Patent ID: 9725688
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: B01F,C12M,C12N,C12P,Y02E

Claim:
1. A process for fermentation of syngas, the process comprising: filling at least about 75% of a total volume of a growth reactor section of a reactor vessel with medium, wherein a ratio of a main reactor volume to the growth reactor volume is about 10:1 to about 100:1; contacting acetogenic bacteria with syngas in the growth section of the reactor vessel for a time effective for providing a cell density of at least about 3 grams per liter, wherein the growth section of the reactor vessel is configured as an unstirred tank reactor; adding medium to the reactor vessel and maintaining a cell density of at least about 3 grams per liter until reaching a liquid level in a main section of the reactor vessel, wherein the growth section and main section of the reactor vessel are continuous; introducing syngas into the main section of the reactor vessel through a gas sparger having holes of a diameter of 10 mm or less, the syngas being introduced at a flow rate effective for maintaining a pressure inside of the reactor vessel of at least about 1 psig, wherein the syngas has a CO/CO providing an agitation energy input to the main section of the reactor vessel of about 0.01 to about 12 kWatts/m wherein the process is effective for providing a volumetric CO mass transfer coefficient of about 100 to about 1500 per hour.