Do amino acid production companies use micro-oil screw air compressors for production and fermentation?

Amino acid production companies usually do not use micro-oil screw air compressors for fermentation production, but prefer to choose oil-free air compressors., the reasons are as follows:

1. Core requirements for compressed air for amino acid fermentation

Amino acid fermentation, as a high-end scene in biopharmaceutical and food brewing, has strict requirements on the cleanliness, stability and safety of compressed air:

1. cleanliness requirements: The compressed air must meet the ISO 8573-1 Class 0 standard (oil content ≤0.01ppm) to avoid oil contamination of bacteria or culture medium, resulting in fermentation failure or unqualified products.
2. stability requirements: The gas load fluctuates greatly at each stage of fermentation, and the pressure fluctuation of the air compressor is required to be ≤±0.005MPa to maintain the activity of the bacterial community and shorten the fermentation period.
3. compliance requirements: It must meet international certifications such as GMP and FSSC 22000 to ensure that the production process complies with drug and food safety regulations.

2. Limitations of micro-oil screw air compressors

1. Oil pollution risk：
   The micro-oil screw air compressor achieves sealing and cooling with a small amount of lubricating oil. Even if a three-stage oil-gas separation device is used, the oil content of the output compressed air may still reach more than 0.5ppm. In amino acid fermentation, oil may adhere to the surface of the strain, interfere with the metabolic process, and even cause the risk of bacterial contamination, resulting in the scrapping of the entire batch of products.
2. insufficient stability：
   The pressure deviation of traditional micro-oil screw air compressors may exceed 0.03MPa, which is difficult to match the dynamic gas demand in the aeration, agitation and other stages of the fermentation tank, which may easily cause a decrease in bacterial community activity and a prolonged fermentation cycle.
3. high maintenance cost：
   After long-term operation, the screw coating may peel off and the gas production will be significantly attenuated. In order to maintain performance, regular coating repairs or core components need to be replaced, increasing hidden costs.

3. Advantages of oil-free air compressors

1. Zero oil pollution guarantee：
   The oil-free screw air compressor has passed ISO 8573-1 Class 0 certification and GMP certification. The oil content in the exhaust gas is ≤0.01ppm, the filtration accuracy of particulate matter reaches 0.01μm, and the dew point is as low as-40℃. It completely eliminates the risk of oil pollution and microbial pollution, and fully meets the precise requirements of amino acid fermentation.