Bioprocess consists of reaction (fermentation) and separation-purification steps. Reaction (fermentation) process is divided into oxygen-requiring aerobic and non-requiring anaerobic ones. Most of important biological products such as baker`s yeast, enzymes, amino acids, antibiotics and vitamin are produced by aerobic process. However, important fermentation variables of substrate conversion, product yield, productivity and final product concentration are limited by sparingly soluble oxygen in liquids (only 8ppm in water).I. Introduction
This research focuses on the regeneration of spent pure oxygen using pressure swing absorption process and on the facilitation of pure oxygen in fermentation that has not been applied frequently because of its high cost.
In this study, the recycled off-gas become feed gas to PSA process. So the PSA process is smaller than the one using air. And by construction of laboratory-scale regenerator of spent oxygen, expediting the use of this technology to existing fermentation industry. We will use biodegradable plastic producing Ralstonia eutropha, recombinant microbial cells with/without oxygen dependent promoter as model organisms and other microorganisms.
As a result of this investigation we will have a new knowledge on major fermentation variables with respect to pure oxygen ; we expect to achieve at least 3-4 times high cell concentration of microbial cells; regeneration technology of spent pure oxygen; development of small-scale oxygen regeneration system.
