Biotechnology Letters, Vol.23, No.14, 1109-1113, 2001
Oxygen mass-transfer performance of low viscosity gas-liquid-solid system in a split-cylinder airlift bioreactor
The O-2 mass-transfer coefficient, k(L)a, decreased by 20% when the viscosity of a simulated broth increased from 1.38 x 10(-3) to 3.43 x 10(-3) Pa s in a split-cylinder airlift bioreactor with a broth volume of 41 l. When the paper pulp concentration was below 10 g l(-1), k(L)a hardly changed. While at 30 g l(-1), k(L)a decreased by 56%. C2O42- and Na+ were found to have some effect on the k(L)a value.