Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1002/bit.22351
Title (Primary) Effective diffusivities and mass fluxes in fungal biopellets
Author Hille, A.; Neu, T.R.; Hempel, D.C.; Horn, H.
Source Titel Biotechnology and Bioengineering
Year 2009
Department FLOEK
Volume 103
Issue 6
Page From 1202
Page To 1213
Language englisch
Keywords effective diffusion coefficient; Aspergillus niger; mass transport; microelectrode; CLSM
Abstract Mass transport within biological aggregates is a key process that can determine overall turnover rates in submerged cultivations. A parameter commonly used for its description is the effective diffusion coefficient D eff, which is highly dependent on biomass density and structure. Different approaches have been used to estimate or measure D eff, yet the data still shows broad scattering. This study provides experimental data on effective diffusivities of oxygen within fungal pellets. A correlation is found with the hyphal gradient (dh/dr), which is a morphological parameter describing the structure of the pellet periphery. Furthermore, the dependency of D eff on fluid dynamic conditions at the pellet is investigated. The comparison of the results with data from literature clearly demonstrates the influence of the experimental methodology applied for determination of D eff. Moreover, it is shown that while diffusion limitation of whole pellets is mainly a function of size, the influence of advection in the outer zone of pellets that is supplied with oxygen is actually rather high. Thus, it is concluded that the effective diffusion coefficient might not be sufficient for the description of mass transport within the pellet periphery for a broad range of realistic fluid dynamic conditions during cultivation. Nevertheless, although actual mass transport rates inside pellets are unknown, mass fluxes can be calculated on the basis of spatially resolved data of oxygen and biomass distribution within the pellet. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;103: 1202-1213.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=269
Hille, A., Neu, T.R., Hempel, D.C., Horn, H. (2009):
Effective diffusivities and mass fluxes in fungal biopellets
Biotechnol. Bioeng. 103 (6), 1202 - 1213 10.1002/bit.22351