이상추출배양을 통한 Botryococcu braunii에서의 탄화수소 생산

The green colonial algae Botryococcus braunii is characterized by unusual high hydrocarbon contents, ranging from 15 to 75% of dry weight, as long-chain unsaturated hydrocarbons. In two-phase bubble column using various organic solvents, poor recovery 08 - 32%) of hydrocarbon seems to be caused by insufficient mixing between two phases, which was operated using only aeration on the narrow interface between hydrophobic solvent and cell suspension. In addition, hydrocarbon was entrapped tightly in cell-matrix (formed by exopolysaccharide) of algal colony, which make difficult to extract using two-phase system. To improve recovery efficiency, mixed-solvent of extractive solvent (octane) and biocompatible solvent (octane) was tested in two-phase column for in situ extraction. In two-phase extraction culture using mixed-solvent, the algal growth was intensely inhibited even at low concentration of polar octanol solvent. the hydrocarbon recovery in two-stage cell-recycle extraction showed a 2.9 fold increase (57%) over that in two-phase extraction. Up to 60 % of hydrocarbon could be recovered without serious cell-damage in the case of downstream separation for 6 h at the high recycle flow rate using this process after batch culture.

본 연구에서는 균주의 배양과 동시에 생산물을 회수할 수 있는 동시추출공정을 건조질량의 $15{\sim}75$ %의 탄화수소를 생산한다고 알려진 B. braunii 배양에 적용하고자 한다. 일반적인 tow-phase 동시 추출공정의 적용시 B. braunii의 경우 생산된 탄화수소가 균주 외벽의 matrix에 강하게 부착되어 있기 때문에, two phase 추출공정 적용시 bubble solumn내에서 단지 폭기에 의한 교반만으로는 충분한 탄화수소의 회수율을 얻을 수가 없었다. 본 연구에서는 배양액과 유기용매층의 접촉기회를 증대시킨 two-stage 동시추출 공정을 개발하여 기존의 two-stage 동시추출 공정보다 2배 이상 높은 57 %의 탄화수소 회수율을 얻을 수가 있었고, 이를 회분배양후 후속분리공정으로 이용할 경우 6시간 추출후 62 %의 회수율을 얻을 수가있었다.