Analytical Determination of the Optimal Feed Temperature for Hydrogen Peroxide Decomposition Process Occurring in Bioreactor with a Fixed-Bed of Commercial Catalase

Abstract

The hydrogen peroxide-immobilized commercial catalase system was chosen to estimate the optimal feed temperature (OFT) for fixed-bed reactor (FXBR). This feed temperature was obtained based on analytical solution by maximizing the time-averaged substrate conversion under a constant feed flow rate and temperature constraints. In calculations a set of partial differential equations describing the conservation equation for fixed-bed reactor, assuming plug flow and kinetic equation for the rate of enzyme parallel deactivation was taken into account. The model is based on kinetic, and mass-transfer parameters estimated previously in a real decomposition process of hydrogen peroxide (HP). The simulation showed that the OFT is strongly dependent on hydrogen peroxide feed concentration, feed flow rate and diffusional resistances expressed by biocatalyst global effectiveness factor. It has been shown that the more significant diffusional resistances and the higher HP conversions are, the higher the optimal feed temperature is. The calculated values of the OFT were verified with the experimental results obtained in the model reactor at selected values of the feed flow rate. Presented analysis poses a significant simplification in a numerical computational procedure and can be very useful for engineers to select the temperature condition at which bioreactor productivity is expected to be maximal.