Bioreactor Configuration

Submitted To-Dr.R.S.SINGH
Submitted By-Benaf Kathuria
MSc(hon’s)Biotechnology
Roll no-18010013
 Bioreactor
• Vessel in which
an organism can
be cultivated in
controlled
manner to
produce product ,
biomass and
metabolite and to
carry out specific
reaction.
 Bioreactor configuration
• On the basis of configuration of vessel-
• Packed Bed Reactor
• FluiIdized Bed Reactor
• Stirred Tank Reactor
• Waldhof Type Reactor
• Cyclindro-conical Vessel
• Airlift Fermenter
• Tower Fermenter
• Cyclone Column
• Rotating Disc Reactor
• Acetators and Cavitators
 Packed Bed Reactor
• Also known as Stationary Particle or Plug Flow
Reactor.
• Most frequently used immobilised cell reactor.
• Immobilised m/o is placed in vertical column
through which substrate is passed.
• We can increasing the density of m/o by
increasing length of column.
• Feeding of substrate can be done in any direction.
• But if substrate is added from top then their will
be compression of immobilised catalyst.
• Advantages- simplicity of operation.
• Low cost
• High density of m/o for efficient conversion of
product.
• Disadvantages-Poor temp. control.
• Difficult to clean.
• Difficult to replace catalyst.
• Undesirable side reactions.
 Fluidised Bed Reactor
• Intermediate between PBR and CSTR.
• Mixing is better than PBR.
• Low level of shear stress than CSTR
• Homogenous mixture of biocatalyst is used.
• Substrate is carried out at high flow rate.
• Advantages-
• Promotes good mass transfer.
• High productivity than CSTR
• Dead cells can be removed.
• Less sensitive than FBR
• Require 4 times less energy than STR
• Disadvantages-problem of contamination.
• More energy than PBR.
• Biocatalyst degeneration during long
fermentation.
 Continous Stirred Tank Bioreactor
• Consists of cyclindrical vessel with motor driven
shaft that supports one or more agitators
(impellers).
• No. of impellers is variable and depends upon on
size of bioreactor i.e height to diameter ratio.
• Several types of impellers are in use.
• The air is added to culture medium under
pressure through device caller sparger.
• The sparger along with impellers enables better
gas distribution throught the vessel.
• The sparger may be ring with many holes or
tube with single orifice.
• The bubbles generated by sparger are broken
down to smaller ones by impellers and
dispersed throught the medium.
• This enables us creation of uniform and
homogenous environment throught the
medium.
• Advantages-
• There is good mixing of contents.
• The efficient gas transfer to growing cells.
• Disadvantages- high power input is require for efficient
aerations.
• The impeller we use cause damage to m/o sometimes.
• Substrate concentration is lower than PBR,so we get
low average reaction rate but it is advantageous as
there is no chance of substrate inhibition.
 Waldhof Fermenter
• Yeast growth in sulphite waste liquor led to
development of Waldhof fermenter.
• The fermenter was carbon steel ,clad in stainless steel.
• Diameter-7.9 m
• High-4.3m
• Central draught tube-1.2m in diameter
• Draught tube was held by tie rods attached to
fermenter walls.
• Operating volume-225,000 dm cube of emulsion(broth
and air) and broth without air-100,000dm cube.
• Non-sterile air was introduced into fermenter
through rotating pin-wheel type of aerator
composed of open ended tubes rotating at
300 rpm.
• The broth passed down the draught tube and
reduced foaming.
 Cylindro-Conical vessel
• Used in brewing of lager
• First proposed by Nathan.
• The vessel consists of stainless steel vertical tube with
hemispherical top and conical base with included angle of
approx 70 degree.
• Aspect ratio-3: 1
• Height-10 to 20m
• Operating volume-150,000 to 200,000dm cube.
• Vessels are not normally agitated unless particularly
flocculant yeast is used,but small impellers are introduced
to ensure homogeneity when filling with wort.
• In the vessel, wort is inoculated with yeast and
fermentation proceeds for 40 to 48 hrs.
• Temp control is monitored by probes positioned at
suitable points within the vessel.
• A no. of cooling jackets are fitted to wall to regulate
and cause flocculation and settling of yeast.
• The fermentation is terminated by circulation of chilled
water via cooling jackets which results in yeast
flocculation.
• Thus it is necessary to select yeast strain which will
flocculate readily in period of chilling.
 Airlift Bioreactors
• In the airlift bioreactor ,the medium of vessel is
divided into two interconnected zones by means
of baffle or draft tube.
• In one of two zones referred to riser zone in
which air/gas is pumped.The other zone that
receives no gas is down comer.
• Riser zone- ascending zone
• Down comer- descending zone
• Air is supplemented in riser zone which is
sufficient to produce required degree of
turbulence for mixing of biomass in medium.
• There are also two loops- outer loop and inner
loop for cooling purposes.
• Advantages- There is no agitation,so sterility can
be easily maintained.
• In a large vessel,height of liquid can be high as
60m,the pressure at bottom of vessel will
increase the oxygen solubility,thus increase mass
transfer.
• Disdvantages-High capital cost with large vessel
• High energy cost.
 Tower Fermenter
• An elongated non-mechanically stirred fermenter
having aspect ratio-6: 1 for tubular sections and 10 :1
for overall, through which there is unidirectional flow
of gases.
• Length of tube is more and width is less.
• Tower fermenter has been defined by Greenshields in
1971.
• There are several types of tower fermenter-
• Simple Fermenter
• Vertical Tower Fermenter
• Multistage Fermenter
 Simple Fermenter
• Those fermenter that consists of tube which
is air sparged at base.
• Used for citric acid production.
• This batch fermenter is in form glass column
having a ht:diameter ratio of 16:1 and with
volume of 3 dm
• Humid sterile air was supplied through base.
 Vertical Tower Fermenter
• Used for beer production and to maximise yeast
biomass yields.
• Hall and Howard-consists of water jacketed tubes
of various dimensions which were inclined at
angles of 9 to 90 degree to horizontal.
• Air were passed at base and effluent beer was
removed at top.
• Fermenter design was patented by Shore et al.
• A series of perforated plates are placed at
intervals to maximise yeast yields . It has settling
zone free of gas.
 Multistage fermenter
• In these fermeter,a column forms the body of
vessel,which is divided into compartments by
placing perforted plates across the fermenter.
• About 10% of horizontal area of plates
perforated.
• These fermenters have been used for
continous culture of E.coli ,S.cerevisiae and
activated sludge.
 Cyclone Column
• Dawson developed cyclone column fermenter for
growth of filamentous cultures.
• Culture liquid-pumped from bottom to top
through closed loop.
• Descending liquid ran down the walls of column
in a relatively thin film.
• Nutrients and air-fed near the base,exhaust gases
are left at top.
• Advantages: good gas exchange , lack of
foaming,limited wall growth.
 Rotating Disc Bioreactor
• Used particular for waste water treatment.
• Cells are immoblised on fibre
disc/polyurethene disc which are rotated on
shaft.
• Rotation is carried out at slow rate, so we can
remove dead cell,debris and co2 produced
during fermentation.
• RDR required less amount of energy as
compared to STR .
 Acetators and cavitators
• Fundamental studies on vinegar production showed that-
• Acetobacter cells remain active in stirred aerated
fermenter,distribution of air had to be almost perfect
within entire contents of vessel.
• The full scale problem was solved by use of self-aspirating
rotor-turning rotor sucked air and broth and dispersed the
mixture through out the rotating stator.
• The aerator also worked without compressor and was self-
priming.
• In vinegar fermentation-chemical antifoams are not feasible
because they decrease aeration efficiency and quality of
vinegar.
• So mechanical deformer was incorporated
into vessels and as foam builds up in it is
forced into chamber in which rotor runs at
1,000 to 1,450 rpm.
• Centrifugal force breaks the foam and
separate it into gas and liquid.
• The liquid is pumped back into fermenter and
gas escapes.
 REFERENCES-
• Principles of Fermentation technology-P.F.
STANBURY, A.WHITAKER AND S.J.HALL.