Gas-Liquid Mass Transfer in Cellular Systems

Mass transfer occurs in mixtures containing local concentration variation. For

example, when dye is dropped into a cup of water, mass-transfer processes are
responsible for the movement of dye molecules through the water until equilibrium is
established and the concentration is uniform. Mass is transferred from one place to
another under the influence of a concentration difference or concentration gradient in the
system.

Gas-liquid mass transfer is extremely important in bioprocessing because many

processes are aerobic, oxygen must first be transferred from gas bulk through a series of
steps onto the surfaces of cells before it can be utilized. The solubility of oxygen within
broth is very poor. Therefore, the enhancement of gas-liquid mass transfer during aerobic
cultures and fermentations is always put into priority.

Basic Knowledge of Mass Transfer

Molecular Diffusion

Molecular diffusion is the movement of component molecules in a mixture under

the influence of a concentration difference in the system. Diffusion of molecules occurs
in the direction required to destroy the concentration gradient. If the gradient is
maintained by constantly supplying material to the region of high concentration and
removing it from the region of low concentration, diffusion will be continuous. This
situation is often exploited in mass-transfer operations and bioreaction system.

Fick’slaw of diffusion:

JA= NA/a = -DAB dCA/dy

Mass Transfer Equation

Rate of mass transfer is directly proportional to the driving force for transfer, and
the area available for the transfer process to take place, that is: Transfer rate ∝ transfer
area ×driving force
The proportional coefficient in this equation is called the mass transfer coefficient, so
that: Transfer rate = mass-transfer coefficient × transfer area × driving force

NA= ka∆ CA = ka(CAo-CA1)

Gas-Liquid Mass Transfer

Phase boundary

Concentration gradient for gas-liquid mass transfer

The rate of mass transfer of component A through the gas boundary layer is:

NAG = kGa(CAG − CAG i)

and the rate of mass transfer of component A through the liquid boundary layer is:

NAL = kLa(CALi − CAL)

If we assume that equilibrium exists at the interface, CAGi and CALi can be related. For
dilute concentration of most gases and for a wide range of concentration for some
 gases, equilibrium concentration in the gas phase is a linear function of liquid
concentration. Therefore:

CAGi = mCALi

Therefore,

NA(1/KGa + m/kLa) = CAG - mCAL

And

NA(1/mkGa+1/kLa) = CAG/m - CAL

The overall gas-phase mass-transfer coefficient KG is defined by:

1/KGa = 1/kGa + m/kLa

And the overall liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient KL is defined as:

1/KLa = 1/mKGa + 1/KLa

Thus:

NA = KGa (CAG – mCAL)

And

NA = KLa ( CAG/m – CAL)

When solute A is very soluble in the liquid, for example, ammonia, the liquid-phase
resistance is small compared with that posed by the gas interfacial film, therefore,

NA= KGa (CAG – CAG*)

Conversely, if component A is poorly soluble in the liquid, e.g. oxygen, the liquid-phase
mass-transfer resistance dominates and kGa is much larger than kLa, thus:,

NA = KLa ( CAL* - CAL)

Oxygen Uptake in Cell Culture

Cells in aerobic culture take up oxygen from broth. The rate of oxygen transfer
from gas to liquid is therefore of prime important, especially at high cell densities when
cell growth is likely to be limited by availability of oxygen.

The solubility of oxygen in aqueous solutions at ambient temperature and pressure

is only about 10 ppm. This amount of oxygen is quickly consumed in aerobic cultures
and must be constantly replaced by sparging. This is not an easy task because the low
solubility of oxygen guarantees that the concentration difference (CAL* − CAL) is
always very small.

Design of fermenters for aerobic operation must take these factors into account
and provide optimum mass-transfer conditions.
References:

Product Formation Kinetics. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.gatewaycoalition.org/files/hidden/react/ch4/4_5f.htm

Product Formation Kinetics Journals. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.omicsonline.org/fermentation-technology/product-formation-kinetics-
journals.php
 UNIVERSITY OF MINDANAO
College of Engineering Education

A Written Report in Biochemical Engineering

Gas-Liquid Mass Transfer in Cellular Systems

Submitted to:
Engr. Ramiro Emerson Amon

Submitted by:

Daniel John M. Pastorin

July 13, 2018