Understanding Bioreactors: Designs, Advantages, and Applications

1. Bioreactors: Presented by: Shehneela Baseer 117113 Zainab Sajjad 117114

2. Contents • Introduction to Bioreactors • Types of Bioreactor designs • Conclusion

3. Bioreactors • Any manufactured or engineered device or system that supports a biologically active environment

4. Types of Bioreactor designs • Stirred tank reactors • Bubble-column reactors • Air lift reactors • Drum rotating reactors • Immobilized plane cell reactors • Membrane reactors

5. Stirred tank reactors • Air is dispersed by mechanical agitation.

6. Advantages • Better control over the environment of the culture.

7. Disadvantages • Can cause damage to the cells • High energy demand • Complexity in construction • Difficult to scale up.

8. Bubble-column reactors • One of the simplest type of gas – liquid bioreactors.

9. Advantages • Facilitates sterile operation • Less damaging to shear-sensitive cells • Scale up is relatively easy.

10. Disadvantages • Undefined fluid flow pattern inside the reactor. • Non-uniform mixing.

12. Air-lift reactors • Works on draught tube principle.

14. Advantages • Reasonable mixing with low shear • Operating cost is low. • Less contamination

15. Disadvantages • Insufficient mixing at high cell densities.

16. Drum rotating reactors • Consists of horizontally rotating-drum on rollers connected to a motor.

17. Advantages • High oxygen transfer. • Good mixing • Facilitated better growth and impart less hydrodynamic stress.

18. Disadvantages • Difficult to scale up.

20. Immobilized plane cell reactors • Immobilization of plant cell into a suitable carriers. • Either in natural (alginate, agar) or synthetic (polyacrylamide)

22. Membrane reactors • Cells are separated from growth medium by membrane

23. Advantages • Environment is more easily controlled • Better control over cell density.

26. Example: • Insulin Bioreactor Design

27. Reactor Considerations: • Production of insulin precursor • 5000 kg insulin per year • Assumes 20 % loss due to purification • kLa within 10% of 2088 hr -1 • Prevents oxygen limited reaction • Prevents anaerobic metabolism • Glucose concentration < 0.5 g/L • Prevents formation of ethanol • CSTR configuration • Jacket heat exchanger • Price

28. How Unit Operates • Substrate feed • Glucose, ammonia, mineral salts • Cellular metabolism of substrate • Extracellular production of insulin • Air sparging for oxygen delivery • Impellers for mixing of nutrients and oxygen

30. Conclusion • Hence, with the help of different types of bioreactors, commercial production of secondary metabolites is not only possible but also profitable.

31. Thank you !