The fungus Piriformospora Indica or popularly known as P.

Indica is being cultivated by the

Amity Microbial Department. This fungus helps to improve the growth on poor soils with
lower inputs of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Fig 1. Piriformospora Indica

The current production process involves:
1. P. indica was grown for 2 weeks at 30C under constant shaking (130 rpm) in 1 1
Erlenmeyer flasks with 500 ml of liquid minimal medium.

Fig 2. P.Indica
2. Flask contents are filtered through a normal filter paper.
3. The contents are weighed and then are mixed with Talcum powder.
4. The resulting mixture is packed in 100gm packets.
The above process results in a fungus which has a size > 100 microns.

Another process requires the cultivation to be done in a fermenter which results in fungus
having sizes between 15-25 microns. This is more effective for crop production.
The Problem
The current process for separating P.indica from its solution is manual with the use of filter
paper and requires mixing with hand. This process is time consuming and inefficient.
Reason Most of the fungus passes through the filter paper and it requires constant stirring
as the fungus keeps on blocking the pores of the filter paper. As a result, most of the times the
filter paper gets damaged and the process has to be repeated again. The mixing of the fungus
is done by hand which results in uneven distribution of fungus throughout the mixture.
The separation of the fungus from the fermenter is even more difficult as their size is very
small and most of them pass through the filter paper. The entire process has to be done in a
sterilized environment which is difficult to maintain when the process is being done manually
and in stages.
The efficiency of the current manual process is very low and requires a lot of manual effort.
The ongoing manual process requires about two persons and more than an hour to produce 45 kgm of the mixture.
The Solution requires:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Minimum human effort or manual intervention.

The whole equipment used should be autoclaved.
The final mixture should be uniform.
The process should have a higher efficiency than the ongoing process.
It should be able to handle large production volumes.

Initial requirement : Procurement of a suitable filter.

Finding a suitable filter was a primary requirement for the design. The filter has to be such
that it can:

1. Sterilized.
2. Last through repeated number of cycles.
3. Should not react with the fungus.
Stainless Steel Mesh
A wire mesh made of stainless steel 202 is used as a filter. The stainless steel mesh is of 10
micron size. This material has been chosen as such so that it can be easily autoclaved
(sustain temperatures of about 130 degree Celsius). This has to be done so that the mesh is
sterilized which being of primary importance.

Picture - Mesh

The mesh has to last for a number of cycles so it is a better substitute for filter paper. Though
the cost of the mesh is high as compared to a filter paper but given advantage, it is more
economically justifiable considering large production volume that has to be handled.
Cost 500 for 1m x .5 m.
Test of the filter
The filter has to be tested so that it fits our purpose.
Test 1: It had to sustain high temperatures < 150 degree Celsius.
For this, the mesh was kept in a beaker containing boiling water for 10 minutes.
Result- The filer passed this test.
Test 2: whether it can actually filter the fungus
For this, a small bottle was required. The bottle we chose had a flat surface so that small
section could easily be punched out of it. The SS filter was pasted in the section with the help
of fevi-quick and cello-tape was used to seal any openings. The solution containing the
fungus was poured through the inlet of the bottle. A beaker was kept underneath to collect the
fluid. The bottle was given turns through hands till all the solution has been filtered. The
liquid collected in the beaker was tested under the microscope for the fungus.

Result The fungus was not found under the microscope indicating that the filter chosen is
appropriate for the purpose.
Test 2 was performed again to re-check the results.

construction

Our model basically consists of a stainless steel drum of diameter 10 inches and a length of
12 inches. The drum had 5 cross sections (4nos. 3*3 inches and 1 no. 5*3 inch). The cross
section was argon welded with a 10 micron stainless steel mesh which was approved by the
microbial department. The drum also had an end tapered so as to drop the fungus to that end.
The ball valve attached to the exit of the drum attached to the tapered end provides the
medium for exit. A ball valve is a valve with a spherical disc, the part of the valve which controls the
flow through it. The sphere has a hole, or port, through the middle so that when the port is in line with
both ends of the valve, flow will occur. When the valve is closed, the hole is perpendicular to the ends
of the valve, and flow is blocked.

Fig 3.
The two faces of the drum has two shafts which is mounted on to the shaft with the help of
bearings. The bearings providing a smooth rotation of the drum. The bearings used are simple
journal bearings.

Picture bearing.

The exit end through a funnel passes onto a mixer through a stainless steel pipe which passes
the fungus to the mixer. The mixer has two shafts. Each shaft having 5-6 rods with an
increased cross section at its end. The mixer has another inlet for th talcum powder to be
introduced in the system. Hence the talcum powder and the fungus get mixed in the container
and a drop plate is put at the bottom most region which can be slided to or fro so as to remove
the mixture which basically is the final product.