JPS5835675B2 - immobilized microorganisms - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to microorganisms immobilized in a plate shape.

For example, immobilized enzymes currently commonly used as catalysts for chemical reactions are formed in the form of particles, and typical applications include packed beds and reaction beds.

However, since enzymes immobilized using polymeric materials such as polyacrylamide are encapsulated and have elasticity, they are easily compressed and deformed.In order to increase the reaction yield, the diameter of the enzyme is reduced and, for example, a packed bed is used. When the substrate is formed, when the flow rate of the substrate liquid is increased, the immobilized enzyme particles are pushed and compressed by the liquid pressure, increasing the contact area with each other, and as a result, the porosity becomes significantly smaller, increasing the resistance and reducing the reaction yield. leading to a decline in

In addition, such immobilized enzymes are generally extremely weak against mechanical shock and are therefore not necessarily suitable for forming a fluidized bed.

The present invention is characterized in that it is formed into a plate shape consisting of a solidified microbial layer consisting of a mixture of microorganisms and a binder, and a reinforcing material, and is widely used in fermentation, culture, etc. as a catalyst pond for chemical reactions as described above. This provides immobilized microorganisms that can be used.

In the present invention, microorganisms include yeast and mold.

It is broadly defined to include bacteria, actinomycetes, basidiomycetes, single-celled algae, viruses, etc., enzymes produced from these, or cultured products, and enzymes extracted from biological tissues.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a boss 1 made of stainless steel, hard synthetic resin, or glass and having a shaft hole 11.
2 is fixed to the center of a circular net 13 made by braiding fine wires of stainless steel or glass.The reinforcing material 1 has a thickness equal to that of the boss 12 and a diameter slightly larger than that of the net 13. The microorganism layer 2 is fixed.

The microbial layer 2 consists of a mixture of microorganisms and a binder, in which a mesh 13 is embedded.

Calcium alginate, which is used as a binder for conventional molding of granular immobilized enzymes, is used as a polymer material to ferment, propagate, catalyze, etc. proteins such as gelatin and casein, polysaccharides such as cellulose, and other organic organisms. A substance that has the function of maintaining a predetermined shape without interfering with the function of the liquid or dissolving it sequentially without disintegrating is used, and the amount added is preferably a small amount that does not impair the above-mentioned function.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, a microbial layer 2 is fixed to a reinforcing material 1 consisting of a boss 12 and a net 13 as described above to form a disk shape, and a plurality of microorganisms are formed at appropriate intervals, for example, on the same circle, at approximately equal intervals. A hole 3 is formed therethrough.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, microorganisms are contained inside the outer frame 14 of the reinforcing material 1, which consists of a boss 12 having a shaft hole 11, a regular hexagonal outer frame 14 on the outer periphery, and radial support rods 15 installed between them. Layer 2 is fixed.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a microbial layer 2 is fixed inside an outer frame 16 of a reinforcing material 1 consisting of a square outer frame 16 and a lattice-shaped auxiliary frame 17 fixed to the inside thereof.

In addition, in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the outer frame 14.16
has a thickness equal to or greater than the thickness of the microbial layer 2 inside it.

These immobilized microorganisms are immobilized by, for example, placing the reinforcing material 1 on a flat surface receiver, surrounding it with a mold if necessary, pouring a mixture of microorganisms and a binder in a fluid state, and cooling and immobilizing it if necessary. It is best to make it as thin as possible in order to increase the surface area compared to the amount of microorganisms and improve efficiency and yield.

For example, an experimental immobilized enzyme body having the shape of the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a boss with a diameter of 30 mm, a thickness of 5 mm, and a diameter of 95 m.
A microbial layer with a thickness of 5 mm was fixed to a reinforcing material made of a stainless steel mesh of 100 mm, and a disk with an outer diameter of 96.5 mm was made.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show examples of the use of the immobilized microorganism according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a case in which a plurality of immobilized microorganisms 21 supported on a horizontal shaft 23 in a reaction layer 22 are rotated by a prime mover 24, and are sent from a stock tank 25 to a head tank 2T by a pump 26. Return the stock solution above a certain level to pipe 2.
8, the valve 29 and flow meter 3 are returned to the stock tank 25.
A meandering gap formed by the baffle plate 32 in the tank and the immobilized microorganisms 21 rotating on a substantially vertical plane between them. It passes through and is taken out from the extraction tube 33 on the opposite side.

In this use case, a chemical reaction of the stock solution is carried out continuously using microorganisms as a catalyst.

FIG. 7 shows a case where one immobilized microorganism 21 supported horizontally on a vertical shaft 23 in a reaction tank 22 and its upper and lower blades 34, 34 are rotationally driven by a prime mover 24. The stock solution sent from 25 to the lower part of the reaction tank 22 by the pump 26 dissolves the microbial layer of the immobilized microorganisms 21 and returns to the stock solution tank 25 through the reflux pipe 35.The stock solution is circulated while gradually increasing the concentration and contains microorganisms. The dissolution, fermentation and culturing of the product are carried out batchwise.

In Figure 8, a horizontally supported can-shaped reaction tank 22 is a prime mover 3.
A plurality of immobilized microorganisms 21 are mounted on a non-rotating shaft 23 which is rotationally driven by a shaft 6 and supported horizontally at the center thereof.
By putting an appropriate amount of the stock solution into the reaction tank 22 and rotating it, microorganisms are dissolved, fermented, and cultured, or the stock solution undergoes a chemical reaction.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, if the airtight reaction tank 22 is fixed and the shaft 23 is rotated, a substrate solution is placed in the reaction tank 22 and a pressurized gas is can be supplied to the reaction tank 22 and reacted under pressure.

In these usage examples, especially in the case of FIG. 6, the stock solution flows across the immobilized microorganisms 21, so as shown in FIG. 3, the immobilized microorganisms 21 having holes 3 are used to smooth the flow of the stock solution. It is better to increase the contact area with this.

In addition, in these usage examples, a plurality of immobilized microorganisms 2
Of course, a plurality of shafts 23 supporting microorganisms 21 may be arranged in parallel in the reaction tank 22, and a packed bed may be formed by one or a plurality of immobilized microorganisms 21 stacked on top of each other or with a gap between them. It can also be formed.

As described above, the present invention uses a reinforcing material to fix a microbial layer consisting of a mixture of microorganisms and a binder in the form of a plate. Not only can it be formed without lowering efficiency and yield compared to other materials, but also its mechanical strength is significantly improved by the reinforcing material, it does not deform even under pressure, and it has excellent impact resistance.

In particular, by making the immobilized microorganisms of the present invention movable and making the liquid a continuous extrusion flow, it not only reduces the mass transfer resistance of the substrate between solid and liquid and enables long-term continuous operation, but also Compared to conventional carriers in which enzymes, etc. are bonded to carriers through chemical bonds, carriers can be made to any desired thickness using any amount of microorganisms, and the amount of microorganisms depending on the application can be immobilized to achieve high efficiency. It is possible to carry out reactions, and has the effect of completely eliminating the drawbacks of conventional packed beds and fluidized beds.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view, and FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 are partial views showing different embodiments of the present invention. The cutaway plan views, FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are detailed illustrations of the present invention. 1... Reinforcement material, 2... Microbial layer.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An immobilized microbial body comprising a microbial layer made of a mixture of microorganisms and a binder fixed to a reinforcing material in the form of a plate.