Over the past decade, L-homophenylalanine is extensively used in the pharmaceutical industry as a precursor for production of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, which possesses significant clinical application in the management of hypertension and congestive heart failure (CHF). A number of chemical methods have been reported thus far for the synthesis of L-homophenylalanine. However, chemical methods generally suffer from process complexity, high cost, and environmental pollution. On the other hand, enantiomerically pure L-homophenylalanine can be obtained elegantly and efficiently by employing biocatalytic methods, where it appears to be the most attractive process in terms of potential industrial applications, green chemistry and sustainability. Herein we review the biocatalytic synthesis of vital L-homophenylalanine as potentially useful intermediate in the production of pharmaceutical drugs in environmentally friendly conditions, using membrane bioreactor for sustainable biotransformation process. One envisages the future prospects of developing an integrated membrane bioreactor system with improved performance for L-homophenylalanine production.
Microbial flocs formed from raw textile wastewater in a prototype Aerobic Biofilm Reactor (ABR) system were characterised and studied for their potential use in the treatment of textile wastewater. After 90-100 days of operation, microbial flocs of loose irregular structures were obtained from the reactor with good settling velocity of 33 m/h and sludge volume index (SVI) of 48.2 mL/g. Molecular analysis of the flocs using PCR-amplified 16S rDNA sequence showed 98% homology to those of Bacillus sp, Paenibacillus sp and Acromobacter sp. Detection of Ca(2+)(131 mg/g) and Fe(2+)(131 mg/g) using atomic absorption spectrometer might be implicated with the flocs formation. In addition, presence of Co(2+) and Ni(2+) were indicative of the flocs ability to accumulate at least a fraction of the metals' present in the wastewater. When the flocs were used for the treatment of raw textile wastewater, they showed good removal of COD and colour about 55% and 70% respectively, indicating their potential application.
The effects of lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus bulgaricus) inoculation
on the sensory attributes and consumers acceptance of fermented curry paste compared with uncultured sample were assessed. pH, titratable acidity (TA) and color changes, during four-month storage were monitored. Hedonic test was utilized to evaluate consumer perception and acceptability of fermented and ordinary curry pastes. Rapid pH drop was observed in inoculated sample with Lb. plantarum presenting better performance than the Lb. bulgaricus. Titratable acidity increased significantly (p0.05) in most of the attributes of
original recipe and fermented curry paste except for color and sweetness. In summary, this study showed fermented curry paste with Lb. plantarum and Lb. bulgaricus exhibited new sensory attributes encouraging acceptability by consumers.
Biocatalytic reaction is a type of reaction which uses enzyme or whole-cell as a (bio)-catalyst to achieve a desired conversion, under controlled conditions in a bioreactor. Temperature produces opposed effects on enzyme activity and stability, and is therefore a key variable in any biocatalytic processes. An exothermic biocatalytic reaction, in a continuous-stirred-tank reactor (CSTR), was analyzed where dynamic equations (non-linear differential equations) could be derived from the Michaelis-Menten and Arrhenius equations, by performing mass and energy balances on the reactor. In this work, the effects of the different parameters such as dilution rate, proportional control constant and dimensionless total enzyme concentration, on the stability of the system, were studied. The stability of the reaction could be analyzed, based on the ODE (ordinary differential equation), solved using the numerical technique in MATLAB® and the analytical investigation using Mathematica.® The numerical analysis can be carried out by considering the hase-plane behaviour and bifurcation diagrams of the dynamic equations, while the analytical analysis using Mathematica® can be undertaken by evaluating the eigenvalues of the system. In order to model the operational stability of biocatalysts, modulation factors need to be considered so that a proper design of bioreactors can be done. Temperature, as a key variable in such bioprocess systems, can be conveniently optimized through the use of appropriate models.
The production of ethanol, from glucose in batch and fed batch culture, was investigated. In the fed batch culture, the glucose feeding was added into the culture at 16th hour of fermentation. The effects of different glucose concentration feeding rates on ethanol fermentation were investigated for fed batch culture. The 2gL-1hr-1 glucose concentration feeding rate was found to give higher ethanol yield (2.47 g ethanol g glucose-1), with respect to substrate consumed as compared to 8 gL-1hr-1 (0.23 g ethanol g glucose-1) and 4 gL-1hr-1 (0.20 g ethanol g glucose-1). The ethanol yield with respect to substrate consumed obtained in batch culture was 0.81 g ethanol g glucose-1. The fed batch culture at 2 gL-1hr-1 glucose concentration feeding rate was proven to be a better fermentation system than the batch culture. The specific growth rate, specific glucose consumption rate and specific ethanol production rate for the fed batch fermentation, at 2 gL-1hr-1 glucose concentration feeding rate, were 0.065 hr-1, 1.20 hr-1 and 0.0009 hr-1, respectively.
Acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation from Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) by C. acetobutylicum NCIMB 13357 in an oscillatory flow bioreactor was investigated. Experimental works were conducted in a U-shaped stainless steel oscillatory flow bioreactor at oscillation frequency between 0.45-0.78 Hz and a constant amplitude of 12.5 mm. Fermentations were carried out for 72 hr at 35oC using palm oil mill effluent and reinforced clostridia medium as a growth medium in batch culture. Result of this investigation showed that POME is a viable media for ABE fermentation and oscillatory flow bioreactor has an excellent potential as an alternative fermentation device.
The production of beta-mannanase from palm kernel cake (PKC) as a substrate in solid substrate fermentation (SSF) was studied using a laboratory column bioreactor. The simultaneous effects of three independent variables, namely incubation temperature, initial moisture content of substrate and airflow rate, on beta-mannanase production were evaluated by response surface methodology (RSM) on the basis of a central composite face-centered (CCF) design. Eighteen trials were conducted in which Aspergillus niger FTCC 5003 was cultivated on PKC in an aerated column bioreactor for seven days under SSF process. The highest level of beta-mannanase (2117.89 U/g) was obtained when SSF process was performed at incubation temperature, initial moisture level and aeration rate of 32.5 degrees C, 60% and 0.5 l/min, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed that the quadratic terms of incubation temperature and initial moisture content had significant effects on the production of beta-mannanase (P < 0.01). A similar analysis also demonstrated that the linear effect of initial moisture level and an interaction effect between the initial moisture content and aeration rate significantly influenced the production of beta-mannanase (P < 0.01). The statistical model suggested that the optimal conditions for attaining the highest level of beta-mannanase were incubation temperature of 32 degrees C, initial moisture level of 59% and aeration rate of 0.5 l/min. A beta-mannanase yield of 2231.26 U/g was obtained when SSF process was carried out under the optimal conditions described above.
The performance of a carbon-mineral composite adsorbent used in a fixed bed column for the removal of ammoniacal nitrogen and aggregate organic pollutant (COD), which are commonly found in landfill leachate, was evaluated. The breakthrough capacities for ammoniacal nitrogen and COD adsorption were 4.46 and 3.23 mg/g, respectively. Additionally, the optimum empty bed contact time (EBCT) was 75 min. The column efficiency for ammoniacal nitrogen and COD adsorption using fresh adsorbent was 86.4% and 92.6%, respectively, and these values increased to 90.0% and 93.7%, respectively, after the regeneration process.
The objective of this research was to evaluate the treatment ofp-nitrophenol (PNP) as a sole organic carbon source using a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with the addition of adsorbent. Two types of adsorbents, namely powdered activated carbon (PAC) and pyrolysed rice husk (PRH) were used in this study. Two identical SBRs, each with a working volume of 10 L, were operated with fill, react, settle, draw and idle periods in the ratio of 2:8:1:0.75:0.25 for a cycle time of 12 h. The results showed that, without the addition of adsorbent, increasing the influent PNP concentration to 200 mg/L resulted in the deterioration of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency and PNP removal efficiency in the SBRs. Improvement in the performance of the SBR was observed with the addition of PAC. When the dosage of 1.0 g PAC/cycle was applied, COD removal of 95% and almost complete removal of PNP were achieved at the influent PNP concentration of 300 mg/L. The kinetic study showed that the rates of COD and PNP removal can be described by the first-order kinetics. The enhancement of performance in the PAC-supplemented SBR was postulated to be due to the initial adsorption of PNP by the freshly added and the bioregenerated PAC, thus reducing the inhibition on the microorganisms. The PRH was found to be ineffective because of its relatively low adsorption capacity for PNP, compared with that of PAC.
The yeast strain Candida tropicalis was used for the biodegradation of gaseous toluene. Toluene was effectively treated by a liquid culture of C. tropicalis in a bubble-column bioreactor, and the toluene removal efficiency increased with decreasing gas flow rate. However, toluene mass transfer from the gas-to-liquid phase was a major limitation for the uptake of toluene by C. tropicalis. The toluene removal efficiency was enhanced when granular activated carbon (GAC) was added as a fluidized material. The GAC fluidized bioreactor demonstrated toluene removal efficiencies ranging from 50 to 82% when the inlet toluene loading was varied between 13.1 and 26.9 g/m(3)/h. The yield value of C. tropicalis ranged from 0.11 to 0.21 g-biomass/g-toluene, which was substantially lower than yield values for bacteria reported in the literature. The maximum elimination capacity determined in the GAC fluidized bioreactor was 172 g/m(3)/h at a toluene loading of 291 g/m(3)/h. Transient loading experiments revealed that approximately 50% of the toluene introduced was initially adsorbed onto the GAC during an increased loading period, and then slowly desorbed and became available to the yeast culture. Hence, the fluidized GAC mediated in improving the gas-to-liquid mass transfer of toluene, resulting in a high toluene removal capacity. Consequently, the GAC bubble-column bioreactor using the culture of C. tropicalis can be successfully applied for the removal of gaseous toluene.
The enzymatic reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) by Cr(VI) resistant bacteria followed by chemical precipitation constitutes the ChromeBac system. Acinetobacter haemolyticus was immobilized onto carrier material inside a 0.2m(3) bioreactor. Neutralized electroplating wastewater with Cr(VI) concentration of 17-81 mg L(-1) was fed into the bioreactor (0.11-0.33 m(3)h(-1)). Complete Cr(VI) reduction to Cr(III) was obtained immediately after the start of bioreactor operation. Together with the flocculation, coagulation and filtration, outflow concentration of less than 0.02 mg Cr(VI)L(-1) and 1mg total CrL(-1) were always obtained. Performance of the bioreactor was not affected by fluctuations in pH (6.2-8.4), Cr(VI) (17-81 mg L(-1)), nutrient (liquid pineapple waste, 1-20%v/v) and temperature (30-38 degrees C). Standby periods of up to 10 days can be tolerated without loss in activity. A robust yet effective biotechnology to remove chromium from wastewater is thus demonstrated.
Box-Wilson design (BWD) model was applied to determine the optimum values of influencing parameters in anaerobic fermentation to produce hydrogen using Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4 (ATCC 13564). The main focus of the study was to find the optimal relationship between the hydrogen yield and three variables including initial substrate concentration, initial medium pH and reaction temperature. Microbial growth kinetic parameters for hydrogen production under anaerobic conditions were determined using the Monod model with incorporation of a substrate inhibition term. The values of micro(max) (maximum specific growth rate) and K, (saturation constant) were 0.398 h(-1) and 5.509 g L(-1), respectively, using glucose as the substrate. The experimental substrate and biomass-concentration profiles were in good agreement with those obtained by the kinetic-model predictions. By varying the conditions of the initial substrate concentration (1-40 g L(-1)), reaction temperature (25-40 degrees C) and initial medium pH (4-8), the model predicted a maximum hydrogen yield of 3.24 mol H2 (mol glucose)(-1). The experimental data collected utilising this design was successfully fitted to a second-order polynomial model. An optimum operating condition of 10 g L(-1) initial substrate concentration, 37 degrees C reaction temperature and 6.0 +/- 0.2 initial medium pH gave 80% of the predicted maximum yield of hydrogen where as the experimental yield obtained in this study was 77.75% exhibiting a close accuracy between estimated and experimental values. This is the first report to predict bio-hydrogen yield by applying Box-Wilson Design in anaerobic fermentation while optimizing the effects of environmental factors prevailing there by investigating the effects of environmental factors.
The production of highly polluting palm oil mill effluent (POME) has resulted in serious environmental hazards. While anaerobic digestion is widely accepted as an effective method for the treatment of POME, anaerobic treatment of POME alone has difficulty meeting discharge limits due to the high organic strength of POME. Hence, subsequent post-treatment following aerobic treatment is vital to meet the discharge limits. The objective of the present study is to investigate the aerobic treatment of anaerobically digested POME by using a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The SBR performance was assessed by measuring Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) removal as well as Sludge Volume Index (SVI). The operating pH and dissolved oxygen concentrations were found to be 8.25-9.14 and 1.5-6.4 mg/L, respectively, throughout the experiment. The experimental results demonstrate that MLVSS, OLR and sludge loading rate (SLR) play a significant role in the organic removal efficiency of SBR systems and therefore, further investigation on these parameters was conducted to attain optimum SBR performance. Maximum COD (95-96%), BOD (97-98%) and TSS (98-99%) removal efficiencies were achieved at optimum OLR, SLR and MLVSS concentration ranges of 1.8-4.2 kg COD/m(3)day, 2.5-4.6 kg TSS/m(3)day and 22,000-25,000 mg/L, respectively. The effluent quality remained stable and complied with the discharge limit. At the same time, the sludge showed good settling properties with average SVI of 65. It is envisaged that the SBR process could complement the anaerobic treatment to produce final treated effluent which meets the discharge limit.
Microbial granular sludge that is capable to treat textile wastewater in a single reactor under intermittent anaerobic and aerobic conditions was developed in this study. The granules were cultivated using mixed sewage and textile mill sludge in combination with anaerobic granules collected from an anaerobic sludge blanket reactor as seed. The granules were developed in a single sequential batch reactor (SBR) system under alternating anaerobic and aerobic condition fed with synthetic textile wastewater. The characteristics of the microbial granular sludge were monitored throughout the study period. During this period, the average size of the granules increased from 0.02 +/- 0.01 mm to 2.3 +/- 1.0 mm and the average settling velocity increased from 9.9 +/- 0.7 m h(-1) to 80 +/- 8 m h(-1). This resulted in an increased biomass concentration (from 2.9 +/- 0.8 g L(-1) to 7.3 +/- 0.9 g L(-1)) and mean cell residence time (from 1.4 days to 8.3 days). The strength of the granules, expressed as the integrity coefficient also improved. The sequential batch reactor system demonstrated good removal of COD and ammonia of 94% and 95%, respectively, at the end of the study. However, only 62% of color removal was observed. The findings of this study show that granular sludge could be developed in a single reactor with an intermittent anaerobic-aerobic reaction phase and is capable in treating the textile wastewater.
The majority of influenza vaccines are manufactured using embryonated hens' eggs. The potential occurrence of a pandemic outbreak of avian influenza might reduce or even eliminate the supply of eggs, leaving the human population at risk. Also, the egg-based production technology is intrinsically cumbersome and not easily scalable to provide a rapid worldwide supply of vaccine. In this communication, the production of a cell culture (Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK)) derived live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) in a fully disposable platform process using a novel Single Use Bioreactor (SUB) is presented. The cell culture and virus infection was maintained in a disposable stirred tank reactor with PID control of pH, DO, agitation, and temperature, similar to traditional glass or stainless steel bioreactors. The application of this technology was tested using MDCK cells grown on microcarriers in proprietary serum free medium and infection with 2006/2007 seasonal LAIV strains at 25-30 L scale. The MDCK cell growth was optimal at the agitation rate of 100 rpm. Optimization of this parameter allowed the cells to grow at a rate similar to that achieved in the conventional 3 L glass stirred tank bioreactors. Influenza vaccine virus strains, A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1 strain), A/Wisconsin/67/05 (H3N2 strain), and B/Malaysia/2506/04 (B strain) were all successfully produced in SUB with peak virus titers > or =8.6 log(10) FFU/mL. This result demonstrated that more than 1 million doses of vaccine can be produced through one single run of a small bioreactor at the scale of 30 L and thus provided an alternative to the current vaccine production platform with fast turn-around and low upfront facility investment, features that are particularly useful for emerging and developing countries and clinical trial material production.
An adherently growing MDCK cell line was adapted in a two-step process in a fully defined medium and in suspension. The resulting MDCK.SUS2 cells were subsequently evaluated for their potential as host cells for influenza vaccine production in two lab-scale bioreactors (wave and stirred-tank). Cell concentrations up to 2.3 x 10(6)cells/mL were obtained after 96 h, which is slightly higher than cell concentrations obtained with adherent MDCK cells cultivated on microcarriers (2g/L). Infections with influenza A/PR/8/34 and B/Malaysia resulted in high virus titers (2.90 and 2.75 log HA units/100 microL, respectively). The monitoring of extracellular metabolites, including amino acids, revealed a change in some of the metabolite consumption or release profiles, which indicates changes in metabolism during the adaptation process. Overall, the MDCK.SUS2 cell line represents a new cell substrate for a robust influenza vaccine production in a fully defined process.
Oil and gas field wastewater or produced water is a significant waste stream in the oil and gas industries. In this study, the performance of a membrane sequencing batch reactor (MSBR) and membrane sequencing batch reactor/reverse osmosis (MSBR/RO) process treating produced wastewater were investigated and compared. The MSBR was operated in different hydraulic residence time (HRT) of 8, 20 and 44 h. Operation results showed that for a HRT of 20 h, the combined process effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC) and oil and grease (O&G) removal efficiencies were 90.9%, 92% and 91.5%, respectively. The MSBR effluent concentration levels met the required standard for oil well re-injection. The RO treatment reduced the salt and organic contents to acceptable levels for irrigation and different industrial re-use. Foulant biopsy demonstrated that the fouling on the membrane surface was mainly due to inorganic (salts) and organic (microorganisms and their products, hydrocarbon constituents) matters.
Produced water or oilfield wastewater is the largest volume ofa waste stream associated with oil and gas production. The aim of this study was to investigate the biological pretreatment of synthetic and real produced water in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) to remove hydrocarbon compounds. The SBR was inoculated with isolated tropical halophilic microorganisms capable of degrading crude oil. A total sequence of 24 h (60 min filling phase; 21 h aeration; 60 min settling and 60 min decant phase) was employed and studied. Synthetic produced water was treated with various organic loading rates (OLR) (0.9 kg COD m(-3) d(-1), 1.8 kg COD m(-3) d(-1) and 3.6 kg COD m(-3) d(-1)) and different total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration (35,000 mg L(-1), 100,000 mg L(-1), 150,000 mg L(-1), 200,000 mg L(-1) and 250,000 mg L(-1)). It was found that with an OLR of 0.9 kg COD m(-3) d(-1) and 1.8 kg COD m(-3) d(-1), average oil and grease (O&G) concentrations in the effluent were 7 mg L(-1) and 12 mg L(-1), respectively. At TDS concentration of 35,000 mg L(-1) and at an OLR of 1.8 kg COD m(-3)d(-1), COD and O&G removal efficiencies were more than 90%. However, with increase in salt content to 250,000 mg L(-1), COD and O&G removal efficiencies decreased to 74% and 63%, respectively. The results of biological treatment of real produced water showed that the removal rates of the main pollutants of wastewater, such as COD, TOC and O&G, were above 81%, 83%, and 85%, respectively.
Textile wastewater, one of the most polluted industrial effluents, generally contains substantial amount of dyes and chemicals that will cause increase in the COD, colour and toxicity of receiving water bodies if not properly treated. Current treatment methods include chemical and biological processes; the efficiency of the biological treatment method however, remains uncertain since the discharged effluent is still highly coloured. In this study, granules consisting mixed culture of decolourising bacteria were developed and the physical and morphological characteristics were determined. After the sixth week of development, the granules were 3-10 mm in diameter, having good settling property with settling velocity of 70 m/h, sludge volume index (SVI) of 90 to 130 mL/g, integrity coefficient of 3.7, and density of 66 g/l. Their abilities to treat sterilised raw textile wastewater were evaluated based on the removal efficiencies of COD (initial ranging from 200 to 3,000 mg/L), colour (initial ranging from 450 to 2000 ADMI) of sterilised raw textile wastewater with pH from 6.8 to 9.4. Using a sequential anaerobic-aerobic treatment cycle with hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 24 h, maximum removal of colour and COD achieved was 90% and 80%, respectively.