• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.1445-1453
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• 2013

The scale-up criterion of constant oxygen mass transfer coefficient ($k_La$) was applied for the production of itaconic acid (IA) in a 50 L pilot-scale fermentor by the fungal cells of Aspergillus terreus. Various operating conditions were examined to collect as many $k_La$ data as possible by adjusting the stirring speed and aeration rate in both 5 L and 50 L fermentor systems. In the fermentations performed with the 5 L fermentor, the highest IA production was obtained under the operating conditions of 200 rpm and 1.5 vvm. Accordingly, we intended to find out parallel agitation and aeration rates in the 50 L fermentor system, under which the $k_La$ value measured was almost identical to that ($0.02sec^{-1}$) of the 5 L system. The conditions of 180 rpm and 0.5 vvm in the 50 L system turned out to be optimal for providing almost the same volumetric amount of dissolved oxygen (DO) into the fermentor, without causing shear damage to the producing cells due to excessive agitation. Practically identical fermentation physiologies were observed in both fermentations performed under those respective operating conditions, as demonstrated by nearly the same values of volumetric ($Q_p$) and specific ($q_p$) IA production rates, IA production yield ($Y_{p/s}$), and specific growth rate (${\mu}$). Specifically, the negligible difference of the specific growth rate (${\mu}$) between the two cultures (i.e., $0.029h^{-1}$ vs. $0.031h^{-1}$) was notable, considering the fact that ${\mu}$ normally has a significant influence on $q_p$ in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites such as itaconic acid.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.245-250
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• 2006

The effects of aliphatic hydrocarbons (n-hexadecane and n-dodecane) on the volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficient $(k_L\;a)$ were studied in flat alveolar airlift reactor and continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs). In the flat alveolar airlift reactor, high aeration rates (>2vvm) were required in order to obtain efficient organic-aqueous phase dispersion and reliable $k_La$ measurements. Addition of 1% (v/v) n-hexadecane or n-dodecane increased the $k_La$ 1.55- and 1.33-fold, respectively, compared to the control (superficial velocity: $25.8{\times}10^{-3}m/s$, sparger orifice diameter: 0.5 mm). Analysis of the gas-liquid interfacial area a and the liquid film mass transfer coefficient $k_L$ suggests that the observed $k_La$ increase was a function of the media's liquid film mass transfer. Addition of 1% (v/v) n-hexadecane or n-dodecane to analogous setups using CSTRs led to a $k_La$ increase by a factor of 1.68 and 1.36, respectively (superficial velocity: $2.1{\times}10^{-3}m/s$, stirring rate: 250 rpm). These results propose that low-concentration addition of oxygen-vectors to aerobic microbial cultures has additional benefit relative to incubation in purely aqueous media.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.269-270
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• 2002

Oxygen is a key substrate in animal cell metabolism and its consumption is thus a parameter of great interest for monitoring and control in animal cell culture bioreactor. The use of a gas-permeable membrane offered the possibility to provide the required quantity of oxygen into the culture. while avoiding problems of foaming or shear damage generally linked to sparging. For determining the optimum DO control strategy of this gas-permeable membrane aeration bioreactor, the oxygen transfer rate coefficient was measured with varying $N_2$ ratio in inlet air. The results showed that an increasing mass flow rate of nitrogen reduced the $K_La$ value. and 5% nitrogen in air did not result in any oxygen limitation.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.276-280
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• 2021

The oxygen transfer rate at the liquid surface of the reciprocally shaking vessel was studied. The required power of the reciprocally shaking vessel was not proportional to the shaking frequency, unlike the rotational shaking vessel, and the liquid level suddenly fluctuated greatly at a certain frequency as the flow pattern in the vessel was a left and right wave flow different from that of the rotational shaking that has a rotational flow. The effect of the shaking frequency on the required power in the reciprocally shaking vessel was very complex, such as less power required than the rotational shaking vessel when the shaking frequency is more than 3 s-1, but the required power for the range of the generated rotational flow in the reciprocally shaking vessel could be correlated with the equation that was reported for the rotational shaking vessel. The kLa (mass transfer capacity coefficient) in the reciprocally shaking vessel also increased in a complex pattern because the required power for shaking was not consumed in a simple pattern, unlike kLa in the rotational shaking vessel, which increases linearly with increasing frequency. The kLa of the reciprocally shaking vessel was larger than the kLa of the rotational shaking vessel, and as the kLa value increased, the difference between them increased sharply. As a result, the oxygen transfer rate in the reciprocal motion was greater than that of the rotational motion, and could be correlated with the required power per unit volume.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.211-223
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• 1994

In fermentations with a 4-liter stirred tank bioreactor, a better than two-fold enhancement of the gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient$(k_La)$ in the celite-immobilized fungal cultures of Tolypocladium in flatum over the parallel conventional free-cell was observed at identical biomass concentrations, despite the higher specific oxygen uptake rate of the immobilized fungi during exponential growth. As a result oxygen sufficient conditions, i. e., dissolve oxygen(D.O.) concentrations exceeding 75% air saturation, could be maintained throughout exponential growth period of the immobilized culture, in contrast to the suspended fungal culture, whose D.O. levels fell below 50% air saturation. A linear monotonic dependence of $k_La$ upon impeller agitaion rate was found for both immobilized and conventional cultivation modes over a range of 250 to 550rpm, the slope being a function of biomass concentration for the free but not for the immobilized cell system In contrasts oxygen transfer rate was a much weaker function of aeration rate up to about 2.5 vvm for both culture configurations. Above this level, aeration rate had no further effect on the mass transfer. In addition, the immobilized cultures sustained good morphological and physiological states, leading to almost two times higher cyclosporln A (CyA) productivity overt the parallel free cell system. These experiments suggest that the celite-immobilized fungal system in a stirred tank reactor has considerable promise for scaling up cyclosporin A production in terms of high-density cultivation.