Effect of product inhibition patterns on the effectiveness factor of immobilized cell aggregates

• Published in: The Chemical engineering journal and the biochemical engineering journal Vol. 59; no. 3; pp. 309 - 314
• Main Authors: Dervakos, G.A., Webb, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 1995; Elsevier Sequoia
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Effectiveness factor; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Immobilization techniques; Immobilized cells; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; Product inhibition; Product inhibition; Effectiveness factor; Immobilized cells; Theoretical study; Immobilized cell; Aggregate
• ISSN: 0923-0467; 1873-3220
• DOI: 10.1016/0923-0467(95)03007-7

The effect of the bulk product concentration on the effectiveness factor of immobilized cell aggregates is shown to be dependent on the pattern of product inhibition experienced by the immobilized cells. If product inhibition is linear with respect to the product concentration, then the concentration of the inhibitory product in the bulk of the liquid phase is found to have no effect on the effectiveness factor of the immobilized cell aggregate. For a convex product inhibition curve, the particle effectiveness factor is found to increase with the bulk product concentration, while increasing the bulk product concentration has the opposite effect in the case of a concave product inhibition curve. However, the often observed heterogeneous biomass distribution in immobilized cell aggregates is found to reduce potential product inhibition effects.