Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F3/00—Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
  • C02F3/28—Anaerobic digestion processes
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12M—APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS
  • C12M21/00—Bioreactors or fermenters specially adapted for specific uses
  • C12M21/04—Bioreactors or fermenters specially adapted for specific uses for producing gas, e.g. biogas
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12M—APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS
  • C12M23/00—Constructional details, e.g. recesses, hinges
  • C12M23/34—Internal compartments or partitions
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12M—APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS
  • C12M27/00—Means for mixing, agitating or circulating fluids in the vessel
  • C12M27/18—Flow directing inserts
  • C12M27/20—Baffles; Ribs; Ribbons; Auger vanes
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12M—APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS
  • C12M29/00—Means for introduction, extraction or recirculation of materials, e.g. pumps
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E50/00—Technologies for the production of fuel of non-fossil origin
  • Y02E50/30—Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel

Definitions

• the present invention is in the field of medium fermentation techniques? liquid or viscous, homogeneous or not and it relates to an aerobic or anaerobic fermenting device in the aforementioned media, this device being of the type allowing the so-called fractional or pseudo-continuous fermentation.
• a first mode consists in continuously introducing the fermentable medium into a tank and also withdrawing continuously from said tank, at equal rate, the fermented medium; the capacity of the tank is adapted to the inlet and outlet flow, so that the fermentation time is sufficient; generally the tank is provided with stirring means in order to homogenize its content and to break down the bacterial clumps.
• Such an fermentation method has the advantage of the simplicity of the means, namely a single tank having an advantageous volume / surface ratio, but as disadvantages, on the one hand of having to reject an appreciable part of the tangible iron material, and on the other hand apart from leaving unstirred areas.
• a second method of fermentation consists in using a plurality of tanks which are successively filled, abandoned to fermentation and emptied; each tank can be provided with stirring means; according to this mode of fermentation, which is said to be pseudo-continuous or even fractionated, the exhaustion of the fermentable medium is much more pushed than in the case of the previous mode, but the problem of unstirred zones arises for it tanks and a tanks and above all the complexity of the network of filling and racking pipes.
• a first aim of the present invention is to propose a fermenter authorizing a transfer of the fermentable medium from an input to an output, in a pseudo-continuous and automatic manner in order to avoid any intermediate manipulation.
• a second aim is to propose a liar iron ensuring the fractionation of the medium in order to limit as much as possible the mixing of the fresh medium with the used medium.
• a third object of the invention is to provide a fermenter ensuring compartmentalized mixing by recirculation of the medium either under the effect of mechanical stirrers, or under the effect of jets of fluids, liquids or gases.
• a fourth aim of the present invention is to propose a fermenter whose construction is modular, that is to say achievable by juxtaposition of similar successive modules.
• a fermen tation module enabling the above-mentioned aims to be achieved is generally characterized in that it consists of an annular enclosure arranged substantially vertically, provided at its upper part with a partition separating the upper annular space into an upstream compartment and a downstream compartment, e of a pair of opposite side openings opening one into the upstream compartment, the other into the downstream compartment said partition providing at its base a fairly reduced section communication between the two upstream and downstream compartments, said communication being intended to allow circulation at a fairly low speed between the upstream compartment and the downstream compartment, said partition being intended to block a so-called circulation "flushing" at high flow rate, said lateral openings being intended to allow the passage of said flushing circulation, said lateral openings s having their lowest point located some distance above the highest point.
• such a module incorporates means for circulating the fermentable medium at low flow rate; these means can be of the fluid jet type the fluid used in the jet is the fermentation medium itself, the pressure necessary for the jet being created by a pump it results from such means that on the one hand, and thanks to the annular form of the module there is practically no zone not subject to stirring, and on the other hand that the pump can act as a means of dispersing the bacterial masses.
• la_ low-bit circulation which ensures the mixing of the medium in a module can either be in the same direction, or in the opposite direction to the flush circulation; both cases of the respective directions of these circulations have advantages.
• fermentation module was designed not to be used in isolation, but to operate in conjunction with similar models; it will be noted that it constitutes in itself a fe mentor but that in the following description the term fermenter is reserved for an association of several modules
• a fermenter consisting of a plurality of modules similar to the module described above, is characterized in general in that said modules are arranged side by side so that the downstream opening of one communicates with the opening upstream of the contiguous module, from which it follows that in continuous operation a flushing circulation in one has a flushing circulation in the following.
• Such a fermenter further comprises high-speed feed means for suddenly introducing into the upstream compartment of a so-called head module a said high flow supply means intended to create flushing current are preferably of the siphon type, which simplifies the control of their operation; they can also be of the tilting tank type, or of a snap-open type; these various means are well known from hydraulic techniques; preferably the aforementioned high-speed supply means comprise a supply conduit opening into the head module tangentially, from which it follows that the kinetic energy of the supply current is used to contribute to the current hunt.
• the general shape of the enclosure is not necessarily circular, but that it could also be of elongated elliptical or speudo-elliptical shape, the main thing being that it does not include angular parts which can hinder the different circulations.
• a fermenter of the invention is quite general in its applications; i can be used for the production of various metabolites: enzymes, alcohol, methane gas, etc. as well as for the production of an interesting biomass: production of yeast from molasses, whey, etc. as well as for the purification by bacteria of industrial, urban or agricultural wastewater ⁇ .
• the present invention will be better understood and other characteristics of detail will be set out in the description which will be given of a particular embodiment, in relation to the figures of the attached single sheet in which:
• Fig. 1 is a tick diagram representation, from above, of a fermenter of the invention.
• Fig.2 is a section, also dry mat, along line AA of the previous figure.
• a fermenter consists of a plurality of five fermentation modules 1 5. These modules are coaxial cylindrical rings, of horizontal axis, and they are juxtaposed to each other; they form a five-stage fermenter, the module 1 of which is called the input or head module, and the module of which is said to be the output or tail module.
• Each module can be descriptively divided into an upper part 6 and a lower part 7, the level of separation of these two parts being able to be chosen as the horizontal plane 8 tangent to the internal wall re 9.
• a partition 10 forming a deflector; the sound barrier 10 which has been cut in FIG. 2 is clearly visible in plan in FIG. 1 and where it is clear that it is arranged at an angle relative to the cutting plane AA; this partition separates the upper part of the module into two compartments 11 and 12 said respectively upstream and downstream, it being understood that these designations refer to the direction of general progression of the medium in the fermenter, such that this progression will be described later .
• the side walls of a module are provided in the upper part thereof with an opening.
• lateral are entirely included in one or other of the downstream and upstream compartments; they are substantially rec tangular and their lower side is located at a certain height 19 above the interior wall, in other words and as already said they have their lowest point located at a certain distance above the point the highest of the lower part of the upper part of said annular enclosure.
• the level of the fermentable liquid medium contained in the module cannot exceed, at rest, the level Défi or by the lower side of the opening since there would be when flowing through the opening. It is also noted that the communication 16 has a height 20 slightly less than the distance separating the opening from the interior wall.
• the communication 16 is intended to allow the passage of a fairly slow current, said to be higher, at low speed, below the partition; this current is a stirring current of the fermentation medium in the module.
• This stirring current is created in the case of the figure by a jet 21 produced by a crown 22 supplied by a pump 23 from a sample 24 carried out in the fermentation medium; it should be noted that instead of a jet of liquid, the current could be created using a gaseous jet which could for example be carbon dioxide (anaerobic fermentation) or alternatively oxygen or air (aerobic fermentation), it could also consist of a jet of any other liquid useful for fermentation.
• a high-speed supply device of a conventional siphon type has been shown diagrammatically at 25 and it is noted that this device is connected to the annular space by a pipe 26 arriving tangentially to this space; this takes advantage of the kinetic energy resulting from the load height of the feed device relative to the fermenter.
• the above-mentioned device 25 can, however, be replaced by a feed chute 30 (sché ⁇ matrise in fig.l) arriving at the inlet opening 18 of the abruptly powered by any means.
• Such a fermenter is as follows; when a sudden emptying of the supply means takes place, a hunting current is created in the annular space represented by an arrow such as 27; such a current with a high flow rate abuts against a partition such as 10 which, thanks to its inclination directs it in the direction of the opening; if the opening opens into the upstream compartment of the neighboring module, the partition of the latter directs it into the downstream compartment where it then loads the medium contained in it and the phenomenon is reproduced from one module to the next. 'other until the previously present content of the last module is discharged from the fermenter ⁇ to an outlet chute 28. Thanks to this intermittent flushing current, the fermentable medium is transferred successively from one module to another without substantial mixing of the media of each module.

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• 1980
  • 1980-07-07 FR FR8015319A patent/FR2486096A1/fr active Granted
• 1981
  • 1981-07-07 EP EP81902034A patent/EP0055290A1/fr not_active Withdrawn
  • 1981-07-07 WO PCT/FR1981/000089 patent/WO1982000157A1/fr not_active Ceased

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