Optimization of enzymatic sugar beet hydrolysis in a horizontal rotating tubular bioreactor

摘要

BACKGROUND: Sugar beet pulp (SBP) is a promising feedstock for the production of 2nd generation biofuels, but efficient enzymatic hydrolysis remains a key challenge; therefore, newprocess designs and/or bioreactor designs are crucial to overcome this hurdle. In this regard, horizontal rotating tubular bioreactors (HRTB) offer the advantage of high substrate loadings while minimizing the space and energy demand comparedwith conventional stirred tank reactors. Here, a statistical approach is used to optimize the hydrolysis of sugar beet pulp in laboratory experiments, and it is shown that such a process can be implemented in a HRTB.