Conversion of citric acid to itaconic acid in a novel liquid membrane bioreactor

• Published in: Journal of chemical technology and biotechnology (1986) Vol. 75; no. 1; pp. 66 - 72
• Main Authors: Bressler, Eyal, Braun, Sergei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.01.2000; Wiley
• Subjects: Aspergillus terreus; Batch cell culture; bioconversion; Bioconversions. Hemisynthesis; Biological and medical sciences; bioreactor; Bioreactors; Biotechnology; Carboxylic acids; citric acid; Enzyme inhibition; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungi; itaconic acid; Liquid membranes; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; Substrates; supported liquid membrane (SLM); Fungi; Performance evaluation; Itaconic acid; Membrane reactor; Bioreactor; Biotransformation; Liquid membrane; Fungi Imperfecti; Aspergillus terreus; Citric acid; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0268-2575; 1097-4660
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-4660(200001)75:1<66::AID-JCTB176>3.0.CO;2-U

A novel liquid membrane reactor was designed to carry out the conversion of citric acid to itaconic (methylene succinic) acid by the fungus Aspergillus terreus. This bioreactor contained two supported liquid membranes (SLMs) that divided it into three compartments: (1) the feed chamber containing citric acid; (2) the reaction chamber containing the enzyme A terreus cells; and (3) the product collection chamber containing the counter‐ion. The specificity of SLMs allows the unidirectional flow, of the substrate from the feed to the reaction chamber, and of the product from the reaction to the product chamber in exchange for a counter‐ion, thus maintaining low concentrations of both the product and the substrate, and limiting their inhibitory effects on the conversion process. The yield of itaconic acid in the membrane bioreactor was about two orders of magnitude higher than in the batch process. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry