Bubbles and Broth

Bubbles and Broth: A review on the impact of broth composition on bubble column bioreactor hydrodynamics

Volger, R. (TU Delft BT/Bioprocess Engineering)
Puiman, L. (TU Delft BT/Bioprocess Engineering)
Haringa, C. (TU Delft BT/Bioprocess Engineering)

2024

The growing global population and heightened concern for climate change leads to increased interest in utilizing microbial fermentations to replace polluting production processes for e.g., plastics, fuels, and animal proteins. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a valuable tool for accelerating the scale-up and optimization of large-scale bioprocesses. However, the design correlations underlying most of these CFD models are validated with air-water systems, not accounting for the distinct hydrodynamic properties of microbial fermentation broth. In this review, we provide an extensive overview of the current understanding of how various biotechnologically relevant solutes impact the hydrodynamics of bubble columns. We examine the effects of components found in fermentation broths, including salts, surfactants, viscoelastic solutes, alcohols, acids, ketones, sugars, biomass, and proteins, on mass transfer, bubble formation, bubble interactions, and flow regime transitions. These components all exhibit unique effects, yet their combined influences remain poorly understood. Future research should prioritize identifying the concentration at which coalescence inhibition occurs for different compounds, especially in mixtures, and exploring the role of proteins in bubble column hydrodynamics from micro- to macroscale.

Bioprocesses
Bioreactor scale-up
Bubble columns
Hydrodynamics

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e1b419c1-b48e-4462-a5ab-8b39f951e6f4

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bej.2023.109124

1369-703X

Biochemical Engineering Journal, 201

Institutional Repository

review

© 2024 R. Volger, L. Puiman, C. Haringa