Scale-up of production of bacterial nanocellulose using submerged cultivation

• BACKGROUND: More extensive utilization of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is severely restricted by the low efficiency and small scale of the traditional static cultivation. Submerged fermentation in stirred-tank reactors (STRs) is potentially favourable for large-scale production of BNC, but scale-up of cultivation remains challenging. Even though the STR is most commonly used for submerged cultivation in the fermentation industry, there are few previous attempts to scale-up production of BNC to pilot scale using an STR. Furthermore, the question of how scale-up of submerged cultivation affects the properties of the BNC has received very little attention. RESULTS: Four strains were compared in 250-mL shake flasks. Strain DHU-ATCC-1 displayed the highest volumetric productivity, 0.56 g L−1 d−1, and was then cultivated in a 400-mL STR, showing a similar productivity of 0.55 g L−1 d−1. Scale-up using a 75-L STR pilot bioreactor resulted in enhancement of the BNC production rate from 0.056 g d−1 in the shake flasks to 17.3 g d−1 in the 75-L STR, although the productivity decreased to 0.43 g L−1 d−1. During scale-up from shake flasks to 400-mL STR and further on to 75-L STR, the BNC fibers formed more bundles, whereas the fiber diameter decreased from 25.6 to 21.7 nm. The BNC from the 75-L STR exhibited a higher degree of polymerization, specifically 3230, higher degree of crystallinity, specifically 83%, larger crystallites, and improved strength including higher tensile energy absorption index and superior stretch at break. CONCLUSION: It is possible to enhance BNC production, and maintain or improve its properties when scaling up submerged cultivation in STRs.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Biokemi och molekylärbiologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

bacterial nanocellulose

Komagataeibacter xylinus

mechanical property

productivity

stirred-tank reactor

structure

Bottles

Cellulose

Chemical industry

Fermentation

Mechanical properties

Structure (composition)

Tanks (containers)

Degree of crystallinity

Degree of polymerization

Large scale productions

Stirred tank reactors

Submerged fermentation

Tensile energy absorption index

Volumetric productivity

Nanocellulose

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)