Production of Bacterial Cellulose by Pilot Scale and Its Properties

The saccharogenic liquid (SFW) obtained by the enzymatic saccharification of food wastes was used as a medium for production of bacterial cellulose (BC). The enzymatic saccharification of food wastes was carried out by the cultivation supernatant of Tricoderma inhamatum KSJ1 culture. Acetobacter xylinum KJ1 was employed for the BC production culture. Under the scaled-up aeration condition of 1.0 vvm, 5.64 g/L of BC was produced in 3 days cultivation in 50 L air circulation bioreactor using SFW medium with addition of 0.4% agar. The productivity was similar to that of 10 L air circulation bioreactor (5.84 g/L). This cultivation method with 50 L air circulation bioreactor decreasing shear stress and increasing oxygen transfer coefficient ($k_La$) was very useful in BC mass production. The physical properties, such as morphology, molecular weight, crystallinity, and tensile strength of BC produced by the static culture (A), the air circulation culture using 10 L bioreactor (B) and 50 L bioreactor (C) were investigated. The number average molecular weight of BCs produced under the different culture conditions (A-C) showed 2,578,000, 1,975,000, and 1,809,000, respectively. Tensile strength was 1.72 $kg/mm^2$, 1.19 $kg/mm^2$, and 1.18 $kg/mm^2$, respectively. All of the BCs had a form of cellulose I representing pure cellulose. The relative degree of crystallinity showed the range of 86.2$\sim$87.8%. BC production by the air circulation culture mode brought more favorable results in terms of the physical properties and its ease of scale-up. Therefore, it is expected that the new BC production method, the air circulation culture using SFW, would contribute greatly to BC-related manufacturing.

Pilot Scale의 박테리아 셀룰로오스 생산 및 그의 물성

본 연구에서는 음식폐기물 효소당화액을 BC생산 배지원으로 이용하여, flask정치배양과 50 L로 규모확대한 공기순환배양기에서 BC생산성을 검토하고, 생산된 BC의 제반물성을 조사하였다. 전단력을 낮추기 위해 당화액배지에 agar를 첨가하여 10 L, 50 L 공기순환배양기에서 배양한 결과, 50 L 규모로 scale-up한 반응기에서 5.64 g/L로 10 L 공기순환배양기 (5.84 g/L)에서와 동등한 BC 농도가 얻어져 BC 대량생산에 효과적인 배양방법임이 입증되었다. 50 L 규모로 확대된 공기순환배양기를 이용하는 본 배양 방법은 BC의 저비용 대량생산을 위한 효율적인 생산 방법 중 하나가 되리라 사료된다. 또한, 당화액을 배지로 하여 공기순환 방법으로 제조한 BC의 물성을 정치배양 방법으로 제조한 BC의 물성과 비교 검토한 결과, 공기순환법으로 제조하였을 때 중합도 및 역학적 성질이 약간 저하하였으나 결정성은 비슷하였으며, 배양기 용량의 대소에 따른 물성의 변화는 거의 없었다.