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6. Diversity
Microbes for various Industries
Industrial
Microbial source Role of enzyme
Application
The length of the lag phase depends directly on the previous growth condition of the
organism. When the microorganism growing in a rich medium is inoculated into
nutritionally poor medium, the organism will take more time to adapt with the new
environment. The organism will start synthesising the necessary proteins, co-enzymes
and vitamins needed for their growth and hence there will be a subsequent increase in
the lag phase.
The growth medium is exploited at the maximal rate, the culture reaches the maximum growth
rate and the number of bacteria increases logarithmically (exponentially) and finally the single
cell divide into two, which replicate into four, eight, sixteen, thirty two and so on (That is 20, 21,
22, 23.........2n, n is the number of generations)
This will result in a balanced growth. The time taken by the bacteria to double in number during
a specified time period is known as the generation time. The generation time tends to vary with
different organisms. E.coli divides in every 20 minutes, hence its generation time is 20 minutes,
and for Staphylococcus aureus it is 30 minutes.
3. Stationary phase
As the bacterial population continues to grow, all the nutrients in the growth medium are used
up by the microorganism for their rapid multiplication. This result in the accumulation of waste
materials, toxic metabolites and inhibitory compounds in the medium. This shifts the
conditions of the medium such as pH and temperature, thereby creating an unfavourable
environment for the bacterial growth. The reproduction rate will slow down, the cells
undergoing division is equal to the number of cell death, and finally bacterium stops its division
completely. The cell number is not increased and thus the growth rate is stabilised.
Some organisms which can resist this condition can survive in the environment by producing
endospores.
The generation (doubling) time can be calculated from the growth curve
The exactly doubled points from the absorbance readings were taken and, the points were
extrapolated to meet the respective time axis.
Generation Time = (Time in minutes to obtain the absorbance 0.4) – (Time in minutes to obtain
the absorbance 0.2) = 90-60 = 30 minutes
Let No = the initial population number; Nt = population at time t
Therefore,
Therefore,
“J” shaped
This is a photocopy of a figure from an old (1940s) Monod's doctoral thesis reproduced
in a later (1960s) article.
During the first phase, cells preferentially metabolize the sugar on which it can
grow faster (often glucose but not always). Only after the first sugar has been
exhausted do the cells switch to the second.
At the time of the "diauxic shift", there is often a lag period during which cells
produce the enzymes needed to metabolize the second sugar.
Bioreactor
An apparatus in which a biological reaction or process is carried out,
especially on an industrial scale.
Bioreactor (based on volume)
2. pH: The concentration range suitable for most organisms is 6.0–9.0. Methanogens in
wastewater treatment systems are most active in the neutral pH range (7.0).
3. Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT): HRT also known as hydraulic residence time is a
measure of the average length of time that a soluble compound remains in a constructed
bioreactor. Hydraulic retention time is the volume of the aeration tank divided by the influent
flow rate:
where HRT is hydraulic retention time (d) and usually expressed in hours (or sometimes
days), the 𝑉 is the volume of aeration tank or reactor volume (m3), and 𝑄 is the influent
flow rate (m3/d).
4. Sludge Retention Time (SRT): SRT is known to be the key
parameter affecting biochemical and physical properties of sludge
Most studies indicate that smaller media size gives more efficient
removal
Type of Bioreactors (BR)
The batch system is generally suitable for the production of rather small
amounts of chemicals.
This reactor is useful for substrate solutions of high viscosity and for
immobilized enzymes with relatively low activity.
Run at steady state with continuous flow of reactants and products; the feed
assumes a uniform composition throughout the reactor, exit stream has the same
composition as in the tank
The continuous stirred tank reactor is more efficient than a batch stirred
tank reactor but the equipment is slightly more complicated.
(Copyright New Brunswick Scientific, Edison, NJ)
Continuously Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR)
The industrial fermentor on the left has a capacity of 500 L, while the one on the right
holds 3.0 L.
Used for Drum screen / for wastewater treatment
Bubble Column Bioreactors
The air or gas is introduced at the base of the column through
perforated pipes or plates.
Disadvantages:
•less vigorous mixing capabilities than STR
•Mixing may not be possible in highly viscous broths.
•Less flexible than STR.
•Work over a rather narrow range of gas flow rates (foaming ,bubble
coalescence ,nature of the broth)
Airlift Reactor
Gas stream facilitate exchange of material between the gas phase and
the medium.
Shortest path that a bubble cover from the riser to the downcomer is
a straight line
DISADVANTAGES
At lower fluid velocities, the solids remain in place as the fluid passes through the
voids in the material. This is known as a packed bed reactor.
As the fluid velocity is increased, the reactor will reach a stage where the force of the
fluid on the solids is enough to balance the weight of the solid material. This stage is
known as incipient fluidization and occurs at this minimum fluidization velocity.
Once this minimum velocity is surpassed, the contents of the reactor bed begin to
expand and swirl around much like an agitated tank or boiling pot of water. The
reactor is now a fluidized bed.
Depending on the operating conditions and properties of solid phase various flow
regimes can be observed in this reactor.
Advantages of fluidized bed reactor
Uniform Particle Mixing: Due to the intrinsic fluid-like behavior of the solid material,
fluidized beds do not experience poor mixing as in packed beds. This complete mixing
allows for a uniform product that can often be hard to achieve in other reactor
designs. The elimination of radial and axial concentration gradients also allows for
better fluid-solid contact, which is essential for reaction efficiency and quality.
Ability to Operate Reactor in Continuous State: The fluidized bed nature of these
reactors allows for the ability to continuously withdraw product and introduce new
reactants into the reaction vessel. Operating at a continuous process state allows
manufacturers to produce their various products more efficiently due to the removal
of start up conditions in batch processes.
Disadvantages of fluidized bed reactor
Increased Reactor Vessel Size: Because of the expansion of the bed materials in the reactor, a
larger vessel is often required than that for a packed bed reactor. This larger vessel means that
more must be spent on initial capital costs.
Pumping Requirements : The requirement for the fluid to suspend the solid material
necessitates that a higher fluid velocity is attained in the reactor. In order to achieve this, more
pumping power and thus higher energy costs are needed.
Particle Entrainment: The high gas velocities present in this style of reactor often result in fine
particles becoming entrained in the fluid. These captured particles are then carried out of the
reactor with the fluid, where they must be separated. This can be a very difficult and expensive
problem to address depending on the design and function of the reactor. This may often
continue to be a problem even with other entrainment reducing technologies.
Erosion of Internal Components: The fluid-like behavior of the fine solid particles within the bed
eventually results in the wear of the reactor vessel. This can require expensive maintenance and
upkeep for the reaction vessel and pipes.
Pressure Loss Scenarios: If fluidization pressure is suddenly lost, the surface area of the bed may
be suddenly reduced. This can either be an inconvenience (e.g. making bed restart difficult), or
may have more serious implications, such as runaway reactions (e.g. for exothermic reactions in
which heat transfer is suddenly restricted).
Membrane bioreactor (MBR)