Types of Fermenters

Stir tank fermenter

• Cylindrical vessel with a motor driven central shaft which
supports one or more impellers.
• Shaft is present at the bottom of the bioreactor. The air
provided by sparger.
• Steady state conditions can be achieved either
Chemostatic or Turbidostatic principles
• The chemo-static principle involves the adjustment of the flow
rate of the bioreactor to an appropriate and constant value
• The turbido-static principle requires an experimental
determination of the turbidity. This thus used to control the
flow rate.
 Bubble column Fermenter
• Simplest types of reactors, which is easy to scale-up.
• The reactor comprises of a cylindrical vessel provided with a
gas sparger, which pushes gas bubbles into a liquid phase or
a liquid-solid suspension.
• Height to diameter is 4-6
• Mixing and gas transfer improved with perforated pates or
baffles within the vessel.
• No draft tube.
• Gas or air is introduces into bottom of column by perforated
pipes or through porous spargers. This create unstable
steam that allow gas exchange
 Airlift Fermenter
• It is used for gas liquid or gas-liquid-solid processes.
• Utilizes 2 zone system to enhance circulation, oxygentransfer and
force equalization within the reactor.
• Divded into 2 interconnected zones
• Riser no sparged
• Rowncomer sparged wit air
• These were separated by verticle pipes
• The ratio of cross sectional area between 2 zones is between 1.8
and 4.3
• This provide efficient gas-liquid mixing, favorable mass tranfer
characteristics and low shear environment making them value for
bioprocesing
• Air flows up the riser tube, forming bubbles, and
exhaust gas is released from the top of the column
• The degassed liquid then flows through downcomer
and the product is emptied from the bottom of the
tank.
• The downcomer tube can be designed to serve as an
internal heat exchanger
• Sparging -----inside or outside the draft tube.
• In absence of agitation, the reactor requires low
energy making it an energy efficient system
 Packed bed Fermenter
• Tubular types of reactors ----packed with
immobilized enzyme or microbial cells as
biocatalysts
• The immobilized biocatalyst is packed in the
column and fed with nutrients either from top
or from bottom.
• Fluid comprising of dissolved nutrient and
substrate flows through the solid bed
 Photo-bioreactors
• Specialized for fermentation that can be carried out either by exposing to
sunlight or artificial illumination.
• Photosynthetic culture require light. Artificial illumination is expensive,
only the outdoor photo-bioreactors are preferred for large scale.
• Made up of glass or more commonly transparent plastic.
• Carbon source in form of CO2
• Array of tubes or flat panels, flow of nutrients in tubes should be
turbulent so periodic movement of cells.
• Operated in a continuous mode at a temperature in the range of 25-40°C.
• Sensors for temperature maintenance, tubes cooled to prevent rise in
temperature.
• Microalgae and cyanobacteria are normally used. The organisms grow
during day light while the products are produced during night time.