Comparative evaluation of radial impellers efficiency for bioreactors with stirred bed of immobilized cells 1. Disperser sawtooth and smith turbine
Keywords:
bioreactor, stirred bed, immobilized cells, yeasts, mixing, mixing time, radial impeller, Rushton turbine, disperser sawtooth, Smith turbineAbstract
The influences of the main factors on mixing efficiency and distribution for a bioreactor with stirred bed of S. cerevisiae immobilized cells in alginate (biocatalysts with 4, 4.6 and 5.2 mm diameters) have been comparatively analyzed for three radial impellers: disperser sawtooth, Smith turbine and Rushton turbine. The most efficient impeller, from the viewpoint of intensity and uniformity of suspension circulation, was found to be the Smith turbine. The optimum size of alginate particles was of 4.6 mm, because it compensates the friction specific to the smaller particles and the deposition of the bigger particles, the values of mixing time recorded for this size of biocatalysts using the Smith turbine being the lowest ones.
