Vogelbusch Gesellschaft M.b.h.

Wolfgang Salzbrunn

Jiri Kominek

Otto Zehentgruber

Wilfried Wohrer

Otto Meixner

Eva Steiner

In a method of continuously producing ethanol from sugar-containing substrates by fermentation of sugars by means of a flocculating strain of Zymomonas mobilis under anaerobic conditions and at a pH of from 4.5 to 7 a substrate is led commonly with Zymomonas mobilis cells through at least three fermentation stages without preceding sterilization, a concentration of at least 4% by volume of ethanol is maintained in each fermentation stage, a residence time of the fermentation medium in the entire system of maximally 31/3 h corresponding to a dilution rate of the fermentation medium in the entire system of at least 0.3 h.sup.-1 is adjusted, the Zymomonas mobilis cells are separated by sedimentation after the final fermentation stage, the Zymomonas mobilis cells are recycled into the first fermentation stage, and the ethanol-containing substrate separated from the Zymomonas mobilis cells is drawn off.

Method of continuously producing ethanol from sugar-containing substrates

There is disclosed an arrangement for growing permanent forms, of microorganism in particular filaments microorganisms. In order to design such an arrangement operationally safe, mobile and compact and with a high adaptability, yet for ensuring sufficiently large production and manipulation surfaces, the arrangement, in which trays for the culture medium are superposed in a box-type container, further includes a feeding chamber and an air-conditioning chamber containing an air-conditioning device united in a common housing. A gas-tightly closeable feed opening is provided in a side wall of the feeding chamber. The air-conditioning device includes sterile filters for sterile-keeping intake air and for filtering offsteaming exhaust air.

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Neustadt, Austria

Wolfgang Salzbrunn