion of these bubbles into a dynamically structured configuration, creating reproducible, controlled motion of particles and gas. The resonant frequency is independent of particle properties and system size, and a simple harmonic oscillator model captures this frequency. Discrete particle simulations show that bubble structuring forms because of rapid, local transitions between solid-like and fluid-like behavior in the grains induced by vibration. Existing continuum models for gas–solid flows struggle to capture these fluid–solid transitions and thus cannot predict the bubble structuring. We propose a constitutive relationship for solids stress that predicts fluid–solid transitions and hence captures the experimental structured bubbling patterns. Similar structuring has been observed by oscillating gas flow in bubbling fluidized beds. We show that vibrating bubbling fluidized beds can produce a more ordered structure, particularly as system size is increased. The scalable structure and continuum model proposed here provide the potential to address major issues with scale-up and optimal operation, which currently limit the use of bubbling fluidized beds in existing and emerging technologies.


2004 ◽  
Vol 58 (12) ◽  
pp. 563-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihajlo Stankovic ◽  
Nadica Stojanovic ◽  
Nada Nikolic ◽  
Vesna Novkovic

The kinetics of extraction of total lipids from ground parsley (Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Nym. ex. A.W. Hill) seeds with a mixture of ethanol or methanol with non-polar organic solvents, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene and petroleum ether, at various temperatures were studied. The maceration technique with reflux was used. The kinetic parameters were determined in extraction kinetic equations, as well as the optimal operation conditions for total lipids extraction. The maximum total lipids yield under optimal conditions was 33.7 g per 100 g of dry parsley seeds. Nine lipid fractions of the total lipids were separated by thin layer chromatography among which were phospholipids, sterol, mono-, di- and triacylglycerol, free fatty acids and carbohydrates.


2022 ◽  
pp. 66-83
Author(s):  
Qingjiao Zhu ◽  
Xintong Guo ◽  
Yanan Guo ◽  
Jingjing Ma ◽  
Qingjie Guo

With the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization in China, wastewater treatment is increasing yearly. As a by-product of wastewater treatment, the gasification of sludge with coal in chemical looping process is a clean and efficient conversion technology. To explore the reaction behavior of cogasification of sludge and coal with iron-based oxygen carriers (OCs) for producing hydrogen-rich syngas, the experiment of cogasification using Fe2O3/Al2O3 as OC in a fluidized bed reactor was conducted. The result showed that the volume percentage of hydrogen (H2) and syngas yield is proportional to the amount of sludge added. The optimal operation conditions were: temperature at 900 °C, the mass ratio of OC to coal at 5.80 and mass ratio of sludge to coal at 0.2. Under this operating condition, the volume percentage of H2 and syngas yield in the flue gas was 75.6 vol% and 97.5 L·min-1·kg-1, respectively. Besides, the OC showed a stable reactivity in the sixth redox cycle with added sludge. However, the reactivity of OC significantly declined in the seventh and eighth redox cycles. It was recovered when the ash was separated. The decrease in the specific surface area of the OC caused by ash deposition is the main reason for the decline in its reactivity. The kinetic analysis showed that the random pore model describes the reaction mechanism of sludge/coal chemical looping gasification (CLG). The addition of sludge can reduce the activation energy of coal CLG reaction, accelerate the gasification reaction rate and increase the carbon conversion.


Author(s):  
Ala’a Al-okaily ◽  
Placid Ferreira

Micro-transfer printing is rapidly emerging as an effective pathway for heterogeneous materials integration. The process transfers pre-fabricated micro- and nano-scale structures, referred to as “ink,” from growth donor substrates to functional receiving substrates. As a non-contact pattern transfer method, Laser Micro-Transfer Printing (LMTP) has been introduced to enhance the capabilities of transfer printing technology to be independent of the receiving substrate material, geometry, and preparation. Using micro fabricated square silicon as inks and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the stamp material. The previous work on the LMTP process focused on experimentally characterizing and modeling the effects of transferred inks’ sizes and thicknesses, and laser beam powers on the laser-driven delamination process mechanism. In this paper, several studies are conducted to understand the effects of other process parameters such as stamp post dimensions (size and height), PDMS formulation for the stamp, ink-stamp alignment, and the shape of the transferred silicon inks on the LMTP performance and mechanism. The studies are supported by both experimental data for the laser pulse duration required to initiate the delamination, and thermo-mechanical FEA model predictions of the energy stored at the interface’s edges to release the ink (Energy Release Rate (ERR)), stress levels at the delamination crack tip (Stress Intensity Factors (SIFs)), and interfacial temperature. This study, along with previous studies, should help LMTP users to understand the effects of the process parameters on the process performance so as to select optimal operation conditions.


Author(s):  
Jan Deylen ◽  
Jessica Köpplin ◽  
Dominique Thevenin

Abstract A Pitot-tube Jet-Pump (PTJ pump) has been considerably modified and extended in order to continuously separate and transport liquids of different densities. As a first application, an oil-water mixture is considered in this work. The modified PTJ pump could be used as a primary separator for oil-polluted water (e.g., around off-shore platforms, after oil spills from ships), while additionally being able to transport the resulting fluid to further heaters, exchangers, centrifuges, distillation columns, etc., without necessitating additional machinery. The performance behavior of the separating PTJ pump (abbreviated SPP in what follows) has been first investigated with computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and then validated by comparison with experimental data acquired on a small-scale prototype. Based on these observations, a design tool has been developed to (i) predict performance and (ii) support proper device scaling. This tool is based on dimensionless parameters that are already employed for classical turbomachinery, similar to the Cordier chart. However, since the SPP works at an extremely low specific speed, its operating points lie outside the standard Cordier chart. To verify the accuracy of the design tool, a scale-up test has been conducted and validated by CFD, delivering a good agreement. A separation efficiency better than 99% has been obtained in the experiments for suitable operation conditions, while the numerical scale-up test reveals a head of 15.1 m and an oil content below 0.2% in the purified water at the High-Pressure Outlet.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 117862211988048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erick R Bandala ◽  
Oscar M Rodriguez-Narvaez

Cavitation is considered a high energy demanding process for water treatment. For this study, we used a simple experimental setup to generate cavitation at a low pressure (low energy) and test it for hydroxyl radical production using a well-known chemical probe as a hydroxyl radical scavenger. The conditions for generating the cavitation process (eg, pressure, flow velocity, temperature, and other significant variables) were used to degrade model contaminants, an azo dye and an antibiotic. The amount of hydroxyl radicals generated by the system was estimated using N,N-dimethyl-p-nitrosoaniline (pNDA) as hydroxyl radical scavenger. The capability of hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) to degrade contaminants was assessed using Congo red (CR) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) as model contaminants. Different chemical models were analyzed using UV-visible spectrophotometry (for pNDA and CR) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (for SMX) after HC treatment under different process conditions (ie, pressure of 13.7 and 10.3 kPa, and flow rates of 0.14 to 3.6 × 10−4 m3/s). No pNDA bleaching was observed for any of the reaction conditions tested after 60 minutes of treatment, which suggests that there was no hydroxyl radical generation during the process. However, 50% degradation of CR and 25% degradation of SMX were observed under the same process conditions, comparable with previously reported results. These results suggest that the process is most likely thermally based rather than radically based, and therefore, it can degrade organic pollutants even if no hydroxyl radicals are produced. Hydrodynamic cavitation, either alone or coupled with other advanced water technologies, has been identified as a promising technology for removing organic contaminants entering the water cycle; however, more research is still needed to determine the specific mechanisms involved in the process and the optimal operation conditions for the system.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 2029
Author(s):  
Christian C. Blesken ◽  
Tessa Strümpfler ◽  
Till Tiso ◽  
Lars M. Blank

The production of biosurfactants is often hampered by excessive foaming in the bioreactor, impacting system scale-up and downstream processing. Foam fractionation was proposed to tackle this challenge by combining in situ product removal with a pre-purification step. In previous studies, foam fractionation was coupled to bioreactor operation, hence it was operated at suboptimal parameters. Here, we use an external fractionation column to decouple biosurfactant production from foam fractionation, enabling continuous surfactant separation, which is especially suited for system scale-up. As a subsequent product recovery step, continuous foam adsorption was integrated into the process. The configuration is evaluated for rhamnolipid (RL) or 3-(3-hydroxyalkanoyloxy)alkanoic acid (HAA, i.e., RL precursor) production by recombinant non-pathogenic Pseudomonas putida KT2440. Surfactant concentrations of 7.5 gRL/L and 2.0 gHAA/L were obtained in the fractionated foam. 4.7 g RLs and 2.8 g HAAs could be separated in the 2-stage recovery process within 36 h from a 2 L culture volume. With a culture volume scale-up to 9 L, 16 g RLs were adsorbed, and the space-time yield (STY) increased by 31% to 0.21 gRL/L·h. We demonstrate a well-performing process design for biosurfactant production and recovery as a contribution to a vital bioeconomy.


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