Premium
Numerical and experimental assessment of a miniature bioreactor equipped with a mechanical agitator and non‐invasive biosensors
Author(s) -
Li Chao,
Tian Jiangtao,
Wang Weifei,
Peng Huadong,
Zhang Ming,
Hang Haifeng,
Zhang Siliang,
Xia JianYe
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.6076
Subject(s) - agitator , bioreactor , aeration , mixing (physics) , volume (thermodynamics) , computational fluid dynamics , mass transfer , mass transfer coefficient , scale up , sparging , volumetric flow rate , materials science , process engineering , chromatography , chemistry , engineering , mechanics , thermodynamics , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , classical mechanics , aerospace engineering
BACKGROUND Sufficient oxygen supply and stable process control are crucial for the successful screening and process optimization of aerobic microorganisms in small‐scale bioreactors. In this work, a miniature bioreactor (volume 80 mL) equipped with non‐invasive biosensors was developed and characterized. RESULTS To enable proper mixing and high oxygen transfer rate, a mechanical agitator with large diameter (0.56 tank diameter) and submerged aeration were applied. The flow fields formed in the miniature bioreactor under a wide range of conditions (filling volume 30–70 mL, agitation speed 300–1100 rpm and aeration rate 0–4 vvm) were numerically analyzed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The miniature bioreactor performed with a suitable mixing time (<4 s) and a high oxygen transfer coefficient ( k L a > 1000 h −1 ). It showed that engineering parameters including mass transfer, mixing and shear were more sensitive to agitation than either filling volume or aeration. Correlations for quantitative evaluation of the engineering parameters were established. The predicted oxygen transfer coefficient by CFD showed good agreement with both experimental and reported data. Furthermore, cultivations of Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris in the mini bioreactor verified the excellent performance. CONCLUSION The developed miniature bioreactor will provide a reliable tool for screening and process optimization, and the presented correlations that predict the engineering parameters will make it convenient to achieve scale‐up. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry