Modified bioreactor

Details Modified bioreactor Modified bioreactor

1999-05-19

2001-01-16

Redding, David A. (Department: 1744)

Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology

Apparatus

Bioreactor

C435S383000, C435S420000, C435S293200, C435S295200

Reexamination Certificate

active

06174720

ABSTRACT:

This invention is concerned with bioreactors for the commercial culture of micro-organisms. In particular the invention is concerned with improvements in tubular-type photobioreactors.
Coiled, tubular photobioreactors are known and an example of one such photobioreactor, with which the present invention finds application is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,828. The present invention is, however, not limited to application in that precise form of coiled, tubular photobioreactor, since embodiments of the present invention have application in other tubular bioreactors whether coiled, straight line, meandering or segmented. Meandering such reactors are presently in use in, for example, Germany and Israel.
Coiled, tubular photobioreactors of the type illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,828 are commercially available under the BIOCOIL trade mark. It will be of assistance to the reader to have a background knowledge of such a bioreactor and in particular the embodiment of
FIG. 4
in the said U.S. Patent wherein a plurality of coiled, tubular segments are in liquid communication via a pair of generally upright manifolds, identified in
FIG. 4
as items
57
and
56
respectively.
Segmented coil tubular bioreactors of this type (incorporating a pair of manifolds linking together a plurality of individual, coiled segments) are known and commercially available from the applicants herein. The present invention has been devised by way of an improvement in tubular bioreactors which is particularly effective in the culture of such living matter as algae or bacteria due to the low stress induced by a gas lift system.
An arrangement of coiled, tubular photobioreactor incorporating an upright manifold is known wherein the manifold serves to link the upper part of a coil in liquid communication with the lower part of the coil and wherein such manifold is subjected to gas injection flow enhancement. Such apparatus is known as the ‘single air lift’ BIOCOIL (trade mark) photobioreactor.
Apparatus incorporating an air lift system were devised for the handling of specific algae systems where pumping is inappropriate for one reason or another.
However, we have found that single air lift manifold photobioreactors are relatively inefficient in the stripping of oxygen from circulating liquor and liquid circulation control within each individual coiled segment of the photobioreactor is particularly limited.
According to the present invention we provide bioreactor apparatus for culture of living matter in a liquid medium comprising a plurality of tubes connected at one end to a primary manifold section and at their other ends to a secondary manifold section such that a flow of liquid containing said living matter can be established within said manifolds and tubes, wherein the flow of liquid medium in said manifolds and/or said tubes is capable of control by at least one gas injection means in communication with the primary manifold section and at least one gas injection means in communication with the secondary manifold section.
The tubes are preferably arranged so that the helix angle allows gaseous products to be carried out of the coils. Instead of one coil above the other, the coils could be in grouped batches.
Preferred features of the apparatus are also to be found in the sub claims. We also provide methods of culturing living matter which involves use of the present apparatus.
In a preferred embodiment applicable to a coiled, tubular bioreactor we also provide bioreactor apparatus including at least two generally tubular coils wound helically, to give a helix angle which allows gaseous products to be carried out of coils located one above the other or in grouped batches around an upstanding support structure, the coils having inlets to receive a flow of liquid medium within which biomass or other living material can be cultured and an outlet for said medium, the inlets of the coils arranged in liquid communication with a primary manifold and the outlets of the coils arranged in liquid communication with a secondary manifold, both said manifolds being in liquid communication whereby a flow of liquid medium can be provided from the primary to the secondary manifold, primary flow control means being provided to act upon liquid medium in or flowing from the primary manifold and secondary flow control means provided to act on liquid medium in or flowing into the secondary manifold, the primary and secondary flow control means being adjustable whereby flow of liquid medium through the coils can be varied by adjustment of either or both said flow control means.
Preferred advantageous features of the present apparatus and its use will now be described in the specific embodiments hereunder.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5137828 (1992-08-01), Robinson et al.
patent: 297 06 379 U (1997-08-01), None
patent: WO 94 11094 (1994-05-01), None
patent: WO 95 06111 (1995-03-01), None

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