title: Investigation of gas stripping and pervaporation for improved feasibility of two-stage butanol production process.
abstract: Gas stripping and pervaporation are investigated for butanol recovery in a two-stage acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation process. The first stage is operated in a continuous mode and the second stage as a fed-batch. Gas stripping coupled to the second stage and operated intermittently enabled additional glucose feeding in the second stage and up to 59 g/L butanol and 73 g/L total ABE solvents in the condensate. Concentration of 167 g/L butanol and 269 g/L ABE in the permeate was measured in ex situ pervaporation experiments using a PDMS membrane at temperature of 37 °C and pressure of 10mbars. The "operating window" tool is introduced to evaluate the feasibility of the existing ABE fermentations operated as continuous with cell recycle, as two-stages, with biomass immobilization or with integrated product removal. This tool enables the identification of the most favorable process configuration, which is the combination of cell immobilization and integrated product removal.
authors.affiliation: TU Dortmund University, Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Emil-Figge-Str. 66, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.
authors.forename: Mpho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Setlhaku
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heitmann
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Górak
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wichmann
mesh_terms: D000096:Acetone / Q000378:metabolism; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D000440:Butanols / Q000378:metabolism*; D046969:Clostridium acetobutylicum / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000378:metabolism; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005285:Fermentation; D005740:Gases / Q000737:chemistry*; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D000440:Butanols; D005740:Gases; D000096:Acetone; D000431:Ethanol