Study On Solid State Fermentation Bioreactor With Pressure Pulsation Based On LabVIEW

The development of solid state fermentation (SSF) technology is very important to the production of cellulase and ultimately to the utilization of natural cellulose. However, inadequate dissipation of heat generated by biological activities has prevented solid state fermentation from large-scale applications. This thesis deals with the development of novel SSF bioreactor with air pressure pulsation. Measurement and control software was developed under virtual instrument concept. Performance of SSF bioreactor with pressure pulsation was studied by cultivating T. koningii in solid medium made of wheat bran and corncob. The structure of this thesis is as follows. Chapter 1 introduces solid state fermentation and virtual instrument technology. Conclusions are made that solid state fermentation technology plays a key role in cellulase production and utilization of natural cellulose. Measurement and control system under virtual instrument concept can have a good control of the SSF process. Chapter 2 describes the experimental materials and methods. Chapter 3 expounds the development of measurement and control system for SSF packed bed bioreactor with pressure pulsation. Chapter 4 discusses the performance of SSF bioreactor with air pressure pulsation, including water evaporation, heat dissipation and temperature distribution. Chapter 5 makes a final summary and suggests the future work that needs to be done to the project. It turns out that measurement and control system based on virtual instrument offers good solution for the solid state fermentation process, with friendly interface together with powerful functions. The cooling effects of pressure pulsation on solid porous beds are discussed. Experimental results show that pressure pulsation enhances medium moisture evaporation, and hence, heat dissipation. Furthermore, through variations of pressure pulsation directions, it is likely to mitigate the temperature gradients in the packed bed bioreactor. Pressure pulsation can provide the microbes with a growing environment with optimal temperature and medium water content.