Technology and implementation of fermentative units for bioprotein production from natural gas

Abstract

Objectives. To conduct a comparative analysis of the features of a fermentation unit design for obtaining bioprotein from natural gas and determine the main technical and structural solutions used in the development of fermentation apparatus, which vary according to the method of organizing hydraulic and mass transfer processes.Results. An analysis of publications devoted to the problem of developing technological equipment for conducting the process of obtaining a bioprotein from natural gas is presented. Using the comparative analysis, the key features of bioreactors and their internal elements are indicated according to the method of organizing the hydrodynamic regime. The main approaches to the technological development of fermentation units for obtaining bioprotein from natural gas are described and technical solutions used in the implementation of these structures are identified.Conclusions. Fermenter designs for the cultivation of methane-oxidizing microorganisms vary according to the main approaches for implementing the hydraulic regime inside the apparatus. While one class of fermentation systems is based on the principle of volumetric mixing in the working space of the apparatus, with the possibility of including external circulation circuits, additional tanks, and auxiliary bioreactors in the system, the other main class relies on the principle of flow (displacement) in the tube space with subsequent release of the gas phase from the circulating culture liquid.