Table 1.
Characteristics of continuous-flow cultures of C. thermocellum biofilms operated at a dilution rate of 2 h−1a
| Characteristic | Low carbon load | High carbon load |
|---|---|---|
| Initial amt of cellulose (g) | 0.22 | 1.01 |
| Cellulose concn normalized to reactor vol (g/liter) | 44 | 202 |
| Increase over batch fermentorb concn (fold) | 9 | 40 |
| Liquid medium consumption/g cellulose (liters) | 3.4 | 0.86 |
| Increase over batch fermentorb medium usage (fold) | 17 | 4.3 |
| Average rate of cellulose hydrolysis (g h−1) | 0.002 | 0.007 |
| Average culture age (h) | 92 | 117 |
a
The cellulose concentration was normalized to the reactor volume or the total amount of culture medium used in low- and high-load experiments and compared to typical values for batch fermentors. The overall rate of hydrolysis is normalized to the incubation time.
b
Typical batch fermentors used in microbial cellulose conversion studies utilize 5 g of substrate per liter of culture medium.