| Silicone oils were microencapsulated within polyamide (nylon) membranes cross-linked with polyethylenimine. Solubility of oxygen within the silicone oils, whether encapsulated or not, was approximately 6 mM, representing solubilities 20 fold higher than that of oxygen in water. Assuming that the bioreactor volume consists of 10 to 20% microencapsulated silicone oil, this represents an enhancement of the oxygen reservoir by a factor ranging from 4 to 7. The use of 20%(v/v) microcapsule dispersions also enabled a 4 to 5 times increase of volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (k... |
