title: Hollow-fiber enzyme reactor operating under nonisothermal conditions.
abstract: A hollow-fiber enzyme reactor, operating under isothermal and nonisothermal conditions, was built employing a polypropylene hollow fiber onto which beta-galactosidase was immobilized. Hexamethylenediamine and glutaraldehyde were used as spacer and coupling agent, respectively. Glucose production was studied as a function of temperature, substrate concentration, and size of the transmembrane temperature gradient. The actual average temperature differences across the polypropylene fiber, to which reference was done to evaluate the effect of the nonisothermal conditions, were calculated by means of a mathematical approach, which made it possible to know, using computer simulation, the radial and axial temperature profiles inside the bioreactor and across the membrane. Percent activity increases, proportional to the size of the temperature gradients, were found when the enzyme activities under nonisothermal conditions were compared to those measured under comparable isothermal conditions. Percent reductions of the production times, proportional to the applied temperature gradients, were also calculated. The advantage of employing nonisothermal bioreactors in biotechnological industrial process was discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Biophysics A. Buzzati Traverso" of CNR, Via G. Marconi 12, 80125 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Diano
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Grano
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bencivenga
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Portaccio
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carfora
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lepore
authors.forename: Francesco Saverio
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Gaeta
authors.forename: Damiano Gustavo
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Mita
mesh_terms: D019149:Bioreactors; D002384:Catalysis; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003959:Diamines / Q000737:chemistry; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004800:Enzymes, Immobilized / Q000737:chemistry*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005947:Glucose / Q000737:chemistry*; D005976:Glutaral / Q000737:chemistry; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008956:Models, Chemical; D016062:Porosity; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013696:Temperature; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D003959:Diamines; D004800:Enzymes, Immobilized; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D001616:beta-Galactosidase; D005947:Glucose; D005976:Glutaral; C007297:1,6-diaminohexane