COMPARISON OF AIRLIFT AND STIRRED-TANK REACTORS FOR IMMOBILIZED ENZYME-REACTIONS

A concentric airlift reactor and stirred tank reactors have been compa red for use with immobilized enzyme. Mixing efficiency, specific power input, shear stress, and enzyme stability were compared and discussed . Immobilized penicillin acylase was used as an example for this study . The airlift reactor was found to be superior to the stirred tank rea ctors in enzyme stability and specific power requirement. Because of l ower shear stress and less broken fine enzyme fragments, using an airl ift reactor may also be advantageous for downstream product separation .