Abstract
Several fundamental aspects of an organic-liquid-phase/ immobilized-cell system are studied using the epoxidation of propene as the model reaction. An automated experimental system, which facilitates the multiphase experiments, is described. Entrapment in calcium alginate gel provides high activity retention of the immobilized mycobacteria used. This gel is stable in the organic solvents tested and prevents aggregation and clotting of cells in the presence of these solvents, but does not seem to provide other protection against the solvents. High activity retention of the immobilized cells is favoured by low polarity and high molecular weight of the solvent. A bisubstrate kinetic model is used to describe the experimental consumption rates of oxygen and propene. Intraparticle substrate diffusion is found to limit the inherent kinetic reaction rate of the immobilized biocatalyst. The influence of particle diameter, catalytic activity and substrate level on epoxidation rates of pore-diffusion limited gel-entrapped cells is established under pseudo one-substrate conditions. Theoretical reaction rates, predicted by using an approximative pore diffusion model, correlate well with the experimental rates.
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