Biotechnology fermentors

PLATE 4 Bioreactors that use mammalian cells, like this tower fermentor, are on the cutting edge of new biotechnology manufacturing processes. Courtesy, Cetus Corporation. 

The 1980 s and the early 1990 s have seen the blossoming development of the biotechnology field. Three-phase fluidized bed bioreactors have become an essential element in the commercialization of processes to yield products and treat wastewater via biological mechanisms. Fluidized bed bioreactors have been applied in the areas of wastewater treatment, discussed previously, fermentation, and cell culture. The large scale application of three-phase fluidized bed or slurry bubble column fermen-tors are represented by ethanol production in a 10,000 liter fermentor (Samejima et al., 1984), penicillin production in a 200 liter fermentor (Endo et al., 1986), and the production of monoclonal antibodies in a 1,000 liter slurry bubble column bioreactor (Birch et al., 1985). Fan (1989) provides a complete review of biological applications of three-phase fluidized beds up to 1989. Part II of this chapter covers the recent developments in three-phase fluidized bed bioreactor technology. 

Commercial manufacturing operations in biotechnology usually employ bioreactors or fermentors for product expression. In this discussion, the term fermentor will refer to bacterial or fungal processes and the term bioreactor to animal cell cultures. While extensive description of the operation... 

In a fed-batch culture (semi-batch culture, see Figure 7.1b), a fresh medium that contains a substrate but no cells is fed to the fermentor, without product removal. The fed-batch operation has special importance in biotechnology, as it is the most... 

The characteristics of the fed-batch culture, shown by Equations 12.21 and 12.23, make it possible to keep the concentrations of the substrate and/or the cell at the desired values. For example, after a batch culture, a feed medium that contains the substrate at a high concentration can be fed, either continuously or intermittently, to the fermentor under a fed-batch operation. The values of the dilution rate and the substrate concentration in the feed medium can be determined using Equation 12.23. Thus, by using the fed-batch operation, the yield and/or productivity can be greatly improved in a variety of areas of biotechnology by controlling the concentrations of substrate and cell. Some examples of where the fed-batch operation can be effectively used are as follows. 

S. Naser, R. Fournier, A numerical evaluation of a hollow fiber extractive fermentor process for the production of ethanol, Biotechnology Bioengineering, 32(5), 628-638, 1988... 

Shukla R, Kang W, and Sirkar KK, Acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) production in a novel hoUow Hber fermentor-extractor. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 1989, 34, 1158-1166. 

Damiano, D., Wang, S. S. (1985). Improvements in ethanol concentration and fermentor ethanol productivity in yeast fermentations using whole soy flour in batch, and continuous recycle systems. Biotechnology Letters 7 135-140. 

Peters, A. C., and Wimpenny, J. W. T, A Constant-Depth Laboratory Model Film Fermentor, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 32 263-270 (1988)... 

C. P. Champagne, N. Blahuta, F. Brion, and C. Gagnon. A vortex-bowl disk atomizer system for the production of alginate beads in a 1500-liter fermentor. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 68(6) 681-688, 2000. 

Being technically feasible, how are the economics of a plant cell biotechnological production method We have made a design for a large scale plant cell culture system using airlift fermentors, in order to be able to calculate the costs (Fig. 1)(3). 

Linek, V., Benes, P., and Sinkule, J. (1990), Critical assessment of the steady-state Na2S03 feeding method for kLa measurements in fermentors, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 35(8) 766-770. 

Linek, V, Moucha, T., Dousova, M., and Sinkule, J. (1994), Measurement of k a by dynamic pressure method in pilot-plant fermentor, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 43(6) 477-482. 

McManamey, W.J., and Wase, D.A.J. (1986), Relationship between the volumetric mass transfer coefficient and gas holdup in airlift fermentors, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 28(9) 1446-1448. 

Hamilton B, White R, McGuiic J, Montgomery P, Stroshane R, Kalita C. Pandey R. Improvement of the daunorubicin fermentation realized at 10,000 liter fermentor scale. Moo-Young M, ed. Advances in Biotechnology, Vol. 3. New York Pennagon Press, 1980 63-68. 

Canganella, E, Wiegel, J., 2000. Continuous cultivation of Clostridium thermobutyricum in a rotary fermentor system. Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology 24 (1), 7-13. 

Battat, E., Peleg, Y, Bercovitz, A., Rokem, J.S., Goldberg I., 1991. Optimization of L-maKc add production by AspergUlus flavus in a stirred fermentor. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 37,1108-1116. 

Angelidaki, I., Ellegaard, L., Ahring, B.K., 1992. Compact automated displacement gas metering system for measurement of low gas rates from laboratory fermentors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 39 (3), 351—353. 

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