An integrated fermentation filtration clarification device

Abstract

The application discloses a one-piece fermentation filtering and clarifying device which is composed of a fermentation tank body, a filtering disc, a motor, a transmission mechanism and a hollow shaft and is used to solve the problems of long process chain, large floor area and high economic cost of traditional fermentation filtering and clarifying process. When the device is installed, the filtrate outlet is connected with a vacuum pump through a pipeline, and a control valve and a negative pressure gauge are arranged on the suction inlet of the vacuum pump. In the fermentation stage, the vacuum pump and the control valve are closed, the hollow shaft rotates at a low speed, and the filtering disc plays a stirring role. In the filtering and clarifying stage, the vacuum pump and the control valve are opened, the rotating speed of the filtering disc is adjusted, a tangential flow velocity is formed on the membrane surface by the rotation of the filtering disc to realize filtering, the percolate is sucked away after being collected by the hollow shaft, the concentrated liquid is retained in the tank, and a precision breather is opened to prevent negative pressure. After the system is concentrated to a certain multiple, the device is closed, and the concentrated residue is discharged from the exhaust port.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This article relates to an integrated fermentation filtration and clarification device. Background Technology

[0002] Bio-fermentation engineering, a core component of the field of bioengineering, refers to the large-scale production of useful biological products through engineered techniques, utilizing the specific functions of biological organisms or active isolated enzymes. Typical applications include using yeast fermentation to brew beer, fruit wine, and produce industrial alcohol; using lactic acid bacteria fermentation to make cheese and yogurt; and relying on large-scale fungal cultivation to produce penicillin. With continuous technological innovation, fermentation technology has entered a modern stage of development—capable of artificially regulating and modifying microorganisms to synthesize target products. As a key branch of modern biotechnology, it demonstrates extremely broad application potential.

[0003] However, current mainstream fermentation filtration clarification processes mostly adopt a combination of "fermentation + centrifugation + membrane or resin filtration," which has significant limitations: First, the process chain is lengthy, requiring multiple independent sets of equipment, resulting in a high overall project cost; second, the equipment occupies a large area, placing stringent requirements on production space; third, switching between multiple devices can easily lead to secondary contamination of materials, affecting product quality stability; in addition, traditional membrane filtration methods generally face the problem of membrane pore clogging, requiring frequent cleaning and maintenance, which increases operating costs and reduces production efficiency.

[0004] Therefore, developing an integrated fermentation clarification and filtration device that is simple in structure, easy to maintain, economical and reliable has become a key requirement for solving the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an integrated fermentation filtration and clarification device to solve the problems of long process chains, large footprint, high cost, and easy secondary pollution in traditional fermentation filtration and clarification processes, as well as membrane pore clogging and frequent cleaning requirements in membrane filtration. The specific solution is as follows:

[0006] An integrated fermentation filtration and clarification device includes a tank body with an air vent, a rotating shaft in the middle of the tank body, at least one disc on the rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is connected to an electric motor, which drives the rotating shaft to rotate.

[0007] The surface of the disc is covered with a film layer, the rotating shaft is a hollow shaft, and the inside of the hollow shaft is a hollow tube. The micropores on the surface of the film layer are connected to an external negative pressure device through a vacuum tube. The micropores can extract a portion of the permeate from the inside of the vessel under negative pressure.

[0008] To facilitate control of the shaft's rotation, the top of the shaft is connected to the electric motor via a transmission mechanism.

[0009] The total internal height of the tank is n, the number of discs is m, and the thickness is t, where mt = 60%~80%n. This is to adapt to the internal space of the tank and ensure a balanced filtration and stirring effect.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper end of the tank is an openable structure, which facilitates the inspection, maintenance, material loading and unloading of the equipment, and improves the ease of operation.

[0011] To further improve the lifespan of the filter disc, the filter disc is made of inorganic ceramic material and includes upper and lower membrane layers, which are microfiltration or ultrafiltration membranes.

[0012] The filter disc has a circular structure with an internal cavity. Several liquid collection channels are arranged around the cavity. These channels are connected to the micropores on the membrane surface, allowing the leachate filtered by the membrane to enter the liquid collection channels through the micropores and eventually flow into the cavity, achieving efficient liquid collection.

[0013] To prevent the filter discs from shaking, further improve their stability, and facilitate the design of the filtrate flow channel, the hollow shaft has a rounded quadrilateral cross-section at the part where the filter discs are installed. This structural design facilitates the precise installation and positioning of the filter discs and can cooperate with the inner holes of the filter discs to form a stable percolation channel, ensuring efficient liquid collection.

[0014] Furthermore, the tank is equipped with a precision breather, which can adjust the internal air pressure of the tank in real time to avoid affecting the stability of equipment operation due to negative pressure caused by the vacuum pump drawing liquid during the filtration stage.

[0015] Furthermore, a sealing ring is provided between two adjacent filter discs, and nuts are provided on the filter discs at the head and tail. The lower end of the rotating shaft is closed and connected to the bottom bearing, while the upper end is open and connected to the transmission mechanism on the side. Two external threads are provided in the middle of the hollow shaft for connecting nuts. The nuts are used to fix several filter discs at a set height on the rotating shaft.

[0016] Furthermore, the negative pressure device is a vacuum pump, which provides the required negative pressure for the filtration process through its suction action, driving the leachate to collect and discharge within the hollow shaft.

[0017] Furthermore, the motor is an adjustable speed motor. When the device is in fermentation mode, the motor runs at a low speed, and the filter discs play a stirring role to promote uniform mixing of materials. When the device switches to filtration mode, the motor works at a high speed, and the high-speed rotation of the filter discs forms a sufficient tangential flow rate on the membrane surface to improve filtration efficiency.

[0018] Beneficial effects:

[0019] 1. This device integrates traditional fermentation, centrifugal filtration, and membrane filtration processes into one unit, enabling continuous operation of multiple processes within a single unit and significantly improving the overall efficiency of the fermentation and clarification process. Simultaneously, it eliminates the need for purchasing and installing multiple sets of equipment, significantly reducing investment costs and drastically reducing the equipment footprint, thus optimizing the production space layout.

[0020] 2. The filter discs used in the device are made of ceramic material, which has excellent anti-fouling properties and can effectively resist the erosion of complex components in the fermentation broth. At the same time, the filter discs cleverly combine the functions of membrane filtration and stirring: during the fermentation stage, they can act as a stirring component to promote uniform mixing of materials, and during the filtration stage, they can perform membrane separation, thereby simplifying the internal structure of the fermenter and reducing the difficulty of equipment maintenance.

[0021] 3. This device boasts significant advantages in energy consumption control: Traditional membrane filtration relies on high-flow pumps to provide membrane surface flow velocity, resulting in high energy consumption. This device, however, directly generates the required membrane surface flow velocity through the rotation of the filter discs, significantly reducing power consumption. Furthermore, the continuous rotation of the filter discs effectively prevents contaminants from adhering and depositing on the membrane surface, significantly mitigating membrane fouling problems. This not only greatly extends the membrane's lifespan but also reduces cleaning frequency and downtime, substantially improving the equipment's continuous operating efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an integrated fermentation, filtration, and clarification device.

[0023] In the diagram: 1-Motor, 2-Precision breather, 3-Cooling water outlet, 4-Instrument port, 5-Ventilation port, 6-Exhaust port, 7-Cooling water inlet, 8-Bottom bearing, 9-Sealing ring, 10-Heat exchange jacket, 11-Fermentation tank body, 12-Filter disc, 13-Nut, 14-Hollow shaft, 15-Sampling port, 16-Sight glass, 17-Shaft seal, 18-Transmission mechanism, 19-Filtration outlet. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To enhance understanding of this utility model, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings. These embodiments are only used to explain the present utility model and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of the present utility model.

[0025] Example 1:

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, from bottom to top, several sets of nuts 13, sealing rings 9, and filter discs 12 are sequentially installed on the hollow shaft 14. After tightening the nuts, the closed end of the hollow shaft is placed in the bottom bearing 8 of the fermentation tank body 11, and the open end is connected to the driven side of the transmission structure 18. At the same time, a motor 1 is installed on the active side. A shaft seal 17 is installed at the position where the hollow shaft connects to the fermentation tank body.

[0027] In addition to the accessories for installing the hollow shaft, the fermentation tank also needs to be equipped with a precision breather 2, a cooling water outlet 3, an instrument port 4, a ventilation port 5, an exhaust port 6, a cooling water inlet 7, a heat exchange jacket 10, a sampling port 15, and a sight glass 16.

[0028] During operation, the filtrate outlet 19 needs to be connected to a vacuum pump via a pipeline. The vacuum pump inlet is equipped with a corresponding control valve and a negative pressure gauge. During the fermentation stage, the vacuum pump and control valve are in the closed state. During this process, the hollow shaft 14 rotates at a low speed, and the filter discs 12 act as stirring blades.

[0029] During the filtration and clarification stage, the vacuum pump and control valve are turned on, and the rotation speed of the filter disc 12 is adjusted. The rotation of the filter disc 12 creates a certain tangential flow velocity on the membrane surface, achieving filtration. The permeate passing through the membrane collects inside the hollow shaft and is drawn away by the vacuum pump, while the concentrated liquid remains in the fermenter. A precision breather must be activated simultaneously during this process to prevent the formation of a counteracting negative pressure within the tank. Once the system has concentrated to a certain factor, the vacuum pump and control valve are turned off, and the concentrated residue in the tank is discharged through the vent.

[0030] This device can replace the traditional fermentation + centrifugation + membrane filtration system, offering superior economic efficiency, a smaller footprint, and lower energy consumption. During operation, the filter discs are constantly in motion, resulting in stronger resistance to fouling, lower requirements for influent water quality, and a longer service life compared to traditional membrane filtration. It also increases the final concentration ratio of the feed solution, thereby improving operational efficiency.

[0031] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model and are not intended to limit it. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of this utility model without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of this utility model, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. An integrated fermentation, filtration, and clarification device, characterized in that, The device includes a tank with an vent. A rotating shaft is located in the middle of the tank, and at least one disc is mounted on the shaft. The shaft is connected to a motor, which drives the shaft to rotate. The disc has a membrane layer on its surface. The rotating shaft is a hollow shaft with a hollow pipe inside. Micropores on the surface of the membrane layer are connected to an external negative pressure device through a vacuum pipe. The micropores can extract a portion of the leachate from inside the vessel under negative pressure.

2. The integrated fermentation filtration and clarification device according to claim 1, characterized in that... The top of the rotating shaft is connected to the electric motor via a transmission mechanism.

3. The integrated fermentation filtration and clarification device according to claim 1, characterized in that... The total internal height of the tank is n, the number of discs is m, the thickness is t, and mt = 60%~80%n.

4. The integrated fermentation filtration and clarification device according to claim 1, characterized in that... The upper end of the tank is an openable structure.

5. An integrated fermentation filtration and clarification device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that... The disc is made of inorganic ceramic material and includes upper and lower membrane layers, which are microfiltration or ultrafiltration membranes. The disc has a circular structure with an internal cavity. Several liquid collection channels are arranged around the cavity, and the liquid collection channels are connected to the micropores on the surface of the membrane layer.

6. The integrated fermentation filtration and clarification device according to claim 5, characterized in that... The hollow shaft has two external threads in the middle; the cross-section of the hollow shaft at the part where the disc is installed is a rounded quadrilateral.

7. The integrated fermentation filtration and clarification device according to claim 5, characterized in that... The tank is equipped with a precision respirator.

8. An integrated fermentation filtration and clarification device according to claim 5, characterized in that... A sealing ring is provided between two adjacent discs, and nuts are provided on the discs at the head and tail. The nuts are used to fix several discs at a set height on the rotating shaft.

9. An integrated fermentation filtration and clarification device according to claim 5, characterized in that... The negative pressure device is a vacuum pump.

10. An integrated fermentation filtration and clarification device according to claim 5, characterized in that... The motor is an adjustable speed motor. When the device is in the fermentation state, the motor operates at a low speed, and when the device is in the filtration state, the motor operates at a high speed.

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