Effect of Biomass Concentration on Oxygen Mass Transfer, Power Consumption, Interfacial Tension and Hydrodynamics in a Multiphase Partitioning Bioreactor

Several studies have reported that the hydrodynamics are not affected by the biomass in multiphase partitioning bioreactors. This work aims to demonstrate the effect of biomass concentration (0, 1, 3 and 5 g L-1) on the oxygen mass transfer coefficients, the droplet size of the dispersed phase, power consumption and superficial tension in a multiphase partitioning bioreactor (ionic liquid-aqueous-air-biomass system). At a biomass concentration of 5 g L-1, the oxygen mass transfer coefficient (k(L)a) increased by 55% (249 h(-1)) compared with the abiotic system (160 h(-1)). In the multiphasic system, the droplet size (d(32)) decreased when the biomass concentration was increased, producing an increment in the mass transfer area of the dispersed phase. In addition, the power consumption decreased by 44 % compared to a previous report without biomass. Furthermore, the increment of biomass concentration decreased the superficial tension by up to 15 %. A biomass increment in a multiphase system not also increases product yield, but also enhances the bioconversion process. The results obtained suggest that it is obligatory to consider the effect of biomass concentration on hydrodynamic characterisation, design, scale-up and optimisation for improving the performance of biotechnological processes using multiphase bioreactors.