Effects of the liquid vapor oxygen transfer coefficient (<italic>k</italic>L<italic>α</italic>) on ethanol production from cassava residue and analysis of the fermentation kinetics.

Abstract: Cassava residue is the solid waste generated from the production of tapioca starch and has considerable reuse value. In this study, cassava residue was examined as a hydrolysate for ethanol production, and the effects of different liquid phase oxygen transfer coefficients (<italic>k</italic>L<italic>α</italic>) on the production of ethanol from cassava residue hydrolysates were studied. Based on analyses of dissolved oxygen and a set of optimal experimental schemes, dynamic models of cell growth and product synthesis were optimized, using MATLAB. When <italic>k</italic>L<italic>α</italic> was 85, fermentation was optimal; the ethanol titer reached 23.14 g L−1 at 72 h and cell growth reached 6.23 g L−1 at 96 h. Additionally, experiments were performed according to the dissolved oxygen curve obtained under these conditions. The resulting ethanol titer was 24.43 g L−1 (72 h) and the cell mass was 6.45 g L−1 (96 h). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]