| abstract |
Apparatus and method for converting organic materials such as sugars and acids into other organic materials such as organic acids and salts other than the starting materials with immobilized cells. The invention is applicable to the conversion of the lactose content of whey, whey permeate or other lactose containing solutions and wastes into lactic acid, propionic acid, acetic acid, and their salts. The fermentation cells may be homolactic, homoacetic and propionic bacteria. The cells are immobilized onto the surface of and within convoluted sheets of a fibrous support material and reactant bearing fluids are caused to flow between the opposing surfaces of such convoluted sheets. Lactose containing solutions such as whey and whey permeate may be co-fermented with homolactic and homoacetic bacteria to acetic acid or acetate. The product may be extracted from its aqueous media by high distribution coefficient solvents particularly trioctylphosphine oxide and long-chain aliphatic secondary, tertiary and quaternary amines. The process and apparatus are particularly amenable to the economical production of calcium magnesium acetate and potassium acetate, which are useful as road deicing and anti-icing agents. The process and apparatus are also amenable to the economical production of calcium propionate and sodium lactate, which are useful as food preservatives. |