Bioreactor

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General structure of batch type bioreactor

Autoclavable bench top laboratory bioreactor used for fermentation and cell cultures A bioreactor may refer to any manufactured or engineered device or system that supports a biologically active environment.!"# $n one case, a bioreactor is a vessel in %hich a chemical process is carried out %hich involves organisms or biochemically active substances derived from such organisms. This process can either be aerobic or anaerobic. These bioreactors are commonly cylindrical, ranging in si&e from litres to cubic metres, and are often made of stainless steel.

A bioreactor may also refer to a device or system meant to gro% cells or tissues in the conte't of cell culture. These devices are being developed for use in tissue engineering or biochemical engineering. (n the basis of mode of operation, a bioreactor may be classified as batch, fed batch or continuous )e.g. a continuous stirred tank reactor model*. An e'ample of a continuous bioreactor is the chemostat. (rganisms gro%ing in bioreactors may be suspended or immobili&ed. $mmobili&ation is a general term describing a %ide variety of the cell or the particle attachment or entrapment.!+# $t can be applied to basically all types of biocatalysts including en&ymes, cellular organelles, animal and plant cells.!,# -arge scale immobili&ed cell bioreactors are.

moving media, also kno%n as /oving 0ed 0iofilm 1eactor )/001* packed bed fibrous bed membrane

Contents

" 0ioreactor design + Photobioreactor , 2e%age treatment 3 4A2A tissue cloning bioreactor 5 2ee also 6 1eferences 7 8'ternal links

Bioreactor design

A closed bioreactor used in cellulosic ethanol research 0ioreactor design is a relatively comple' engineering task, %hich is studied in the discipline of biochemical engineering. Under optimum conditions, the microorganisms or cells are able to perform their desired function %ith a "99 percent rate of success.!citation needed# The bioreactor:s environmental conditions like gas )i.e., air, o'ygen, nitrogen, carbon dio'ide* flo% rates, temperature, p; and dissolved o'ygen levels, and agitation speed<circulation rate need to be closely monitored and controlled.!citation needed# /ost industrial bioreactor manufacturers use vessels, sensors and a control system net%orked together.!citation needed# Fouling can harm the overall sterility and efficiency of the bioreactor, especially the heat e'changers. To avoid it, the bioreactor must be easily cleaned and as smooth as possible )hence the round shape*.!citation needed#. A heat e'changer is needed to maintain the bioprocess at a constant temperature. 0iological fermentation is a ma=or source of heat, therefore in most cases bioreactors need refrigeration. They can be refrigerated %ith an e'ternal =acket or, for very large vessels, %ith internal coils. $n an aerobic process, optimal o'ygen transfer is perhaps the most difficult task to accomplish. ('ygen is poorly soluble in %ater>even less in fermentation broths!citation needed# >and is relatively scarce in air )+9.?5@*. ('ygen transfer is usually helped by agitation, %hich is also needed to mi' nutrients and to keep the fermentation homogeneous. There are, ho%ever, limits to the speed of agitation, due both to high po%er consumption )%hich is proportional to the cube of the speed of the electric motor*

and to the damage to organisms caused by e'cessive tip speed. $n practice, bioreactors are often pressuri&edA this increases the solubility of o'ygen in %ater.

Photobioreactor

/oss photobioreactor %ith Physcomitrella patens A photobioreactor )P01* is a bioreactor %hich incorporates some type of light source. Birtually any translucent container could be called a P01, ho%ever the term is more commonly used to define a closed system, as opposed to an open tank or pond. Photobioreactors are used to gro% small phototrophic organisms such as cyanobacteria, algae, or moss plants.!3# These organisms use light through photosynthesis as their energy source and do not reCuire sugars or lipids as energy source. DonseCuently, risk of contamination %ith other organisms like bacteria or fungi is lo%er in photobioreactors %hen compared to bioreactors for heterotroph organisms.

Sewage treatment
0ioreactors are also designed to treat se%age and %aste%ater. $n the most efficient of these systems, there is a supply of a free flo%ing, chemically inert medium %hich acts as a receptacle for the bacteria that break do%n the ra% se%age. 8'amples of these bioreactors often have separate, seCuential tanks and a mechanical separator or cyclone to speed the separation of %ater and biosolids. Aerators supply o'ygen to the se%age and medium, further accelerating breakdo%n. 2ubmersible mi'ers provide agitation in ano'ic bioreactors to keep the solids in suspension and thereby ensure that the bacteria and the organic materials EmeetE. $n the process, the liCuid:s 0iochemical ('ygen Femand )0(F* is reduced sufficiently to render the contaminated %ater fit for reuse. The biosolids can be collected for further processing, or dried and used as fertili&er. An e'tremely simple version of a se%age bioreactor is a septic tank %hereby the se%age is left in situ, %ith or %ithout additional media to house bacteria. $n this instance, the biosludge itself is the primary host )activated sludge* for the bacteria. 2eptic systems are best suited %here there is sufficient landmass, and the system is not sub=ect to flooding or overly saturated ground, and %here time and efficiency are not prioriti&ed.!citation needed# 0ecause they are the engine that drives biological %aste%ater treatment, it is critical to closely monitor the Cuantity and Cuality of microorganisms in bioreactors. (ne method for this is via +nd Generation ATP tests.

Bioreactor types
4umerous reactor designs for biological sulfate reduction have been reported, such as batch reactors, seCuencing batch reactors, continuously stirred tank reactors, anaerobic contact processes, anaerobic baffled reactors, anaerobic filters, fluidi&ed bed reactors, gas lift reactors, upflo% anaerobic sludge blanket reactors and anaerobic hybrid reactors. The reactor configuration has implications for the ratio of sludge retention time<hydraulic retention time )21T<;1T* in continuous flo% reactors. The loading rates of a process are largely dictated by the biomass retention in the reactor. /a'imal sludge retention or biomass retention is desirable for process stability and minimal sludge production. /inimal ;1T minimi&es the reactor volume and thus reduces capital costs. Dontinuously stirred tank reactors )D2T1* are sub=ected to %ashout of active biomass )Figure "*. 0iomass retention has been enhanced by employing internal sedimentation systems and cationic flocculants. Anaerobic contact process )ADP* relies on biomass separation and recycling to increase the 21T<;1T. 2everal methods have been suggested for recovering biomass from the reactor effluent, including sedimentation, flocculation, centrifugation and magnetic separation of sulfate reducing bacteria.

Figure ". Dontinuously stirred tank reactor )D2T1* and anaerobic contact process )ADP*. Fue to the slo% gro%th rate and lo% biomass yield of 210, various immobili&ed biomass reactors have gained increasing attention. $n anaerobic filter reactors )AF1* )or packed bed reactors, P01* biomass is retained as a biofilm on packing material as %ell as unattached in the packing interstices. AF1s have been operated in hori&ontal, upflo% or do%nflo% modes )Figure +*. The do%nflo% AF1 allo%s the utili&ation of gravity and, thus, passive operation. Packing materials used in AF1s include cobbles, polypropylene pall rings, glass beads and alkaline minerals. 0iological sulfate reduction has been enhanced %ith solid organic materials as %ell as liCuid substrates. 2olid substrates have a limited lifetime and have to be replaced or supplemented %ith liCuid substrates once the original substrate is depleted. The main shortcomings of AF1s are the channeling of the flo% and clogging of the bed by precipitates.

Figure +. Anaerobic filter reactors )AF1* used in hori&ontal, upflo% and do%nfo% modes. $n the fluidi&ed bed reactor )F01*, channeling and clogging are avoided by fluidi&ing the inert biomass carrier )Figure ,*. Fluidi&ation can be carried out %ith recycle %ater or using a gas stream in %hich case the reactor is called a gas lift reactor. Darrier materials used include iron chips, synthetic polymeric granules covered %ith iron dust, pumice particles, porous glass beads, and carbon dust. The fluidi&ed carrier enables efficient mass transfer and provides a large surface area for biofilm formation.

Figure ,. A schematic diagram and a photo of a laboratory scale fluidi&ed bed reactor )F01*. $n upflo% anaerobic sludge blanket )UA20* reactors, biomass retention is based on good settling characteristics of granular sludge )Figure 3*. The presence of methanogens in the

biomass can enhance granulation. The produced biogas is trapped by a hood located belo% the %ater surface and can be periodically burned in a flare. Fue to the biomass granulation, no packing or carrier material is needed %hich reduces the start up costs of the UA20 compared to AF1 and F01. ;o%ever, e'tensive biogas production may reCuire e'tra instrumentation %hich increases capital costs. /oreover, methanogens compete for substrates )acetate and ;+ G D(+* %ith sulfate reducers, resulting in decrease in the yields of ;+2 and alkalinity per amount of substrate added. (ther problems encountered %ith UA20 reactors are poor or slo% granulation and the rapid disintegration of the granular sludge under certain conditions.

Figure 3. A schematic diagram and a photo of a laboratory scale upflo% anaerobic sludge blanket reactor )UA20*. The anaerobic hybrid reactor )A;1* is a combination of UA20 and AF1, %here the granular sludge bed is in the lo%er section of the reactor and packing material in the upper section )Figure 5*. The packing material improved the separation of solids from the reactor effluent. Another modification of the UA20 reactor is an anaerobic baffled reactor )A01* %hich is a staged reactor %here biomass retention is enhanced by forcing the %ater through several compartments )Figure 5*.

Figure 5. Anaerobic hybrid reactor )A;1* and anaerobic baffled reactor )A01* Fepending on the reactor type and process configuration, the metal sulfide sludge can be recovered from the bottom of the bioreactor, such as A;1, by back %ashing the AF1 at regular intervals or %ith a clarifier do%nstream of the precipitation unit.