Mixing design for enzymatic hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse: methodology for selection of impeller configuration

Author(s)

Correa, Luciano Jacob ^[1] ; Badino, Alberto Colli ^{[1, 2]} ; Goncalves Cruz, Antonio Jose ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Chem Engn Grad Program, PPGEQ UFSCar, Rodovia Washington Luis Km 235, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Chem Engn, Rodovia Washington Luis Km 235, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering; v. 39, n. 2, p. 285-294, FEB 2016.
• Web of Science Citations: 15

Abstract

One of the major process bottlenecks for viable industrial production of second generation ethanol is related with technical-economic difficulties in the hydrolysis step. The development of a methodology to choose the best configuration of impellers towards improving mass transfer and hydrolysis yield together with a low power consumption is important to make the process cost-effective. In this work, four dual impeller configurations (DICs) were evaluated during hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) experiments in a stirred tank reactor (3 L). The systems tested were dual Rushton turbine impellers (DIC1), Rushton and elephant ear (down-pumping) turbines (DIC2), Rushton and elephant ear (up-pumping) turbines (DIC3), and down-pumping and up-pumping elephant ear turbines (DIC4). The experiments were conducted during 96 h, using 10 % (m/v) SCB, pH 4.8, 50 A degrees C, 10 FPU/g(biomass), 470 rpm. The mixing time was successfully used as the characteristic parameter to select the best impeller configuration. Rheological parameters were determined using a rotational rheometer, and the power consumptions of the four DICs were on-line measured with a dynamometer. The values obtained for the energetic efficiency (the ratio between the cellulose to glucose conversion and the total energy) showed that the proposed methodology was successful in choosing a suitable configuration of impellers, wherein the DIC4 obtained approximately three times higher energetic efficiency than DIC1. Furthermore a scale-up protocol (factor scale-up 1000) for the enzymatic hydrolysis reactor was proposed. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/23807-1 - Development and evaluation of the operational conditions of bioreactors for production of biotechnological products
• Grantee: Alberto Colli Badino Junior
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants