(418a) Hydration of Acrylonitrile to Produce Acrylamide Using Biocatalyst in a Membrane Dispersion Microreactor

In this study, a membrane dispersion microreactor was utilized in acrylonitrile hydration to produce acrylamide. This microreactor can enhance mass and heat transfer rates to improve productivity. The bioconversion of acrylamide is mainly catalyzed by NHase obtained from R. ruber TH3 free cells. Bioreaction is generally performed in a stirring tank. However, traditional stirring tanks cannot be used to satisfy the requirements of low energy consumption, bioprocess safety, high purity, and conversion because acrylonitrile and acrylamide elicit double inhibitory effect on enzyme activity and reaction heat is high. Thus, the proposed membrane dispersion microreactor was utilized in this process.

The velocities of two phases and the flow rate ratio were optimized. Heat transfer efficiency was investigated. Acrylonitrile droplets were observed under a microscope. The results showed that the maximum concentration reached 52.5 wt% and the most optimal concentration reached 45.8 wt% in 35 min. By contrast, traditional stirring tanks require 245 min to produce 39.5 wt% acrylamide. Moreover, only a few amounts of acrylonitrile were accumulated in this microreactor system.