Retention of counterions in the separative bioreactor

A separative bioreactor, comprising an anode and a cathode, a plurality of reaction chambers each having an inlet and an outlet and each including a porous solid ion exchange wafer having ion-exchange resins, each of the reaction chambers being interleaved between a cation exchange membrane and an anion exchange membrane, a plurality of product chambers each having an inlet and an outlet and each separated from one of the reaction chambers by either a cation or an anion exchange membrane and a bipolar membrane, a plurality of counterion chambers each separated from an adjacent reaction chamber by either a cation or an anion exchange membrane, each of the reaction chambers being positioned between a product chamber and a counterion chamber, recirculation mechanism for transporting material between the reaction chamber inlets and outlets and for transporting product between the product chamber inlets and outlets and for transporting material between the counterion chamber inlets and outlets, and mechanism for supplying an electric potential between the anode and the cathode causing ions to be transported between chambers, whereby counterions retained or produced in the reaction chambers during the production of an ionizable organic product including product ions combine with oppositely charged ions to form molecules some or all of which are transported to a reaction chamber while product ions are transported into an adjacent product chamber to combine with oppositely charged ions to form product in a product stream exiting the product chamber outlets continuously recirculated to the product chamber inlets to increase the concentration of the product in the product stream.

A method of increasing the production of an organic acid, amino acid, or amine by electrodeionization during the biochemical reaction of bacteria or enzyme with a substrate by maintaining the concentration of counterions during the reaction, comprising providing a separative bioreactor with an anode and a cathode, a plurality of reaction chambers each having an inlet and an outlet and each including a porous solid ion exchange wafer having ion-exchange resins, each of said reaction chambers being interleaved between a cation exchange membrane and an anion exchange membrane or between either a cation or an anion exchange membrane and a bipolar exchange membrane, a plurality of product chambers each having an inlet and an outlet and separated from one of said reaction chambers by either a cation or an anion exchange membrane, recirculation mechanism for transporting material between said reaction chamber inlets and outlets and for transporting product between said product chamber inlets and outlets, and mechanism for supplying an electric potential between the anode and the cathode causing ions to be transported between chambers in an electrodeionization process, whereby counterions retained or produced in each of said reaction chambers during the production of an ionizable organic product including product ions combine with oppositely charged ions to form molecules some or all of which are transported to reaction chamber inlets while product ions are transported into an adjacent product chamber to combine with oppositely charged ions to form product in a product stream exiting said product chamber outlets continuously recirculated to said product chamber inlets to increase the concentration of product in the product stream.