Diffusivity of oxygen into carriers entrapping whole cells

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Abstract
The effective diffusivity of oxygen, De, in Ca-alginate and PVA–SbQ gels was measured using a two-chamber vessel with a membrane between the two chambers. The effect of cell density, Cc, on De in Ca-alginate gels was studied. The effective diffusivity of oxygen decreased with increasing cell density, to Cc = 170 kg dry cells/m3 gel. The dependency of De on cell density was discussed in terms of a random-pore model. The model correlated well with experimental data, i.e., kDe/D0 = 0.86(1 − 1.47 × 10−3 Cc)2. Here, k is the partition coefficient, and D0 is diffusivity in water.