AIRLIFT BIOREACTOR

GROUP 2: NUR FARAHIYAH AZIM BINTI MD HASSAN (55247209051) NURUL FARHANA BINTI MAT NAWI (55247209049) MARDHIAH BINTI BAHAROM (55247209407)

AIRLIFT BIOREACTOR
A bioreactor in which the reaction medium is kept mixed and gassed by introduction of air/another gas at the base of a column-like reactor equipped either with a draught tube or another device (e.g. external tube) by which the reactor volume is separated into a gassed and an ungassed region thus generating a vertically circulating flow

There are two common types of airlift bioreactor: Internal loop bioreactor - These bioreactors have a single container with a central draft tube. External loop airlift bioreactor- These have an external loop to keep the liquid in circulation through separate independent channels.

OUTER LOOP

INNER LOOP

 Air or gas mixtures are introduced into the base of the riser by a sparger. The circulation of medium at the draft tube is produced by the difference in density between gas at riser and downcomer. Circulation times in loops of 45m height may be 120s. Heat removal would be needed in external loops because the high rate of aeration and agitation required to operate the process.

Schematic diagram of airlift fermenter used by Marlo Foods at Billingham, England, for the production of myco-protein in continuous flow culture.

 gas lift reactors / air lift reactors : the content is pneumatically agitated by a stream of air or sometimes by other gases. gas stream : facilitating exchange of material between gas phase and medium where oxygen is transferred to the liquid and in some cases reaction products are removed through exchange with the gas phase.

 mixing without mechanical agitation. especially for tissue culture because tissues are shear sensitive and normal mixing is not possible.
Tall design of airlift bioreactor long bubble residence times

gas is hold-ups high

a region of high hydrostatic pressure near the sparger at the base of the fermenter

 Different from bubble column bioreactor : draft tube. Bubble column bioreactor : the gas usually injected at the bottom and random mixing is produced by ascending bubbles. Airlift bioreactor : the presence of draft tube that will make the gas recirculated in the bioreactor.

Reduce bubbles coalescence

Increase mixing in the reactor

DRAFT TUBE

Equalize shear forces in the reactor

The riser : The zone air/ gas is pumped.

Baffle or draft tube : the medium of the vessel is divided into two interconnected zones. Downcomer: the other zone that no receive gaseous

Component in the Airlift bioreactor

Gas separator/gas disengagement: This section at the top of the reactor connects the riser to the downcomer.

Sparger: supplier air or gases.

Base: the bottom connection zone between the riser and downcomer.

Heat exchanger: the exchange ensures a constant temperature when culture generate heat

Component of airlift bioreactor

APPLICATION OF AIRLIFT BIOREACTOR

1) used for production of adventitious root biomass and caffeic acid derivatives of Echinacea purpurea(purple coneflower) Of the three caffeic acid derivatives evaluated ( caftaric acid, chlorogenic acid, and cichoric acid), the concentration of cichoric acid is the highest 2) Used in wastewater treatment Ex:Aspergillus Niger for textile wastewater (biological discoloration) Ex: microfiltration and biological treatment of oilfield wastewater treatment 3) The growth of shear-sensitive cells such as plant and animal cultures and normal mixing is not possible 4) Production of large amounts of biomass as single-cell protein.

Extremely large size vessel can be constructed.

No moving partsabsence of agitator shaft means that the sterility easier to maintain.

The cost associated with agitation and aeration can be substantially reduced.

Advantages

High O2 transfer efficiency-the P at the bottom of the vessel will increase O2 solubility and so that KLa value increase.

low shear characteristics- easy for growing plant and animal cell culture.

DISADVANTAGES

The main disadvantages of airlift bioreactor

High capital cost with large scale vessels. High energy costs. Although an agitator is not required, a greater air throughput is necessary, and the air has to be at a higher pressure, particularly on a large scale. Also, the efficiency of gas compression is low. As the organism circulates through the bioreactor, the conditions change, and it is impossible to maintain consistent levels of carbon source, nutrients, and oxygen throughout the vessel. The separation of gas from the liquid is not very efficient when foam is present. If the feed comes in at only one location, the organism would experience continuous cycles of high growth, followed by starvation. This would result in the production of undesirable byproducts, low yields, and high death rates.

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