title: A novel membrane-integrated fermentation reactor system: application to pyruvic acid production in continuous culture by Torulopsis glabrata.
abstract: This paper describes the performance of a novel bio-reactor system, the membrane-integrated fermentation reactor (MFR), for efficient continuous fermentation. The MFR, equipped with an autoclavable polyvinylidene difluoride membrane, has normally been used for biological wastewater treatment. The productivity of the MFR system, applied to the continuous production of pyruvic acid by the yeast Torulopsis glabrata, was remarkably high. The volumetric productivity of pyruvic acid increased up to 4.2 g/l/h, about four times higher than that of batch fermentation. Moreover, the membrane was able to filter fermentation broth for more than 300 h without fouling even though the cell density of the fermentation broth reached 600 as OD(660). Transmembrane pressure, used as an indicator of membrane fouling, remained below 5 kPa throughout the continuous fermentation. These results clearly indicate that the MFR system is a simple and highly efficient system that is applicable to the fermentative production of a range of biochemicals.
authors.affiliation: New Frontiers Research Laboratories, Toray Industries, Inc., 6-1-10 Tebiro, Kamakura, Kanagawa, 248-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sawai
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mimitsuka
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minegishi
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Henmi
authors.forename: Katsushige
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Sakayu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Tetsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yonehara
mesh_terms: D019149:Bioreactors; D041221:Candida glabrata / Q000378:metabolism*; D005285:Fermentation; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation; D007218:Industrial Microbiology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011145:Polyvinyls / Q000737:chemistry*; D019289:Pyruvic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D005465:Fluorocarbon Polymers
chemical_list: D011145:Polyvinyls; D019289:Pyruvic Acid; C024865:polyvinylidene fluoride; D005465:Fluorocarbon Polymers