Facing a multiphasic world

• Book ID: 101727848
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 62 KB
• Volume: 99
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0006-3592
• DOI: 10.1002/bit.21742

✦ Synopsis

Reactions in multiphasic systems-such as gas-liquidliquid-are gaining importance due to the increased number of applications using these systems in the bioprocess industry. However, the operation and control of such systems is challenging because the addition of dispersed liquid phases alters the dynamics of the system. In particular, the transfer rate of the solute gas across the boundary layer and the gas-liquid contact characteristics can be changed due to the interfacial properties of the dispersed liquid. Amaral and co-workers have contributed to a better understanding of this multiphasic world by studying the mechanisms involved in the oxygen transfer in a submerged aerated bioreactor in the presence of a second liquid phase: a perfluorocarbon used as an oxygen carrier. The authors show how the mass transfer in multiphasic systems is influenced by the bioreactor working volume, the type, and content of the organic phase and the composition of the aqueous phase.