Bioreaktor
Bioreaktor
Bioreaktor
www.elsevier.nl/locate/ultras
Abstract
Bioreactors are broadly applied in biotechnology and wastewater treatments. The so-called advanced bioreactor systems should
be optimised in a more compact, more efficient and more effective form. One method of optimisation is the improvement of the
solid–liquid interface of the sludge flocs and the mass transfer rate of gas and nutrients in the liquid. This could be obtained by
the intake of ultrasound in the bioreactor at a frequency of 25 kHz and a power input of 0.3 W l−1. An increase in the biological
activity of the process investigated with alternating ultrasound as well as a decrease without ultrasound were measured. © 2000
Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Activated biomass; Improved wine fermentation; Process-water recycling; Ultrasound assisted bioreactor
0041-624X/00/$ - see front matter © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S0 0 4 1 -6 2 4 X ( 9 9 ) 0 0 13 2 - 8
712 O. Schläfer et al. / Ultrasonics 38 (2000) 711–716
2.2. Medium and preculture treated volume of the medium was 4 l and the stirring
unit in the reactor was operated at 120 rpm.
A synthetic glucose medium was used to simulate the In order to obtain reproducible results in some experi-
wastewater from the wine and juice industry. It consisted ments, it was important to keep the micro-organisms in
of 10 g of glucose, 4 g of peptone from casein and 2 g the pile for a longer time in a fixed state with almost
of yeast extract in 1 l distilled water. After dissolving constant biomass concentration. Consequently, the bio-
the compounds, the medium was sterilized with steam reactors were combined with a continuous system. A
at 121°C for 25 min. S. cerevisiae was grown in this 20 l container with nutrient solution supplied the reactor
medium at 27°C in 500 ml Erlenmeyer flasks in a shaking with fresh solution. The inflow and outflow quantities
incubator to a cell density of 2×107 ml−1. The experi- were controlled with a calibrated peristaltic pump. To
ment was started with an inoculum of 1% preculture make the fermentation processes anaerobic, the reactor
and then grown up to an optical density of 1.0 at and the media were gassed out with nitrogen. After
wavelength of 550 nm (OD ) before ultrasound inoculation, it was necessary to regulate all parameters
550 nm
treatment was initiated. to reach a steady state before starting the ultrasound
experiments.
2.3. Materials
2.5. Ultrasonic treatment
The used chemicals were from the Merck Company
(Germany) with FermtechA quality for microbiology. The ultrasound acoustic irradiation of the reactor
with micro-organisms in the culture medium was made
2.4. Bioreactor plant and fermentation by a specially constructed flange with an attached inter-
changeable transducer at the bottom of the reactor as
To fulfil all the requirements mentioned above, the shown in Fig. 2. The tranducer has a diameter of 5 cm
special bioreactor plant (shown in Fig. 1) was and was glued on a steel plate of 10 cm diameter. The
constructed. range of the frequency generator was adjustable between
The laboratory-scale reactor plant comprised two 15 and 100 kHz with a variable performance up to
identical 5 l cylindrical containers made of laboratory 0.6 W. A subsequent ultrasound amplifier increases the
glass with a flanged bottom plate made of stainless steel power up to a maximum of 150 W. An oscilloscope was
where different ultrasound transducers could be fixed installed on the secondary circuit to directly control the
and a top flange with all pipes and measurement equip- power at the transducer. After testing several different
ment were inserted. These two identical reactors were frequencies and power levels, the subsequent experi-
built to enable parallel test series with and without ments were carried out at 25 kHz and 0.3 W l−1 for low
ultrasound treatment. Additional tests were run under energy ultrasound and at 12 W l−1 for high power
sterile and temperature controlled conditions. The ultrasound. This was because the best output as regards
6. Results
treatment at an ultrasound intensity of 12W l−1, there was 0.3 W l−1, the ethanol concentration increased to values
no recognizable difference in the biological activity with between 18 and above 30 g l−1. In accordance with [1],
and without ultrasound. the highest ethanol concentrations were obtained with
a cycle regime of ultrasound exposure and a pause.
6.2. Increase of ethanol concentration by ultrasonic Lower ethanol concentrations were obtained at short
irradiation time intervals and higher frequencies (spikes), while with
continuous ultrasound irradiation no stimulation in the
An increase in the ethanol production from the tested ethanol fermentation process was recorded.
biological process with low power ultrasound, as well
as a decrease without ultrasound, were recorded as 6.3. Ultrasonic field in the reactor
shown in Fig. 6. The ethanol production without ultra-
sonic treatment varied between 3 and 12 g l−1. At an To acquire information on the grade of ultrasound
ultrasound frequency of 25 kHz and a power input of intensity as function of the distance of the micro-
O. Schläfer et al. / Ultrasonics 38 (2000) 711–716 715