Effects of internal mass transfer and product inhibition on a simulated immobilized enzyme-catalyzed reactor for lactose hydrolysis

The effects of intraparticle diffusion resistances, external mass transfer and axial dispersion have been studied and their effects were shown to reduce internal effectiveness factor. The effects of product inhibition have been investigated at different operating conditions correlated at different regimes using dimensionless βxo (St, θ, ϕ). Product inhibition was shown to reduce substrate conversion and to decrease internal effectiveness factor when βs > βxo, however it increases internal effectiveness factor when βs < βxo. The effectiveness factor is found to be independent of product inhibition at crossover point at which βxo is defined. Effects of St and Pe have been investigated at different kinetic regimes and the results show their effects have a strong dependence on kinetic parameters θγ (i.e. Km/Kp) and βxo.