abstract: ABSTRACT Large-pore metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes offer potential in a number of gas and liquid separations due to their wide and selective adsorption capacities. A key characteristic of a number of MOF and zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) membranes is their highly selective adsorption capacities for CO2. These membranes offer very tangible potential to separate CO2 in a wide array of industrially relevant separation processes, such as the separation from CO2 in flue gas emissions, as well as the sweetening of methane. By virtue of this, the purpose of this dissertation is to synthesize and characterize two linear large-pore MOF membranes, MOF-5 and ZIF-68, and to study their gas separation properties in binary mixtures of CO¬2/N2 and CO2/CH4. The three main objectives researched are as follows. The first is to study the pervaporation behavior and stability of MOF-5; this is imperative because although MOF-5 exhibits desirable adsorption and separation characteristics, it is very unstable in atmospheric conditions. In determining its stability and behavior in pervaporation, this material can be utilized in conditions wherein atmospheric levels of moisture can be avoided. The second objective is to synthesize, optimize and characterize a linear, more stable MOF membrane, ZIF-68. The final objective is to study in tandem the high-pressure gas separation behavior of MOF-5 and ZIF-68 in binary gas systems of both CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4. Continuous ZIF-68 membranes were synthesized via the reactive seeding method and the modified reactive seeding method. These membranes, as with the MOF-5 membranes synthesized herein, both showed adherence to Knudsen diffusion, indicating limited defects. Organic solvent experiments indicated that MOF-5 and ZIF-68 were stable in a variety of organic solvents, but both showed reductions in permeation flux of the tested molecules. These reductions were attributed to fouling and found to be cumulative up until a saturation of available bonding sites for molecules was reached and stable pervaporation permeances were reached for both. Gas separation behavior for MOF-5 showed direct dependence on the CO2 partial pressure and the overall feed pressure, while ZIF-68 did not show similar behavior. Differences in separation behavior are attributable to orientation of the ZIF-68 membranes. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Materials Science and Engineering 2015

A remoção de compostos sulfurados da gasolina é um assunto de grande interesse na indústria de refino de petróleo em função das restrições ambientais cada vez mais rígidas em relação ao teor máximo de enxofre de produtos acabados. A solução mais comum para remoção de contaminantes são as unidades de hidrotratamento que operam a alta pressão e possuem alto custo de instalação e de operação além de levarem à perda de octanagem do produto acabado. O uso de membranas é uma alternativa promissora para a redução do teor de enxofre de correntes de gasolina e possui diversas vantagens em relação ao hidrotratamento convencional. O conhecimento aprofundado dos parâmetros que influenciam as etapas de sorção e difusão é crítico para o desenvolvimento da aplicação. Este trabalho avalioua seletividade e sorção do sistema formado por n-heptano e tiofeno em polímeros através de modelos termodinâmicos rigorosos, baseados em contribuição de grupos. O modelo UNIFAC-FV, variante do tradicional modelo UNIFAC para sistemas poliméricos, foi o modelo escolhido para cálculo de atividade dos sistemas estudados. Avaliou-se ainda a disponibilidade de parâmetros para desenvolvimento da modelagem e desenvolveu-se uma abordagem com alternativas para casos de indisponibilidade de parâmetros UNIFAC. Nos casos com ausência de parâmetros, o cálculo do termo residual da atividade das espécies é feito na forma proposta por Flory-Hugginsutilizando-se parâmetros de solubilidade obtidos também por contribuição de grupos. Entre os métodos de contribuição de grupos existentes para cálculo de parâmetros de solubilidade, o método de Hoy mostrou menores desvios para os sistemas estudados. A abordagem utilizada neste trabalho permite, ao final, uma análise de alterações da configuração da cadeia principal de polímeros de forma a influenciar sua seletividade e sorção para dessulfurização de naftas / The removal of sulfur compounds from gasoline is a subject of great relevance in the oil refining industry due to strict environmental restrictions related to the maximum content of sulfur in finished products. The most common solution for contaminants removal are the hydrotreating units which operate under high pressure and have high costs for installation and operation besides causing anoctane number reduction in the finished product. The utilization of membranes is a promising alternative for sulfur content reduction in gasoline and has several advantages when compared to conventional hydrotreating. A deep understanding of parameters that affect sorption and diffusion steps is critical for developing this application. This work has evaluated the selectivity and sorption of systems constituted by n-heptane and thiophene in polymers through rigorous thermodynamic models, based on group contribution. The model UNIFAC-FV, originated from UNIFAC traditional model for polymeric systems, was the chosen model for activity calculation in studied systems. It was also evaluated the availability of parameters for modeling development and an approach was developed with alternatives for those cases with unavailable UNIFAC parameters. For such cases, the calculation of the residual contribution for activity was done according to Flory-Huggins proposal using solubility parameters obtained also by group contribution. Among the existing group contribution methods for solubility parameter, the method from Hoy gave better results for systems studied in this work. The approach used in this work allows, in the end, an analysis of changes in the configuration of the polymer main chain that could influence its selectivity and sorption for naphtha desulfurization

Abstract The production of liquid transportation fuels such as bioethanol and more recently also biobutanol from renewable resources has received considerable attention. In the production of bio-based alcohols, the separation steps are expensive as the mixtures to be separated are dilute. As an energy-efficient separation technology, pervaporation is considered to be a potential process in biofuel purification. One of the main constraints in the commercialization of pervaporation has been low membrane fluxes, and the consequent high costs due to the high membrane area needed. In order to obtain high fluxes, the membranes should be as thin as possible. In this thesis, the performance of ultra-thin zeolite membranes in pervaporation was investigated. Binary ethanol/water and n-butanol/water mixtures were studied using both hydrophobic and hydrophilic zeolite membranes for alcohol concentration, as well as dehydration. The development of pervaporation membranes and processes has been mainly empirical. Process modeling, however, is an indispensable tool in process design. In this work, the pervaporation performance of the studied membranes was evaluated on the basis of experimental results in combination with mathematical modeling. Due to the low film thickness of the studied membranes, the fluxes were generally higher than reported earlier. Nevertheless, the evaluation in this work showed that the pervaporation performance of the ultra-thin membranes decreased due to flux limitation by membrane support. In this work, pervaporation was modeled by applying both a semi-empirical and a detailed Maxwell-Stefan based mass transfer model. The latter model considers explicitly both adsorption and diffusion, i.e. the phenomena involved in separation by pervaporation. The description of the support behavior was included in the models. Maxwell-Stefan formalism was applied in unary pervaporation for the determination of diffusivities in zeolite membranes. The models performed well within the range of experimental data. Additionally, a practical modeling approach was developed in this work to predict the temperature dependency of adsorption on zeolites. The developed approach can be utilized, e.g., in pervaporation modeling. Thus, this thesis provides knowledge of using ultra-thin zeolite membranes in the pervaporation of alcohol/water mixtures, and offers tools for pervaporation modeling. / Tiivistelmä Kiinnostus uusiutuvista raaka-aineista valmistettavia liikennepolttoaineita, kuten bioetanolia ja -butanolia, kohtaan lisääntyy koko ajan. Biopohjaisten alkoholien tuotannossa etenkin erotusvaiheet ovat kalliita, koska erotettavat liuokset ovat laimeita. Pervaporaatio on energiatehokas kalvoerotusmenetelmä ja sen vuoksi potentiaalinen osaprosessi biopolttoaineiden tuotantoon. Pervaporaation kaupallistamisen merkittävimpiä rajoitteita ovat olleet alhaiset ainevuot, jotka johtavat suureen kalvopinta-alan tarpeeseen ja näin ollen korkeisiin kustannuksiin. Korkean ainevuon saavuttamiseksi kalvojen tulisi olla mahdollisimman ohuita. Tässä väitöstyössä tutkittiin hyvin ohuiden zeoliittimembraanien suorituskykyä pervaporaatiossa. Kohteena olivat binääriset etanoli/vesi- ja n-butanoli/vesiseokset, joista väkevöitiin alkoholeja tai poistettiin vettä hydrofobisia ja hydrofiilisiä zeoliittimembraaneja käyttäen. Pervaporaatiossa käytettävien kalvojen ja pervaporaatiota hyödyntävien prosessien kehitystyö on ollut pääasiassa kokeellista. Prosessimallinnus on kuitenkin tärkeä työkalu prosessisuunnittelussa. Tässä työssä membraanien suorituskykyä pervaporaatiossa arvioitiin sekä kokeellisesti että mallinnuksen keinoin. Käytettyjen kalvojen ohuuden ansiosta tässä työssä saavutetut ainevuot olivat yleisesti ottaen korkeampia kuin aiemmin raportoiduilla membraaneilla. Ohuilla kalvoilla tukimateriaalin aiheuttama aineensiirron vastus oli kuitenkin merkittävä, alentaen membraanien suorituskykyä. Tässä työssä pervaporaatiota mallinnettiin käyttäen sekä puoliempiiristä että yksityiskohtaisempaa Maxwell-Stefan -pohjaista mallia. Jälkimmäisessä mallissa adsorptio ja diffuusio, eli ilmiöt joihin erotus pervaporaatiossa perustuu, otetaan eksplisiittisesti huomioon. Myös tukimateriaalin vaikutukset huomioitiin käytetyissä malleissa. Maxwell-Stefan -mallinnusta käytettiin puhtaiden komponenttien pervaporaatiossa zeoliittimembraanin diffuusiokertoimien määrittämiseksi. Käytettyjen mallien suorituskyky kokeellisella alueella oli hyvä. Tässä työssä kehitettiin lisäksi helppokäyttöinen menetelmä aineiden adsorptiokäyttäytymisen ennustamiseen zeoliiteissa eri lämpötiloissa. Kehitettyä menetelmää voidaan hyödyntää esimerkiksi pervaporaation mallinnuksessa. Kokonaisuudessaan väitöstyöstä saadaan tietoa ultraohuiden membraanien käytöstä pervaporaatiossa sekä työkaluja pervaporaation mallinnukseen.

The increased demand of fossil fuel along with the depletion of economical crude oil resources, environmental challenges such as the accumulation of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the reduction of the dependence on imported oil are some of the motivations for the huge interest in biofuels. Biobutanol produced from ABE fermentation has been considered to be a good partial replacement for fossil fuels. However, challenges such as the need for inexpensive feed-stocks, improved fermentation performance to achieve higher final butanol concentration and higher yield, an efficient method for solvent recovery, and water recycle are the main obstacles to make the production of this alcohol economically viable. Pervaporation, a membrane-based process, is considered to be an attractive separation method to remove butanol from ABE fermentation broth. Among the membranes used for butanol separation, PDMS membranes showed reasonable performance such as good permeability, and appropriate selectivity for butanol separation by pervaporation. However, PDMS membranes need to be improved in terms of performance to be applicable in large scale butanol production plants. In this study, activated carbon nanoparticles have been embedded into the matrix of the PDMS membrane to improve its separation performance and, in particular, the permeation flux and butanol selectivity. Result showed that the presence of nanoparticles improves the PDMS membrane performance up to a certain particle loading. Moreover, it was shown that the operating conditions have a major impact on the pervaporation membrane separation process. The best membrane for pervaporation separation of butanol from binary aqueous solutions was obtained for a 6 wt% particle concentration where the total permeation flux and butanol selectivity increased by 42.6% and 51.9%, respectively, compared to neat PDMS membranes. Moreover, the best performance for the separation of butanol from ABE model solutions was achieved for an 8 wt% nanoparticle loading. Both the selectivity for butanol and the total permeation flux more than doubled in comparison to neat PDMS membranes prepared in this study. Moreover, in order to compare the PDMS/AC mixed matrix membrane performance for pervaporation separation of butanol from binary and ABE model solutions with PDMS membranes available on the market, experiments were also performed with a commercial PDMS membrane. Result of butanol separation from ABE model solutions showed that mixed matrix membranes with 8 wt% nanoparticles loading had a higher permeation flux than that of the commercial membranes. It was clearly shown that the presence of activated carbon nanoparticles in the matrix of the PDMS would be beneficial for the pervaporation separation of butanol from ABE fermentation broths. To better comprehend how the presence of activated carbon nanoparticles in the polymeric membranes enhance the performance of the membranes, a series of numerical simulations were performed. A finite difference model was developed to simulate the mass transfer of permeating components through mixed matrix membranes by pervaporation for a wide range of relative permeability, nanoparticle loading, particle shape, particle size and different filler adsorption isotherms. Finally, an investigation has been performed to optimize the butanol pervaporation separation process from ABE fermentation broth at an industrial scale.

In this study, pervaporation, a membrane-based process was studied for in-situ separation of butanol. This technique has a great potential due to its high selectivity, low energy requirement and high efficiency. The primary objective was to improve the performance of the Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane for the pervaporation separation and the recovery of butanol by adding nanoparticles into its matrix to make mixed matrix membrane (MMM). These nanoparticles included zinc-based Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) and zinc oxide. Different particle sizes of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) were synthesized. The separation performance of MMMs incorporating different sizes of ZIF-8 nanoparticles was compared to the performance of mixed matrix membranes incorporating zinc oxide as well as pure PDMS membrane. Different characteristics of ZIF-8 and their impact on the performance of the host membrane were discussed. Result showed that the presence of nanoparticles improves the PDMS membrane performance up to a certain particle loading. Moreover, it was shown that the particle size and interfacial bond between polymer and particles have a major impact on the pervaporation membrane separation process. The best membrane for pervaporation separation of butanol from binary aqueous solutions was obtained for the 8 wt% small-size ZIF-8/PDMS MMM where the total permeation flux and butanol selectivity were increased by 350% and 6%, respectively, compared to neat PDMS membranes. In addition to the MOFs, nanotubes are considered emerging nanostructured materials for use in membrane separation applications due to their high molecular diffusivity and unique geometry. Recent progress has also been made on the modification of nanotube surface functionality, and the fabrication of nanotube mixed matrix membranes as well as the ability to align them in MMMs. Since numerous types of nanotubes are available and the process of producing well-aligned nanotube MMMs is very challenging, a theoretical model using finite difference method (FD) was used to gain a deeper understanding on the effect of nanotubes on the separation performance of mixed matrix membranes. A series of numerical simulations were performed and the effects of various structural parameters, including the tubular filler volume fraction, orientation, length-to-diameter aspect ratio, and permeability ratio, were assessed. The results showed that the relative permeability is enhanced by vertically-aligned nanotubes and further increased with an increase of the permeability ratio, filler volume fraction and the length-to-diameter aspect ratio. In addition, comparing the simulation results with existing analytical models for the prediction of the relative permeability acknowledges a need to develop a new correlation that would provide more accurate predictions of the relative permeability of MMMs with embedded nanotube fillers.

No description available.

No description available.

Ce travail a consisté en la synthèse et la caractérisation de nouveaux polycondensats poly(urée-imide)s (PUIs) greffés par une réaction de chimie "click" avec des nombres de greffons variables. Deux familles de matériaux ont été obtenues à partir d'un même PUI et de greffons de structures différentes mais de mêmes masses molaires : poly(méthoxy (diéthylène glycol) méthacrylate) (PMDEGMA) synthétisé par polymérisation radicalaire par transfert d’atome (ATRP) ; poly(hydroxyéthyl acrylate) (PHEA) préparé par Single Electron Transfer Living Radical Polymerization (SET-LRP). Ces matériaux ont ensuite été étudiés pour la purification du biocarburant éthyl tert-butyl éther (ETBE) par le procédé membranaire de pervaporation. Pour la séparation correspondante du mélange azéotropique ETBE/éthanol, les polycondensats avec des greffons PMDEGMA ont conduit à d’excellentes performances en extrayant l’éthanol de manière très sélective. La stratégie de greffage a permis d’augmenter fortement le flux tout en maintenant une excellente sélectivité et de pallier ainsi la limitation classique des polycondensats linéaires pour lesquels flux et sélectivité varient fortement de manière opposée. Les propriétés de ces polycondensats greffés ont été corrélées à leur morphologie particulière étudiée par MDSC et Synchrotron SAXS. Les greffons PHEA avec des groupes hydroxyle ont permis d'augmenter encore l'affinité pour l'éthanol. Cette affinité ayant dépassé les espérances avec des membranes trop gonflées par le mélange cible, les propriétés de sorption et de perméation de la seconde famille de copolymères greffés ont finalement étudiées pour le transport de l'eau, autre domaine de la perméabilité à forts enjeux industriels / This work deals with the synthesis and characterization of new graft step-growth copolymers poly(urea-imide)s (PUIs) by ‘click’ chemistry with variable graft amounts. Two families of materials were obtained from the same PUI and polymer grafts with different structures and the same molecular weights : poly(methoxy (diethylene glycol) methacrylate) (PMDEGMA) prepared by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP); poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate) (PHEA) obtained by Single Electron Transfer Living Radical Polymerization (SET-LRP). These materials were then investigated for the purification of the ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) biofuel by the pervaporation membrane process. For the corresponding separation of the azeotropic mixture ETBE/ethanol, the copolymers with the PMDEGMA grafts showed excellent performances with very selective ethanol extraction. The grafting strategy enabled to increase the flux strongly while maintaining an excellent selectivity and thus overcame the classical limitation of linear step-growth copolymers, for which flux and selectivity strongly vary in opposite ways. The properties of the graft copolymers were correlated to their particular morphology characterized by MDSC and Synchrotron SAXS. The PHEA grafts with their hydroxyl groups enabled to further increase affinity for ethanol. This affinity having gone beyond expectation with a too strong membrane swelling in the targeted mixture, the sorption and permeability properties of the second series of graft copolymers were finally investigated for water transport, i.e. another permeability field with strong industrial stakes

Au cours des dernières décennies, les technologies membranaires ont largement contribué à l’amélioration des procédés de séparation à l’échelle industrielle grâce à de nombreux avantages, tels que la sélectivité de la séparation élevée, la possibilité de travailler avec des composés thermolabiles et la faible demande en énergie, ainsi que la possibilité de combiner les technologies membranaires avec d'autres procédés de séparation. Le procédé de pervaporation est une technique de séparation membranaire importante utilisée pour séparer les mélanges liquides binaires ou multicomposants, y compris les solvants à point d’ébullition proche, les mélanges azéotropes et les isomères. Il s’agit du transfert sélectif de matière à travers une membrane dense. Au cours de cette opération, le perméat sous forme vapeur est condensé sur une paroi froide, mais, contrairement à la distillation, seule une faible partie de la charge subit ce changement d’état. Les membranes utilisées dans la pervaporation doivent posséder une forte sélectivité, une stabilité chimique et une résistance mécanique à haute température élevées. La sélectivité et les propriétés de transport de la membrane déterminent l'efficacité globale du processus de séparation. La caractérisation approfondie des membranes est cruciale pour bien comprendre l’influence de la structure de la membrane et des conditions de préparation de la membrane sur les caractéristiques d’équilibre, de séparation et de transport des membranes étudiées, en vue de développer de nouveaux matériaux polymères efficaces. Les nombreuses recherches ont également été menées sur le développement des membranes avec de liquides ioniques (LIs) afin de personnaliser les propriétés de séparation des membranes utilisées dans la séparation des liquides par pervaporation, la séparation des gaz et la séparation des ions métalliques ainsi que les membranes conductrices dans les piles à combustible. Les LIs sont caractérisés par une bonne stabilité thermique, une conductivité ionique élevée, une pression de vapeur négligeable et un point de fusion assez bas. En raison de leurs nombreuses propriétés uniques, les membranes polymères contenant des LIs possèdent une large gamme d'avantages, comme de meilleures propriétés de séparation que les membranes polymères classiques. Ce fait est lié à une diffusion moléculaire beaucoup plus élevée dans un liquide ionique que dans des polymères. Par conséquent, l'utilisation de membranes à base de polymères et LIs dans les processus de séparation permettrait une sélectivité de séparation élevée et des flux plus importants. La structure et les propriétés physicochimiques des LIs peuvent être ciblées en fonction de l’application afin d'obtenir un matériau polymère approprié. En revanche, même si l’application de membranes hybrides à base de polymères et LIs suscite un intérêt croissant, leur utilisation dans les procédés de séparation reste limitée en raison des pertes de LI non lié. Cette thèse de doctorat en co-tutelle est réalisée entre la Faculté de Chimie de l'Université Nicolaus Copernicus (NCU) à Toruń (Pologne) et le Laboratoire Polymères, Biopolymères, Surfaces UMR 6270 CNRS de l’Université de Rouen Normandie (France). L’objectif principal de la thèse est d’élaborer de nouvelles membranes denses à base de poly (alcool vinylique) (PVA) et d’acétate-propionate de cellulose (CAP) et de divers LIs réactifs et polymérisables ceci afin d’obtenir un système polymère-liquide ionique dans lequel le LI est stabilisé par liaison covalente avec les chaînes macromoléculaires du polymère. L'étude des propriétés physicochimiques et d'équilibre des membranes a été effectuée ainsi que l’analyse de leurs propriétés de transport. De plus, les membranes sélectionnées ont été testées dans un processus de pervaporation en contact avec le mélange eau-propane-2-ol. / In the last decades, membrane separation has played an important role in many industrial processes thanks to its versatility, low energy consumption, high performances of membranes, as well as a possibility of combining membrane technologies with other separation processes. Membrane technologies gave a great contribution to the improvement of separation processes in the industrial scale thanks to a number of advantages, such as the high selectivity of the separation, the opportunity to work with thermolabile compounds, and low energy demand. Pervaporation process is an important membrane separation technique used to separate binary or multicomponent liquid mixtures including close boiling solvents, azeotrope mixtures, and isomers. During pervaporation, feed components are in the direct contact with one side of the lyophilic membrane, while the selected components are preferentially transported across the membrane to the permeate side. Membranes used in pervaporation must be characterized by high selectivity, chemical stability, and mechanical strength at high temperatures. Selectivity and transport properties of the membrane determine the overall efficiency of the separation process. The comprehensive characterization of membranes is the crucial approach and can lead to broaden the knowledge about the influence of the membrane structure and membrane preparation conditions on the equilibrium, separation, and transport characteristics of the studied membranes, in order to develop new polymer materials with the expected efficiency of the separation process. Research has been also focused on the development of the membranes filled with ILs in order to tailor the separation properties of the developed membranes used in liquid separation by pervaporation, gas separation, and separation of metal ions as well as the conducting barriers in fuel cells. ILs are characterized by good thermal stability, high ionic conductivity, negligible vapor pressure, and low melting point. Due to their numerous unique properties, polymer membranes containing ILs (polymer-ILs) possess wide range of advantages, like better separation properties than the classical polymer membranes. This fact is related with much higher molecular diffusion in ionic liquid than in polymers. Therefore, the use of polymer-ILs in separation processes would result in superior separation behavior and higher fluxes. Morphology and physicochemical properties of ILs can be “tailored” depending on the separated system in order to obtain a suitable polymer material for a given separation process without preparation of a chemically new membrane. Even though there is a growing interest in the application of polymer membranes filled with ILs, the polymer-ILs based separation processes are limited due to the losses of the unbound ionic liquid in the course of the exploitation. The PhD is realized in the frame of "co-tutelle" system between the Faculty of Chemistry at the Nicolaus Copernicus University (NCU) in Toruń, Poland (Membranes and Membrane Separation Processes Research Group) and the University of Rouen Normandy, France (Barrier Polymer Materials and Membranes (MPBM) Research Group of the Laboratory of Polymers, Biopolymers, Surfaces (PBS)). The main aim of the present PhD thesis is to elaborate novel dense membranes based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) filled with various reactive and polymerizable ILs in order to obtain the polymer-ionic liquid system in which ionic liquids are linked inside the polymer structure. The investigation of physicochemical characteristics and study of the equilibrium, barrier, and transport properties of the obtained membranes was carried out. Furthermore, the selected membranes were tested in pervaporation process in contact with water-propan-2-ol mixture, water and gas permeation measurements.

Benzaldehyde (BZA), a biologically derived high-value molecule used in the flavour and fragrance industry for its characteristic almond-like aroma, has also found use in nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, agrochemical, and dye applications. Although, nature-identical BZA is most commonly produced by chemical synthesis, biologically derived BZA, whether by plant material extraction or via microbial biocatalysts, commands much higher prices. The bioproduction of high value molecules has often been characterized by low titers as results of substrate and product inhibition. The current work examined a variety of process strategies and the implementation of a solid-liquid bioreactor partitioning system with continuous integrated pervaporation to enhance the bioproduction of BZA using Pichia pastoris. Previous work on two-phase partitioning bioreactors (TPPBs) for the biotransformation of BZA using Pichia pastoris has had limitations due to long fermentation times and unutilized substrate in the immiscible polymer phase, contributing to complications for product purification. To reduce fermentation times, a mixed methanol/glycerol feeding strategy was employed and reduced the time required for high-density fermentation by 3.5 fold over previous studies. Additionally, because BZA and not the substrate benzyl alcohol (BA) had been found to be significantly inhibitory to the biotransformation reaction, a polymer selection strategy based on the ratio of partition coefficients (PCs) for the two target molecules was implemented. Using the polymer Kraton D1102K, with a PC ratio of 14.9 (BZA:BA), generated a 3.4 fold increase in BZA produced (14.4 g vs. 4.2 g) relative to single phase operation at more than double the volumetric productivity (97 mg L-1 h-1 vs. 41 mg L-1 h-1). This work also confirmed that the solute(s) of interest were taken up by polymers via absorption, not adsorption. BZA and BA cell growth inhibition experiments showed that these compounds are toxic to cells and it was their accumulation rather than low enzyme levels or energy (ATP) depletion that caused a reduction in the biotransformation rate. For this reason, the final strategy employed to enhance the bioproduction of benzaldehyde involved in situ product removal by pervaporation using polymer (Hytrel 3078) fabricated into tubing by DuPont, Canada. This aspect was initiated by first characterizing the custom-fabricated tubing in terms BZA and BA fluxes. The tubing was then integrated into an in situ pervaporation biotransformation and was shown to be effective at continuous product separation, using 87.4% less polymer by mass in comparison to polymer beads in conventional TPPB operation, and improved overall volumetric productivity by 214% (245.9 mg L-1 h-1 vs. 115.0 mg L-1 h-1) over previous work producing BZA. / Thesis (Master, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2013-09-28 17:41:45.458