PRODUCTION OF ETHANOL WITH SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE IN A CONTINUOUS REACTOR Note II: tests and modelling for a packed tubular reactor with immobilized yeasts

Abstract

The biochemical production of ethanol has been studied in a packed tubular reactor with Saccharomyces Cerevisiae immobilized on wooden cubes. The kinetics of the reaction was described in a previous paper. The experimental axial profiles for the substrate and product concentrations are compared with those calculated from a reactor model obtained by introducing the biochemical kinetic expression in the design equations. A good fit between the experimental and the calculated values could only be obtained by including a biological efficiency coefficient. The reactor was kept in operation for 28 days to assess its technological reliability. It was found to be biologically stable. Its productivity was constant and comparable to that reported in the literature for similar reactors.