Acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) production in a novel hollow fiber fermentor–extractor

Abstract
Acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) production by immobilized C. acetobutylicum cells is studied in a novel microporous hollow fiber based tubular fermentor–extractor. The solvent 2‐ethyl‐l‐hexanol is used for in situ dispersion‐free extraction of products. A mathematical model for simultaneous fermentation and extraction of the products has been investigated. The predicted as well as experimental data follow the same trend. The experimentally observed value of total solvent productivity increased by more than 40% as a result of in situ solvent extraction.