Avaliação da transferência de oxigênio em biorreatores de agitação mecânica e airlift visando à produção de pectinases por Aspergillus oryzae

Abstract

In stirred tank reactors (STR), circulation and mixing of fluid are influenced by the reactor configuration and by how the impellers and the gas spargers are arranged in them. On the other hand, in airlift bioreactors, their geometry and especially the type and form of oxygen sparging have an effect on both oxygen transfer and on microbial growth and product formation. Oxygen supply for the cultivation of Aspergillus oryzae IPT-301 is a key parameter due to the aerobic metabolism of this microorganism. In this context, oxygen transfer in both equipments was analyzed. They contained fluids with different viscosities: distilled water and different concentrations of pectin solutions. Through the use of fluid mechanics studies, empirical mathematical correlations were used in order to determine the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (KLa) to match experimental and calculated results. Pectinase production was also assessed in those devices. The culture medium contained salts, yeast extract, glucose and citrus pectin. Different Rushton and pitched blade impeller configurations were evaluated, as well as various gas sparger geometries, such as stainless steel horseshoe, sintered stone, aquarium and brass spargers, and also sintered glass funnels. In STR, factorial design showed that the largest KLa value was obtained with the combination of Rushton impellers, in water, with the aquarium sparger, at 700rpm and 1.71L/min; in airlift, with the same sparger, put in the outer space of the inner tube and with the sintered stone sparger. The empirical correlation proposed by Miller (1974) was the most suitable one to determine the power requirement by the fluids in this work, in STR and under aeration. The correlation proposed by Wang et al. (1979), with adaptations, was better adjusted to the data set with water; the correlation described by Badino Jr. et al. (2001) was better suited for pectin solutions. Three tests for enzyme production were processed in STR: with three Rushton impellers, in all of them, and horseshoe (A), aquarium (B) and aquarium with non-esterified pectin medium (C) spargers. In airlift, enzyme production was tested with aquarium (external) (A), sintered stone (B) and aquarium (external) with non-esterified pectin (C) spargers. In STR, the best result of KLa in cell-free medium was provided in condition C (29.88h-1), as well as economic advantages such as shorter length of maintenance of the maximum impeller speed (tf,máx) (A: 23h; B: 8.5h; C: 5h). Nonetheless, higher pectinase production was obtained in condition B (A: 24.60U/mL; B: 25.53U/mL, C: 13.36U/mL) in tf,máx shorter than in condition A. In airlift, higher oxygen transfer in cell-free medium was obtained in condition A (21.96h-1), as well as the lowest length of maintenance of the maximum specific gas flow rate (A: 29h; B: 72h; C: 57h). Furthermore, maximum enzyme activity was higher in the same condition (A: 24.61U/mL; B: 21.94U/mL, C: 2.29U/mL). Thus, we conclude that if the operational conditions for pectinase production by A. oryzae are well planned, both bioreactors can be applied for the production of fungal pectinases.