BACKGROUND For the cultivation of Escherichia coli in bioreactors trace element solutions are generally designed for optimal growth under aerobic conditions. They do normally not contain selenium and nickel. Molybdenum is only contained in few of them. These elements are part of the formate hydrogen lyase (FHL) complex which is induced under anaerobic conditions. As it is generally known that o...

A two-stage methanotrophic bioreactor system was developed for remediation of water contaminated with TCE and other chlorinated, volatile, aliphatic hydrocarbons. The first stage of the reactor was a suspended-growth culture vessel using a bubbleless methane-transfer device. The second stage was a plug-flow bioreactor supplied with contaminated groundwater and cell suspension from the culture v...

This work presents the development of an array of bioreactors where finely controlled stirring is provided at the microliter scale (100-300 mul). The microliter-bioreactor array is useful for performing protocol optimization in up to 96 parallel experiments of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) cultures. Exploring a wide range of experimental conditions at the microliter scale minimizes cost and lab...

A pilot-scale sand-based fluidized bed bioreactor (FBBR) was utilized to treat both methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) from a contaminated aquifer. To evaluate the potential for re-use of the treated water, we tested for a panel of water quality indicator microorganisms and potential waterborne pathogens including total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Shigel...

Novel design solid state bioreactor, FERMSOSTAT, had been evaluated in cellulase production studies using local isolate Aspergillus niger USM AI 1 grown on sugarcane bagasse and palm kernel cake at 1 : 1 (w/w) ratio. Under optimised SSF conditions of 0.5 kg substrate; 70% (w/w) moisture content; 30°C; aeration at 4 L/h · g fermented substrate for 5 min and mixing at 0.5 rpm for 5 min, about 3.4...

Selected heavy metals (HMs) including Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn initially released from a full-scale bioreactor landfill were monitored over the first 20 months of operation. At the initial landfill stage, the leachate exhibited high HMs release, high organic matter content (27000-43000gl(-1) of TOC) and low pH (5-6). By the fifth month of landfilling, the methanogenic stage had been establishe...

The present work deals with the kinetics of rifamycins production and degradation by Amycolatopsis mediterranei in submerged culture using industrial medium. Cultivations were conducted in shake flasks and stirred tank bioreactor to evaluate the influence of transfer of process to higher scale on overall process kinetics and to obtain better understanding for the kinetics of rifamycins producti...

An economical bioreactor designed for evaluating the biogas potential of particulate biomass is described. The bioreactor uses a simple stirring apparatus, called the Bordeaux stirrer, to enable gas-tight mixing of fermentation cultures. The apparatus consists of a low-rpm motor connected to a bent steel stir rod, which is placed in a length of flexible plastic tubing inserted through a rubber ...

Bioreactor landfills are operated to enhance refuse decomposition, gas production, and waste stabilization. The major aspect of bioreactor landfill operation is the recirculation of collected leachate back through the refuse mass. Due to the presence of additional leachate and accelerated decomposition, the dynamic characteristics of MSW in bioreactor landfills are expected to change. Assessmen...

A fluidized bed bioreactor containing encapsulated hepatocytes may be a valuable alternative to a hollow fiber bioreactor for achieving the improved mass transfer and scale-up potential necessary for clinical use. However, a conventional fluidized bed bioreactor (FBB) operating under high perfusion velocity is incapable of providing the desired performance due to the resulting damage to cell-co...