Extractive fermentation of ethanol using membrane distillation

During the anaerobic batch cultivation ofKluyveromyces fragilis on a complex medium containing glucose (100 gl−1), ethanol was produced at levels resulting in the inhibition of growth and product (ethanol) formation. Continuous extraction of the ethanol using transmembrane distillation resulted in a 87% increase in ethanol productivity from 0.99 to 1.85 gl−1h−1.