The objective of this work was to develop a novel enzyme immobilization scheme for supported lipase sol-gels and to evaluate the potential of the immobilized biocatalyst for the production of biodiesel in a packed bed reactor. Two sources of lipase (EC 3.1.1.3 triacylglycerol hydrolase) were used in this study and the transesterification of methanol and triolein to produce glycerol and methyl oleate was used as a model reaction of biodiesel production. A commercially available form of immobilized lipase, Novozym® 435, was used as a basis for comparison to the literature. Upon establishing a lipase sol-gel formulation technique, the experimental methodology for the transesterification reaction using Novozyme® 435 was developed. Subsequently, a series of inert materials were considered based on their suitability as supports for immobilized lipase sol-gels and the synthesis of methyl oleate. The value of a supported lipase sol-gel is to improve the activity and stability of the enzyme and develop an immobilized biocatalyst that is practical for use under packed bed reactor conditions. Of the six support materials considered (6-12 mesh silica gel, Celite® R633, Celite® R632, Celite® R647, anion exchange resin, and Quartzel® felt), the diatomaceous earth supports (Celite® R633, R632 and R647) exhibited high enzymatic activity, were thermally stable, and possessed high sol-gel adhesion. From the three types of diatomaceous earth considered, Celite® R632 supported lipase sol-gels were identified as the most promising supported lipase sol-gels for methyl oleate production via transesterification. Upon further evaluation, the Celite® R632 lipase sol-gels were found to achieve high methyl oleate percent conversions, glycerol-water absorption was only significant at glycerol levels higher than 75%, and the immobilized lipase had high stability upon storage at 4°C for 1.5 years. To determine the effects of methanol and glycerol inhibition as well as temperature on the reaction kinetics, a ping-pong bi-bi kinetic model was developed and validated over a range of methanol concentrations and temperatures. The optimal methanol concentration for the conditions tested was in the range of 1.3 M to 2.0 M, and increased with increasing temperature. The model developed was consistent with the experimental data and confirmed that glycerol inhibition and the presence of products had significant effects on the reaction kinetics. The methyl oleate production capabilities of the Celite® supported lipase sol-gel were investigated using a packed bed reactor and compared with Novozym® 435 under similar operating conditions. A kinetic and mass transfer based model was developed for the reactor system using a novel efficiency correlation to account for the effect of glycerol on the enzymatic activity. Increasing the flow rate (1.4 mL/min to 20 mL/min) increased the reaction rate, presumably due to the reduction of the glycerol inhibition effect on the immobilized biocatalyst. The Celite® supported lipase sol-gel was found to have superior performance over Novozym® 435 both under batch stirred tank reaction conditions and in a packed bed reactor (83% conversion for Celite® sol-gel vs. 59% conversion for Novozym® 435 at 20 mL/min in the packed bed reactor). Based on the results obtained, Celite® supported lipase sol-gels exhibited good performance for the transesterification of triolein with methanol to produce methyl oleate in both batch and packed bed reactors, and warrant further exploration for the enzymatic production of biodiesel.

<p>The firing of fuel wood has been identified as one of themain causes of pollutant emissions from small-scale (<100kW) combustion of wood fuels. The emissions are a result ofinsufficient combustion efficiency. This thesis presents a newmeasurement method to analyse the thermochemical conversion ofbiofuels in general, as well as to explain the main reason ofthe inefficient combustion of fuel wood in particular.</p><p>In general, small-scale combustion of biofuels are carriedout by means of packed-bed combustion (PBC)technology. Acomprehensive literature review revealed that textbooks,theories, and methods in the field of thermochemical conversionof solid fuels in the context of PBC are scarce. This authorneeded a theoretical platform for systematic research on PBC ofbiofuels. Consequently, a new system theory - the three-stepmodel - was developed, describing the objectives of, theefficiencies of, and the process flows between, the leastcommon functions (subsystems) of a PBC system. The three stepsare referred to as the conversion system, the combustionsystem, and the heat exchanger system (boiler system). A numberof quantities and concepts, such as solid-fuel convertibles,conversion gas, conversion efficiency, and combustionefficiency, are deduced in the context of the three-step model.Based on the three-step model a measurement method washypothetically modelled aiming at the central physicalquantities of the conversion system, that is, the mass flow andstoichiometry of conversion gas, as well as the air factor ofthe conversion system. An uncertainty propagation analysis ofthe constitutive mathematical models of the method was carriedout. It indicated that it should be possible to determine themass flow and stoichiometry of conversion gas within the rangesof relative uncertainties of ±5% and ±7%,respectively. An experimental PBC system was constructed,according to the criteria defined by the hypothetical method.Finally, the method was verified with respect to total massflow of conversion gas in good agreement with the verificationmethod. The relative error of mass flow of conversion gas wasin the range of ±5% of the actual value predicted by theverification method.</p><p>One experimental series was conducted applying the newmeasurement method. The studied conversion concept correspondedto overfired, updraft, horizontal fixed grate, and verticalcylindrical batch reactor. The measurements revealed newinformation on the similarities and the differences in theconversion behaviour of wood chips, wood pellets, and fuelwood. The course of a batch conversion has proven to be highlydynamic and stochastic. The dynamic range of the air factor ofthe conversion system during a run was 10:1. The empiricalstoichiometry of conversion gas during a run was CH_3.1O:CH₀O₀. Finally ,this experimental series revealed one ofthe main reasons why fuel wood is more difficult to burn thanfor example wood pellets. The relatively dry fuel wood (12-31g/m₂,s) displayed a significantly lower time-integratedmean of mass flux of conversion gas than both the wood pellets(37-62 g/m₂,s) and the wood chips (50-90 g/m₂,s). The higher the mass flux of conversion gasproduced in the conversion system, the higher the combustiontemperature for a given combustion system, which in turn ispositively coupled to the combustion efficiency.</p><p>In future work the method will be improved so thatmeasurements of combustion efficiency can be carried out. Othertypes of conversion concepts will be studied by the method.</p><p>Keywords: Packed-bed combustion, thermochemical conversionof biomass, solid-fuel combustion, fuel-bed combustion, gratecombustion, biomass combustion, gasification, pyrolysis,drying.</p>

Packed bed reactors with counter-current, gas-liquid flows have been considered to be applicable in CO2 capture systems for post-combustion processing from fossil-fueled power production units. However, the hydrodynamics within the packing used in these reactors under counter-current flow has not been assessed to provide insight into design and operational parameters that may impact reactor and reaction efficiencies. Hence, experimental testing of a laboratory-scale spherical ball, packed bed with two-phase flow was accomplished and then a meso-scale 3D CFD model was developed to numerically simulate the conditions and outcomes of the experimental tests. Also, the hydrodynamics of two-phase flow in a packed bed with structured packing were simulated using a meso-scale, 3D CFD model and then validated using empirical models. The CFD model successfully characterized the hydrodynamics inside the packing, with a focus on parameters such as the wetted surface areas, gas-liquid interactions, liquid distributions, pressure drops, liquid holdups, film thicknesses and flow regimes. The simulation results clearly demonstrated the development of and changes in liquid distributions, wetted areas and film thicknesses under various gas and liquid flow rates. Gas and liquid interactions were observed to occur at the interface of the gas and liquid through liquid entrainment and droplet formation, and it became more dominant as the Reynolds numbers increased. Liquid film thicknesses in the structured packing were much thinner than in the spherical ball packing, and increased with increasing liquid flow rates. Gas flow rates had no significant effect on film thicknesses. Film flow and trickle flow regimes were found in both the spherical ball and structured packing. A macro-scale, porous model was also developed which was less computationally intensive than the meso-scale, 3D CFD model. The macro-scale model was used to study the spherical ball packing and to modify its closure equations. It was found that the Ergun equation, typically used in the porous model, was not suitable for multi-phase flow. Hence, it was modified by replacing porosity with the actual pore volume within the liquid phase; this modification successfully accounted for liquid holdup which was predicted via a proposed equation.

The objective of this work was to develop a novel enzyme immobilization scheme for supported lipase sol-gels and to evaluate the potential of the immobilized biocatalyst for the production of biodiesel in a packed bed reactor. Two sources of lipase (EC 3.1.1.3 triacylglycerol hydrolase) were used in this study and the transesterification of methanol and triolein to produce glycerol and methyl oleate was used as a model reaction of biodiesel production. A commercially available form of immobilized lipase, Novozym® 435, was used as a basis for comparison to the literature. Upon establishing a lipase sol-gel formulation technique, the experimental methodology for the transesterification reaction using Novozyme® 435 was developed. Subsequently, a series of inert materials were considered based on their suitability as supports for immobilized lipase sol-gels and the synthesis of methyl oleate. The value of a supported lipase sol-gel is to improve the activity and stability of the enzyme and develop an immobilized biocatalyst that is practical for use under packed bed reactor conditions. Of the six support materials considered (6-12 mesh silica gel, Celite® R633, Celite® R632, Celite® R647, anion exchange resin, and Quartzel® felt), the diatomaceous earth supports (Celite® R633, R632 and R647) exhibited high enzymatic activity, were thermally stable, and possessed high sol-gel adhesion. From the three types of diatomaceous earth considered, Celite® R632 supported lipase sol-gels were identified as the most promising supported lipase sol-gels for methyl oleate production via transesterification. Upon further evaluation, the Celite® R632 lipase sol-gels were found to achieve high methyl oleate percent conversions, glycerol-water absorption was only significant at glycerol levels higher than 75%, and the immobilized lipase had high stability upon storage at 4°C for 1.5 years. To determine the effects of methanol and glycerol inhibition as well as temperature on the reaction kinetics, a ping-pong bi-bi kinetic model was developed and validated over a range of methanol concentrations and temperatures. The optimal methanol concentration for the conditions tested was in the range of 1.3 M to 2.0 M, and increased with increasing temperature. The model developed was consistent with the experimental data and confirmed that glycerol inhibition and the presence of products had significant effects on the reaction kinetics. The methyl oleate production capabilities of the Celite® supported lipase sol-gel were investigated using a packed bed reactor and compared with Novozym® 435 under similar operating conditions. A kinetic and mass transfer based model was developed for the reactor system using a novel efficiency correlation to account for the effect of glycerol on the enzymatic activity. Increasing the flow rate (1.4 mL/min to 20 mL/min) increased the reaction rate, presumably due to the reduction of the glycerol inhibition effect on the immobilized biocatalyst. The Celite® supported lipase sol-gel was found to have superior performance over Novozym® 435 both under batch stirred tank reaction conditions and in a packed bed reactor (83% conversion for Celite® sol-gel vs. 59% conversion for Novozym® 435 at 20 mL/min in the packed bed reactor). Based on the results obtained, Celite® supported lipase sol-gels exhibited good performance for the transesterification of triolein with methanol to produce methyl oleate in both batch and packed bed reactors, and warrant further exploration for the enzymatic production of biodiesel.

O hidrogênio é estudado como alternativa ao uso de combustíveis fósseis para geração de energia, uma vez que é um combustível renovável, apresenta alta concentração de energia por unidade de massa e não gera gases causadores do efeito estufa. Entre os processos de produção de hidrogênio destaca-se o processo fermentativo, pois é um processo de baixo custo quando comparado com outros processos e possibilita unir tratamento de efluente e geração de energia. Neste sentido, este trabalho teve como proposta estudar parâmetros envolvidos no processo de produção fermentativo do \'H IND.2\'. O trabalho envolveu três etapas. Na primeira etapa, foi estudada a produção de hidrogênio a partir de sacarose empregando reatores anaeróbios de leito fixo de fluxo ascendente. Na primeira fase, comparou-se o desempenho de diferentes matérias suportes (argila, carvão vegetal e polietileno) e tempos de detenção hidráulica (TDH) (0,5 e 2h). Na segunda fase, testaram-se diferentes porosidades (50, 75 e 91%) do leito de polietileno TDH de 0,5 h. Os resultados mostraram que TDHs menores e maiores porosidades promovem maiores e contínuas produções de \'H IND.2\'. Na segunda fase, avaliou-se a produção de \'H IND.2\' a partir de quatro inóculos: metanogênico tratamento termicamente e três provenientes de biomassa aderidas aos materiais suportes empregados na primeira etapa. Todos inóculos produziram \'H IND.2\'. Na terceira etapa, avaliou-se a viabilidade de produzir \'H IND.2\' a partir de diferentes águas residuárias (sacarose, esgoto sanitário, vinhaça e glicerina). Houve conversão de hidrogênio a partir de todas as águas residuárias e a vinhaça mostrou ser o efluente mais promissor para esta finalidade. As análises biológicas mostraram baixa diversidade de fungos e bactérias, porém todos associados com o processo de formação de \'H IND.2\'. A varredura dos parâmetros estudados neste trabalho proporcionou o entendimento do processo, assim como, o mapeamento das variáveis adequadas para o projeto e viabilidade da aplicação de reatores desenvolvidos para geração de hidrogênio. / The hydrogen obtained by fermentative production is studied as an alternative process to provide energy instead of fossil fuel application. Moreover, hydrogen is a renewable fuel, has high energy content per unit weight (122 kJ/g), generates clean energy without pollution and produces no greenhouse gases. The fermentative process has low cost when it is compared with traditional process and photosynthetic process, because hydrogen can be produced from wastewater by anaerobic treatment process. For that reason, the aim of this research was to study some parameters involved in the hydrogen production by fermentative process. Three steps were developed. In the first step, it was studied the hydrogen production from sucrose using up-flow anaerobic packed-bed reactor, this step was divide in two phases. In the first phase three support materials (clay beads, vegetal coal and polyethylene) and two hydraulic retention times (0.5 and 2 h) were tested. In the second phase three porosities (50, 75 and 91%) of polyethylene bed were tested. The results demonstrated that the low HRT and high porosities provided high hydrogen production, although, the support materials did not show significant difference in the hydrogen production and in the biomass developed. In the second phase, four inocula were used in order to produce hydrogen: thermal pre-treated methanogenic sludge; and the others three came from the reactors used in the first phase. All inocula were able to produce hydrogen. In the third step hydrogen production was obtained from three wastewaters (domestic wastewater, vinasse and glycerol) and a control (sucrose) in batch reactors. The wastewaters and control produced hydrogen and the vinasse showed the highest production. This research makes available the comprehension on the influence of the different parameters in processes projected for hydrogen production and it makes viable to apply in full-scale.

Modelos matemáticos oferecem grandes benefícios para a compreensão dos mecanismos envolvidos nos processos de tratamento de águas residuárias uma vez que fornecem interpretações e possibilitam previsões de desempenho, comparações de alternativas de tratamento, otimização de futuras plantas ou o aprimoramento das existentes, podendo subsidiar a elaboração de projetos em escala real. Em virtude disto, nesta pesquisa visou-se o desenvolvimento de um modelo bioquímico-matemático para descrever o processo de degradação da glicose em um reator anaeróbio de leito fixo com fluxo ascendente, com a resultante produção biológica de hidrogênio por meio do processo de fermentação. O desenvolvimento do modelo foi baseado em estudos sobre a cinética bioquímica e as características hidrodinâmicas do sistema. Os parâmetros de ajuste do modelo aos dados experimentais foram as constantes de velocidade das reações bioquímicas envolvidas na produção de hidrogênio. A calibração foi realizada manualmente buscando minimizar o desvio global. Para a determinação dos parâmetros foi utilizada a técnica de geração de números aleatórios com distribuição de freqüência uniforme e em seguida, o método de inversão de matrizes. O modelo matemático se revelou bastante adequado para a previsão do perfil de concentrações ao longo do reator, e possibilitou a representação das rotas de utilização da matéria orgânica. A reação de oxidação do ácido propiônico pelas bactérias acidogênicas produtoras de hidrogênio constitui a principal via de produção de \'H IND.2\' no sistema. / Mathematical models bring benefits to the understanding of mechanisms involved on wastewater treatment processes because they provide interpretations and make possible performance predictions, evaluation of design alternatives, optimization of future plants or the improvement to existing systems. Therefore, in this work a mathematical model to describe the glucose degradation process, with hydrogen production through the fermentation, in an upflow anaerobic packed-bed reactor is developed. The model equations were based on studies of biochemical kinetics and hydrodynamics features of the system. The parameters considered were the rates of the biochemical reactions involved in the hydrogen production. The calibration was made through the minimization of the global deviation. The parameters determination was obtained with the use of a technique of generation of aleatory numbers, and after that, the method of matrices inversion for the solution of the system of linear equations. The mathematical model developed showed to be adequate for the concentrations prediction along the reactor, and it made possible the representation of the routes of organic material utilization. The oxidation reaction of propionic acid is the main hydrogen production route in the reactor.

Dans l'industrie agroalimentaire, le procédé de blanchiment est un traitement thermique indispensable pour la transformation de légumes en produits conserves et surgelés. L'objectif est de détruire des microorganismes par un chauffage des légumes à 97°C, puis de les refroidir à 5°C. L'enjeu de cette thèse est de proposer une conception énergétiquement efficace de ce procédé. L'analyse énergétique et exergétique, ainsi que le respect de contraintes qualité liées au produit, aboutissent à un nouveau schéma de procédé. L'essentiel de la récupération de chaleur est réalisée grâce à un débit d'eau circulant à contre-courant des légumes au travers de trois échangeurs de chaleur. Le complément de puissance est fourni par une thermo-frigo-pompe (TFP) délivrant les utilités chaude et froide. Le premier enjeu est le bon dimensionnement des échangeurs liquide/solides. Ceux-ci sont modélisés pour deux configurations d'écoulement : courant-croisé et contre-courant. D'autre part, une TFP usuelle n'est pas capable d'avoir la flexibilité nécessaire à son intégration dans un procédé agroalimentaire soumis à des besoins de puissance variables. Deux options de découplage (total et partiel) sont étudiées pour ajouter un degré de liberté à ce cycle thermodynamique. Ces travaux permettent la conception d'un pilote qui est réalisé pour blanchir 1 t/h de légumes. L'équipement a démontré une réduction des besoins de puissance de chauffage de 65 % à 75 %. La consommation exergétique, combinant les besoins de chauffage et de refroidissement, a chuté de 79 % et le débit d'eau consommée est divisé par 5. Si ces travaux posent de nouvelles questions, ils démontrent que la récupération de chaleur sur des solides tels que des légumes est réalisable. / In food industry, the blanching process is essential for transforming vegetables into canned or frozen products. To destroy microorganisms the vegetables are heated to 97 °C and cooled to 5 °C. The aim of this thesis is to propose an energy-efficient design of this process. Energy and exergy analysis, coupled to respect of safety requirements, resulted in a new process flow sheet. The largest part of heat is recovered using an intermediate water flow which circulates in counter-current of the solid flow rate. Remaining cooling and heating needs are provided by a heat pump. Thus, designing the liquid-to-solids heat exchangers is the first challenge. To do this, two mains components are modeled: the countercurrent and the crossflow heat exchangers. On the over hand, a usual heat pump is unable to deliver both heating and cooling with variable capacities. To improve flexibility of this thermodynamic system two different options are analyzed. Theses works lead to a new blanching process design, the pilot was made to operate with a solid mass flow rate of 1 t/h. This equipment demonstrates an energy saving of 65 % to 75 % and an exergy saving of 79 %. Moreover water consumption is divided by 5. If this work leads to new questions, it proves that energy efficiency if feasible on solids like vegetables.

Orientadores: Francisco Maugeri Filho, Helen Treichel / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-14T15:38:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mazutti_MarcioAntonio_D.pdf: 2533224 bytes, checksum: 5aa67cc7c607161a5f135fc67eb66778 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: Nas últimas duas décadas houve um aumento considerável no emprego de fermentação em estado sólido (FES) para a obtenção de enzimas de interesse em alimentos, incluindo a inulinase. No entanto, todos os trabalhos reportados na literatura abordam a produção de inulinase em escala de bancada, usando poucos gramas de substrato. Essa estratégia de condução do processo é muito importante na etapa de seleção dos substratos e triagem dos microrganismos produtores. Porém, não permite a avaliação do desempenho do processo em escalas maiores. O objetivo desse trabalho foi investigar a produção de inulinase por FES num biorreator de leito fixo com capacidade para 3kg (base seca) usando a levedura Kluyveromyces marxianus NRRL Y-7571. Inicialmente, foi realizado um delineamento composto central rotacional (DCCR) para otimizar a massa inicial de células, a temperatura e a vazão do ar de entrada do biorreator. A partir dos resultados obtidos na otimização, foram realizados 7 experimentos em torno da região otimizada, visando a avaliação cinética do processo. Foram monitorados experimentalmente o consumo de açúcar redutor total (ART), a produção de dióxido de carbono (CO2) e a geração de calor metabólico. A produção de água metabólica, massa de células e etanol, além do consumo de oxigênio, foram calculados a partir de uma equação estequiométrica, tomando como base a produção de CO2 e o consumo de ART. Os dados obtidos na avaliação cinética foram usados para a geração de um modelo de crescimento da levedura Kluyveromyces marxianus NRRL Y-7571 em FES. Este modelo é baseado em redes neurais artificiais (RNA), onde são usadas como entradas para a rede a massa inicial de ART, temperatura do ar de entrada do biorreator, temperatura do ar de saída do biorreator e tempo de fermentação. Como respostas têm-se as taxas associadas com o crescimento da levedura Kluyveromyces marxianus, como a produção de CO2, calor metabólico, etanol, água metabólica, atividade da inulinase e massa celular, além das taxas de consumo de oxigênio (O2) e ART. Por fim, o modelo de crescimento microbiano foi acoplado ao balanço macroscópico de energia no biorreator com o objetivo de prever os perfis de temperatura ao longo do processo. Entre os resultados obtidos no DCCR tem-se que a máxima produção de inulinase obtida foi de 437±36 unidades por grama de substrato seco (U.gds-1) (produtividade de 18,2 U.gds-1.h-1) quando a temperatura do ar de entrada, vazão volumétrica de ar e massa de células foram 30°C, 2,2 m3.h-1 e 22 g, respectivamente. Na avaliação cinética do processo, foram verificadas diferenças nas taxas associadas ao crescimento microbiano entre as condições experimentais. O aumento da temperatura do ar de entrada mostrou ter influência no tempo onde as taxas máximas foram verificadas, sendo que quanto mais alta a temperatura menor foi esse tempo. A temperatura máxima obtida na corrente de ar na saída do biorreator atingiu valores próximos a 50°C, não afetando o teor de umidade do substrato, o qual se manteve acima de 65%. A produção de inulinase mostrou variações significativas com a altura do biorreator. As maiores taxas associadas com o crescimento microbiano foram verificadas quando a temperatura do ar de saída atingiu valores compreendidos entre 30¿38°C, o que corresponde a 4-9 horas de fermentação. O modelo matemático baseado em redes neurais empregado para predizer as principais taxas associadas ao crescimento da levedura K. marxianus em FES mostrou desempenho satisfatório na representação dos dados experimentais e ao acoplar esse modelo à equação de balanço de energia macroscópico do processo obteve-se uma representação satisfatória dos perfis de temperatura ao longo do biorreator / Abstract: In the last two decades there has been a considerable increase in the interest of using solid-state fermentation (SSF) for the development of several bioprocesses and products, including enzyme production, as the inulinase. Nevertheless, all works related in the literature regarding the inulinase production were conducted in small scales, using few grams of substrate. This strategy is interesting to select the most promising substrate and microorganisms, which are able to produce the desired product, but this scale is not appropriated for the evaluation of process performance in larger scales. This work evaluate the inulinase production by SSF in a packed-bed bioreactor with available capacity of 3 kg (dry basis) using the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus NRRL Y-7571. Initially, it was evaluated the technical viability to produce inulinase by SSF in the packed-bed bioreactor. To optimize the operational conditions, such as temperature and flow rate of inlet air and the initial mass of cells, a central composite rotational design (CCRD) for three independent variables was carried out. Starting from the results obtained in the CCRD, seven new experimental runs were carried out within the range investigated for the independent variables to evaluate the kinetics of cell growth and inulinase production by Kluyveromyces marxianus NRRL Y-7571 in the packed-bed bioreactor. A stoichiometry correlation between CO2, ethanol, metabolic water, O2 and total reducing sugar was determined. Besides, the metabolic heat production was estimated by a proper energy balance in the inlet and outlet air stream. The data obtained during the kinetic evaluation of the process were employed on the development of a mathematical model based on artificial neural networks (ANN) to predict the above mentioned microbial rates associated with the microbial growth in function of the fermentation time, initial total reducing sugar concentration, inlet and outlet air temperatures. In the last step of the work, the model related to the microbial growth was coupled to the macroscopic energy balance in the bioreactor to predict the temperature profile through the substrate bed. The results obtained in the CCRD showed that the optimum inulinase production was 436.7±36.3 U.gds-1 at 24 h of fermentation (productivity of 18.2 U.gds-1.h- 1) when SSF was carried out at 30°C of air inlet temperature, 2.2 m3.h-1 of air flow rate and 22 g of cells. During the kinetic evaluation of the process it was verified that the manipulated variables affected the process performance. The maximum temperature reached in the outlet air stream was about 50°C, however not affecting the moisture content of the substrates that was higher than 65% (w/w) inside the bioreactor. The inulinase production showed significant variations in different bed heights inside the bioreactor. The highest microbial rates were verified when the mean temperature of moist substrate reached values in the range of 30 to 38°C that leads to a fermentation time between 4 to 9 hours. The model developed to predict the main microbial rates of the yeast K. marxianus grown in solid-state fermentation showed a good performance during both training and validation steps. The framework developed showed to be an interesting alternative to substitute the simple empirical microbial model in the macroscopic balance of energy in the bioreactor, since the proposed hybrid model predicted efficiently the temperature profiles through the bioreactor / Doutorado / Doutor em Engenharia de Alimentos

Chemical warfare agents are a toxic class of compounds that are incredibly harmful to human health. Methods of detoxification and decontamination currently exist, however they all suffer from problems that involve logistical transport or involve technologies that directly address liquid threats instead of vapors. One promising method of detoxification involves the oxidation of these compounds into less-harmful species. The relatively large chemical size and complexity of modern-day chemical warfare agents, however, precludes a straightforward analysis of the chemical transformations that take place on novel decontaminating materials. Additionally, a fundamental understanding of reaction mechanisms that occur on novel material surfaces is required before improved materials can be developed. To this end, the oxidation of three simpler, smaller organic molecules were studied over a variety of materials in order to build up a chemical understanding of the systems under study. The photoepoxidation of propene into propene oxide was observed to readily occur over an in-house developed dual titania-silica catalyst created by atomic layer deposition. The subsequent photoinduced degradation of produced propene oxide was observed to occur over the novel catalyst. Next, the oxidation of CO was studied over a Pt/TiO2 catalyst while in the presence of humidity. The addition of water was shown to enable an alternative, low energy pathway that closely followed the water gas shift, but ended upon the production of stable surface-bound formates. Gaseous oxygen was found to subsequently oxidize these surface formates into the full oxidation product, CO2. Next, the oxidation of methanol was studied over the same Pt/TiO2 catalyst. It was discovered that the water produced when methanol initially adsorbs to the catalyst surface is responsible for unlocking the oxidative capacity of the material. Finally, a custom packedbed reactor was designed and built that enabled unique experimental capabilities not yet available in commercial systems, and will be used in the future to directly test the oxidative capabilities of novel materials for chemical warfare agent destruction. / Doctor of Philosophy / The chemical interactions and reactions that occur between gases and surfaces are incredibly important for a multitude of technologies employed by governments, militaries, and citizens alike. The precise methods in which these gases interact with materials of interest determine whether said material can be used in a catalytic fashion. Much like how an automobile catalytic converter does not have to be replaced each time the vehicle is started; a catalyst is able to be used repeatedly without loss of function. Catalysts in general are unique in that they function to create or allow for chemical reactions to proceed through alternative, lower energy pathways that are more likely to occur under milder environmental conditions. In order to understand the chemical reactions that occur on a catalyst, a combination of specialized spectroscopic methods was used that allowed for tracking the precise chemical bonds that were formed or broken during reaction. A few different model chemical reactions are explored in this work, ranging from the conversion of carbon monoxide into CO2, and the oxidation of methanol, a small alcohol commonly found in fuel cells. The experimental techniques employed herein allowed for precise chemical mechanisms to be tracked, and the information gained will certainly be useful for the design of next-generation materials by future research.

Many of the industrial processes, used by manufacturers to produce biologics, have not been significantly updated since their original design and conception. And thus, there is a great opportunity to update and optimize manufacturing processes. Downstream purification is often considered the bottleneck of the manufacturing process and when biologics are being purified for clinical applications, the final purity is paramount. As a result, pharmaceutical products are subjected to multiple concentration, conditioning, and chromatographic steps. The pharmaceutical industry is constantly and slowly evolving and is always looking to improve efficiency. Simulations and modeling are becoming more commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry as a tool to strategically design and test new production and separation processes developed at the research and development scale. In this thesis, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling was used to develop more efficient bioseparation processes by (1) using a cuboid module geometry and (2) chromatographic medium with product-specific affinity ligands. The laterally-fed class of chromatography modules has a unique cuboidal geometry, with lateral feeding of the sample in the channel above the bed and lateral collection of permeate. CFD simulations and experimental results have shown that the laterally-fed class of chromatography devices can produce sharper elution peaks, have better peak resolution, and consequently purer product fractions than conventional membrane and resin-based chromatographic formats. The enhanced performance by the laterally-fed class of chromatography devices is attributed to improved system fluidics and narrow solute residence time distribution. One other approach to improving efficiency is to address the tradeoff between purity and recovered yield, due to the non-specific binding nature of many commercial resins and membranes. Purification using high-affinity biological ligands selected on specificity to the target molecule could be a feasible solution. A purification scheme for pertactin was developed with final eluate purity of 90% and approximately 100% recovery. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)