Kinetics of CO2 hydration in fermentors: pH and pressure effects.

Fluctuations in pH and head-space pressure in a fermentor introduce temporary changes in off-gas CO2 concentrations. These changes are quantified using a simple model based on kinetics of CO2 hydration and gas-liquid mass transfer. The model is verified experimentally. An eigenvalue analysis of the model indicates that mass transfer is the parameter which controls the dynamics of CO2 equilibration.