Simulación de la hidrolisis de la sacarosa por invertasa inmovilizada para la producción de azúcar invertido en un tanque agitado

Abstract

The objective of this Curricular Integration Project consists of carrying out a study about the optimal conditions for the production of invert sugar through the enzymatic hydrolysis reaction using invertase as biocatalyst in a stirred tank reactor whose characteristic is that the biocatalyst is immobilized in the simulation software DWSIM. For this purpose, a sensitivity analysis of the critical variables that influence the process was used. For the identification of these parameters through a simulation, the CSTR bioreactor or stirred tank was designed with a control volume of 500 L, and the kinetic equation of the reaction was derived, being this one of Arrhenius type; and by means of bibliography the kinetic constants were obtained to later enter into the simulator configuration. For the sensitivity analysis, the variables studied were: biocatalyst load, initial substrate concentration, temperature and pressure that influence the process, being the sucrose conversion the dependent variable that offered information about the efficiency of the process. It was demonstrated that the optimum loading conditions of the biocatalyst are: 0.32 kg; the molar fraction of sucrose entering the reactor should be 0.5 to 0.6, the optimum temperature of the process is 70 °C and the pressure does not influence the process. It is concluded that the main critical variable that affects the process is the biocatalyst loading since it directly influences the reaction time, thermal stability and non-conversion of the reagents due to the limiting reagent effect. It is recommended that for the production of invert sugar a previous annual cost analysis should be performed to deduce the bioreactor control volume.