All-Polyamide Composite Coated-Fabric as an Alternative Material of Construction for Textile-Bioreactors (TBRs)

Abstract

All-polyamide composite coated-fabric (APCCF) was used as an alternative material for the construction of textile-bioreactors (TBRs), which are prepared as a replacement of the traditional stainless steel bioreactors (SSBRs) or concrete-based bioreactors. The material characteristics, as well as the fermentation process performance of the APCCF-TBR, was compared with a TBR made using the polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-coated polyester fabric (PVCCF). The TBRs were used for the anaerobic fermentation process using baker’s yeast; and, for aerobic fermentation process using filamentous fungi, primarily by using waste streams from ethanol industries as the substrates. The results from the fermentation experiments were similar with those that were obtained from the cultivations that were carried out in conventional bioreactors. The techno-economic analysis conducted using a 5000 m3 APCCF-TBR for a typical fermentation facility would lead to a reduction of the annual production cost of the plant by $128,000,000 when compared to similar processes in SSBR. The comparative analyses (including mechanical and morphological studies, density measurements, thermal stability, ageing, and techno-economic analyses) revealed that the APCCF is a better candidate for the material of construction of the TBR. As the APCCF is a 100% recyclable single-polymer composite, which was prepared from Nylon 66 textile production-line waste, it could be considered as an environmentally sustainable product.