gas transfer

The rate at which gases are transferred from gas into solution, an important parameter in fermentation systems because it controls the rate at which the organism can metabolize. Efficient gas transfer can be achieved in several ways, including the use of small bubbles, from which gas dissolves faster than from larger ones, due to their larger surface area per unit of volume; or spreading the liquid out, for example in a thin sheet, or in a thin permeable tube, as in hollow fibre bioreactor.