Effects of compressed or supercritical solvents on ethanol fermentation and/or in-situ extraction

Compressed or supercritical fluids are excellent extraction solvents. They have got wide applications in food processing and storage, medicine making, as well as biomaterials processing. The effects of compressed or supercritical fluids, especially carbon dioxide, on the viability and catalytic activity of microorganisms were discussed briefly. The progress in the fermentation of ethanol under pressure and/or in-situ supercritical extraction was thus reviewed. The discussion was concentrated on the novel design of equipment structure as well as process optimization for the purpose of the reduction of the negative effect of high-pressure environment on microorganisms. Finally, some key topics were addressed, which would be crucial to the large-scale application of this integrated process.