Isomerization of glucose to fructose in a fluidized bed reactor

Abstract

For the enzymic isomerization of glucose to fructose on an industrial scale, the fluidized bed reactor offers advantages over the packed bed reactor. However, back mixing may reduce the overall efficiency of the fluidized system. The present study was undertaken to assess the practicability of carrying out this reaction in a fluidized bed and to determine the extent of backmixing and its effect on performance. The axial dispersion model was considered the best single-parameter model for describing the flow pattern of the fluidized bioreactor, and considered adequate for estimating the final conversions of the system studied.