Ethanol production in an immobilized‐cell reactor

Biomass can be converted to sugars by hydrolysis with enzymes or mineral acids. These sugars can be converted into a number of chemical intermediates in biological reactors. Biological reactions are generally slow and selection of the most efficient reactor is important in these applications. Immobilized‐cell reactors allow high cell densities and high throughput by attaching the microorganisms to a fixed support. This paper examines the rate of production of ethanol from glucose by Saccharomyces cerevisia in a packed column. These rates are compared with those for the same reaction in a stirred reactor.