Fernando L.P. Pessoa

Production of 1,3-propanediol by Clostridium beijerinckii DSM 791 from crude glycerol and corn steep liquor: Process optimization and metabolic engineering.

1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PDO) production from crude glycerol, a byproduct from biodiesel manufacturing, by Clostridium beijerinckii DSM 791 was studied with corn steep liquor as an inexpensive nitrogen source replacing yeast extract in the fermentation medium. A stable, long-term 1,3-PDO production from glycerol was demonstrated with cells immobilized in a fibrous bed bioreactor operated in a repeated batch mode, which partially circumvented the 1,3-PDO inhibition problem. The strain was then engineered to overexpress Escherichia coli gldA encoding glycerol dehydrogenase (GDH) and dhaKLM encoding dihydroxyacetone kinase (DHAK), which increased 1,3-PDO productivity by 26.8-37.5% compared to the wild type, because of greatly increased specific growth rate (0.25-0.40h(-1) vs. 0.13-0.20h(-1) for the wild type). The engineered strain gave a high 1,3-PDO titer (26.1g/L), yield (0.55g/g) and productivity (0.99g/L·h) in fed-batch fermentation. Overexpressing GDH and DHAK was thus effective in increasing 1,3-PDO production from glycerol.

Extraction of citronella (Cymbopogon nardus) essential oil using supercritical co2: experimental data and mathematical modeling

Citronella essential oil has more than eighty components, of which the most important ones are citronellal, geranial and limonene. They are present at high concentrations in the oil and are responsible for the repellent properties of the oil. The oil was extracted using supercritical carbon dioxide due to the high selectivity of the solvent. The operational conditions studied varied from 313.15 to 353.15 K for the temperature and the applied pressures were 6.2, 10.0, 15.0 and 180.0 MPa. Better values of efficiency of the extracted oil were obtained at higher pressure conditions. At constant temperature, the amount of extracted oil increased when the pressure increased, but the opposite occurred when the temperature increased at constant pressure. The composition of the essential oil was complex, although there were several main components in the oil and some waxes were presented in the extracted oils above 10.0 MPa. The results were modeled using a mathematical model in a predictive way, reproducing the extraction curves over the maximum time of the process.

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia) nut oil: experiments and modeling

Supercritical CO2 extraction of macadamia nut oil was carried out in a flow apparatus at the following operational conditions: pressures of 10, 15 and 18 MPa; and temperatures of 313 and 353K; a volumetric flow of 1.64 x 10-7 m3.s-1 was used for one hour in each experiment. The efficiency of the extraction process showed to be low. The behaviors of the extraction curves were very similar at all temperatures and the best efficiency value was obtained at 10 MPa. Chromatographic analysis demonstrated the ability of supercritical CO2 to remove some of the main components of the oil: myristic (C14:0), palmitic (C16:0), oleic (C18:1) and linoleic (C18:2) acids, and that higher pressures favoured the removal of lighter components. The extraction process was represented by a simple model based on Langmuir Isotherm, showing a good data fitting.

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of pigments from Bixa orellana seeds (experiments and modeling)

Supercritical CO2 extraction of the pigments from Bixa orellana seeds was carried out in a flow apparatus at a pressure of 200 bar and a temperature of 40 oC at two fluid flow rates (0.67g/min and 1.12g/min). The efficiency of the extraction was low (only about 1% of the pigment was extracted). The increase in flow rate led to a decrease in pigment recovery. A large increase in recovery (from 1% to 45%) was achieved using supercritical carbon dioxide with 5 mol % ethanol as extraction fluid at pressures of 200 and 300 bar and temperatures of 40 and 60 oC. Although the increase in temperature and pressure led to an increase in recovery, the changes in flow rate did not seem to affect it. Furthermore, two plug flow models were applied to describe the supercritical extraction of the pigments from annatto seeds. Mass transfer coefficients were determined and compared well with those obtained by other researchers with similar models for the supercritical extraction of solutes from plant materials.

Optimization of the process of concentration of vitamin e from DDSO using supercritical CO2

The objective of this work was the scientific development of concentration of vitamin E from deodorizer distillate of soybean oil (DDSO) using supercritical CO2. Vitamins and sterols rare produced synthetically, but recently the interest in their extraction from natural sources has increased. Therefore, the motivation behind this work was to concentrate the tocopherols from deodorizer distillate of soybean oil, thereby increasing the value of this by-product, rich in fatty acids, sterols, tocopherols and squalene. The experimental step and the simulation of the process were done in a semi-batch mode using supercritical carbon dioxide. The operational conditions studied were temperatures of 40, 60 and 80oC and pressures from 90 to 350 bar. The best results for concentration factor and efficiency and pressures were achieved in a continuous process where the operational variables were optimized.

Optimization of pipe networks including pumps by simulated annealing

The objective of this work is to present an application of the simulated annealing method for the optimal design of pipe networks including pumps. Although its importance, the optimization of pumped networks did not receive great attention in the literature. The proposed search scheme explores the discrete space of the decision variables: pipe diameters and pump sizes. The behavior of the pumps is describe through the characteristic curve, generating more realistic solutions. In order to demonstrate the versatility of the approach, three different examples of optimal design problems are solved.

An activity coefficient model for proteins.

Modeling of the properties of biochemical components is gaining increasing interest due to its potential for further application within the area of biochemical process development. Generally protein solution properties such as protein solubility are expressed through component activity coefficients which are studied here. The original UNIQUAC model is chosen for the representation of protein activity coefficients and, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first time it has been directly applied to protein solutions. Ten different protein-salt-water systems with four different proteins, serum albumin, alphacymotrypsin, beta-lactoglobulin and ovalbumin, are investigated. A root-mean-squared deviation of 0.54% is obtained for the model by comparing calculated protein activity coefficients and protein activity coefficients deduced from osmotic measurements through virial expansion. Model predictions are used to analyze the effect of salt concentrations, pH, salt types, and temperature on protein activity coefficients and also on protein solubility and demonstrate consistency with results from other references.

Parameter Estimation of Fouling Models in Crude Preheat Trains

Several fouling mitigation techniques depend on the capacity of predicting fouling rates. Therefore, the identification of accurate fouling rate models is an important task. Crude fouling rates are usually evaluated through empirical or semiempirical models. In both alternatives, there are parameters that must be determined through laboratory or process data. In this context, the article presents an analysis of the parameter estimation problem involving fouling rate models. A proposed procedure for addressing this problem is described through the development of a computational routine called HEATMODEL. An important aspect of this study is focused on the obstacles associated to the search for the optimal set of parameters of the Ebert and Panchal models and its variants. This optimization problem may present some particularities that complicate the utilization of traditional algorithms. In the article, the performance of a conventional optimization algorithm (Simplex) is compared with a more modern numerical technique (a hybrid genetic algorithm) using real data from a Brazilian refinery. The results indicated that, due to the complexity of the parameter estimation problem, the Simplex method may be trapped in poor local optima, thus indicating the importance of the utilization of global optimization techniques for this problem.

Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium of Carbon Dioxide

Phase behavior of systems composed by supercritical carbon dioxide and ethanol is of great interest, especially in the processes involving supercritical extraction in which ethanol is used as a cosolvent. The development of an apparatus, which is able to perform the measurements of vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) at high pressure using a combination of the visual and the acoustic methods, was successful and was proven to be suited for determining the isothermal VLE data of this system. The acoustic method, based on the variation of the amplitude of an ultra-sound signal passing through a mixture during a phase transition, was applied to investigate the phase equilibria of the system carbon dioxide

STEADY-STATE modeling and simulation of pipeline networks for compressible fluids

This paper presents a model and an algorithm for the simulation of pipeline networks with compressible fluids. The model can predict pressures, flow rates, temperatures and gas compositions at any point of the network. Any network configuration can be simulated; the existence of cycles is not an obstacle. Numerical results from simulated data on a proposed network are shown for illustration. The potential of the simulator is explored by the analysis of a pressure relief network, using a stochastic procedure for the evaluation of system performance.