Fixed-bed bioreactor and carrier body for purifying fluids

Details Fixed-bed bioreactor and carrier body for purifying fluids Fixed-bed bioreactor and carrier body for purifying fluids

1995-09-22

1997-04-08

Wyse, Thomas G.

Liquid purification or separation

With gas-liquid surface contact means

261101, 261DIG72, 264122, 264126, 264DIG48, C02F 310, B29C 4300, B29C 4322

Patent

active

056184123

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a fixed-bed bioreactor for purifying fluids with the aid of microorganisms, containing a plurality of carrier bodies for microorganisms and flow paths for the fluid along the carrier bodies, with said carrier bodies having a porous structure with pores adapted to be penetrated by the fluid and to have microorganisms attach thereto.
Such fixed-bed bioreactors are known, with the carrier bodies having in particular a tubular shape. Deemed disadvantageous in this respect are the comparatively high manufacturing expenditure for the carrier bodies and the inconvenience of positioning the required number of carrier bodies in the bioreactor in a sensible relative arrangement
It is the object of the invention to make available a fixed-bed bioreactor the carrier bodies of which can be manufactured in uncomplicated and efficient manner and can be positioned in particularly simple manner in the bioreactor in a sensible relative arrangement to each other.
To meet this object, the fixed-bed bioreactor according to the invention is characterized in that the carrier bodies are sheet-like structures having a small thickness in comparison with the carrier body surface; and in that the carrier bodies are kept spaced apart with the aid of spacing bars, thereby defining the flow paths between the carrier bodies.
The simplest form of a suitable sheet-like structure is that of a plate; substantially plate-shaped carrier bodies are in so far particularly preferred. However, configurations different from the exact planar plate shape can also be used in advantageous manner, especially configurations of the type of corrugated plates, with the course thereof relative to the main plate plane having a more rounded pattern or a more rectilinear and sharply bent pattern. It is, however, preferred when the shape of the particular carrier body--seen roughly and in its entirety--is plate-shaped in the last-mentioned cases as well, since the carrier bodies can then be installed in the bioreactor in particularly advantageous manner.
The material thickness of the carrier bodies does not have to be constant for the entire particular carrier body. However, it is preferred when the particular carrier body at all locations has at least substantially the same material thickness. The term "carrier body surface" in a strictly plate-shaped carrier body is understood to be the size of one face of the carrier body, and, in case of corrugated plate-like structures, the size of the respective face that may be conceived as having been created by corrugation of the planar face of a plate.
The carrier bodies, either on one or on both carrier body surfaces, preferably are formed integrally with spacing bars. In this case, the carrier bodies can be placed adjacent each other in especially simple manner by having the spacing bars abut the adjacent carrier body or bodies, either directly or via spacing bars of the adjacent carrier bodies. However, it is possible as well to manufacture the spacing bars separately from the carrier body. In this case, the arrangement of the carrier bodies in the bioreactor takes place in the form of an alternating sequence of carrier bodies and spacing bars.
It is preferred to unite a plurality of carrier bodies in the form of a carrier unit package and to install it in the bioreactor as an interconnected package. This is effected in particular by joining the integral spacing bars of a particular carrier body with the adjacent carrier body on one side thereof or with the adjacent carrier bodies one both sides thereof. Alternatively, this may be effected by attaching separately produced spacing bars to a carrier body, attaching the adjacent carrier body to the spacing bars, attaching further spacing bars on the "free" side of the last carrier body, and so on. For connecting the spacing bars to carrier bodies or also for connecting spacing bars of adjacent carrier bodies to each other, adhesive bonding or welding are particularly preferred.
It is pointed out that the spacing bars indeed have preferably the s

REFERENCES:
patent: 2458163 (1944-04-01), Hays
patent: 3231490 (1966-01-01), Fry
patent: 4353855 (1982-10-01), Garabedian
patent: 4409170 (1983-10-01), Stofko
patent: 4439317 (1984-03-01), Jarrell
patent: 4859321 (1989-08-01), Iida
patent: 5419831 (1995-05-01), Fuerst et al.

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