GB2522170A

GB2522170A - Bioreactor lid

Info

Publication number: GB2522170A
Application number: GB1316003.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Graham Nelson
Original assignee: Swansea University
Current assignee: Swansea University
Priority date: 2013-09-09
Filing date: 2013-09-09
Publication date: 2015-07-22
Also published as: GB201316003D0

Abstract

A bioreactor lid 1 including first and second parts, the first part 20 having an upper surface with at least one port 21 for introducing or removing material from a container to which the lid is attached and a lower surface for engaging with the container, the second part being a container engagement member 40 having and opening defined by a rim 42 for receiving a mouth of the container 50 inserted in the opening so edges of the mouth can be folded over the rim, the lid further having a clip 30 that when the lower surface of the first part is brought into proximity with the rim of the second part the edge of the mouth of the container that has been inserted in the opening are clamped between the first and second part of the bioreactor lid.

Description

Bioreactor Lid

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a bioreactor.hd and.in particular hut not exclusively to a* lid for use with hioreactor fbr a cultivating microorganism. The, invention further relates to a bioreactor that includes the hioreactor lid.

Background of the invention

it is known that the industrial exploitation ofmicroo.rganisms such as oxygenic photosynthetic nucroorgamsms, rnicroalga.e and cyanobacteria is limited by the.hich. cost of the culture systems and by the dii eulties encountered in their scaling-up to make them commercially profitable.

Typka[k' microorganisms are geown in bioreactor,s that rely ott the introduction of light and these bioreactors are referred to aphotobioreactors. Photob.ioreactors are typically closed devices used which are formed of transparent materials (methacrylate, glass, polycarbonate) that are used fdr the culture chamber. These chambers include pumps (centrifugal and peristaltic pumps) or aCration thr the forced circulation of the microalgae hiomass within the culture chamber and there is also a need for systems such as air temperature control Ø{ants to provide optimum growth.

conditions for the microorganisms.

With the exclusion of few special cases (production of high-value products such as labeled molecules). the thdustri& production of nuicroalgae and derived products requires plants able to produce hundreds or thousands of idlogranis of hiornass per year. in particular fields, sech as the production ol teed and hiothels the required production level is hundreds or thousands of tons of biontass pcr year. The difflc.ulties in scaling-up photohiorcactors, derives from technical and biological constraints, among which the need thr a) a high illuminated surfhpe to volume ratIo (hereinafter reFerred to as S'W) in order to achieve high volumetric productivities and maintain high cell concentrations; b) removal of photosyntheucailv generated oxygen; c) cffleicnit tnermcireguiation and d) continuous culture mixing. There may also be the need to introduce particular nutrients into the hiorcactor which requires specialized apparatus if the bioreactor is.

closed so that sterility is maintained. This means that the bioreactor container and the lid for the.

container are fixed together to ma n*n the unit as a self contained entity.

Such ihetors, together with the low utilization of the surface occupied due to the reduced volume of the culturos instaiicd fbrarea unit (usually described as volume of culture per hectare), detennine manufacturing arid management costs of the production plants that are depreciable oVer a span of time that does not allow large-scale industrial investments, The state of the. current technique does not offer soLutIons that overcome the problenrsof having a closed system which does notallow for flexibility in use. Further there is no provision Loran easy to USC system where particular growth conditions arc required, for exanwle. when the biomsss has a highadded value, such as in the case of substances intended thi pharmaceutical, tmtraceuticah cosnletLc.or tood purposes.

Swumary sithe hn'cnflon According to a flrst aspect of the pesent invention there. is provided a hioreactor lid including first and aLmd parts, the first part iavu 2 an upper surtiec iutl at leat one pi foi inuoduemg or removine material from a container to which the lid is attached anda lower surthee br engaging with the. container, the second part being a container engagement member hailng an opening defined by a rim for receiving a mouth of the container inserted in the opening so edges of the mouth em-i be folded over the rim, the lidfurther having a clip that when the kiwer surface of the first part is brought irito proximitywith the rim of the second part the edges of the mouth of the container that has been macned in the opening are damped between the first and second parts of the hioreactor lid.

ft is envisaged that the upper surface also has outlet ports for extracting material.

it is envisaged that the upper surface has at least one securing memberthat allows the lid to be held on a support.

his preferred that the dip is a hinged dip that can he tightened around the first and second.parts of the lid.

Preferably the clip is a circlip.

II is preferred that there is a sealing gasket between the lower surface an4 the tint According to a ftrther aspect of the invention there is provided a hioreactor having a bioreactor lid iiiciuding first and second parts, the first part, of the lid having an upper surface with at kast o ie port n troducnw or rcmo'vna P 41c151 from a conLuner to hicli Vu. ho t attached trt1 a 1ote, n Lce oi enagng wth th conLi net, the bCL( nd part ben g a contaner ettggunent rneniher having, an opening defined by a. rim for receiving a mouth cif the container inserted in.

the opening so edges of the. moUth can be foi.ded.*over the rim, the Rd farther having aelip such that when the lower surthee of' the lirt part i.s brought into proxcnity with the rin of the second prt the edges of the mouth of the container that has been inserted in the opening are dampd between the first and second parts of the bioreactor lid, Prefera.My the hioreactor is a pitotohioreactor.

It ig envisaged that the bioreactor container is a flexible hag.

Preferably the bag is an dongatetuhe.

Preferably the hioreactor inciude.s one or more baffles connected to. !nner walls of the bag so as to form a barrier and to partially separate the container into multiple compartments.

it s cnvvcaged that the h qreactor further mc]udes at orttca dns y srsor It is preferred that the bio.reactor further it. eludes an aerd'on system.

According to a Rirther aspect of the invention there is provided a hiorector unit comprising.two or more hioreactors having, a hioreactor lid inehiding first and second parts, the ffrsi part of the lid having an upper surface with at east one port for introducing or remosing material from a container to which the lid is atta.thed and a Tower surthce for engaging with the container, the second part being a container engagement member having an opening defined by a rim for receiving: a mouth of the container inserted hi the opening so edges of the mouth can be folded over the rim, the lid further having a clip such that when the lower surface of the first part is brought into proximity with the rim of the second part the edges of the mouth of the container that has been inserted. hi the opening are clamped between the first and second parts of the hioreactor lid. where. the container of. each biore-actor is in fluid corinnunication with all other containers in the hioreac.tor unit.

tirief Description of the Drawings

An embodiment of the present invention wilinow be described by way of example only, whh references to and as iIustrated in the accompanyingfiguresin which: Figure 1 shows: a hioreactor lid according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows: an exploded view of a bioreactor lid and container according to an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 3 shows: a bioreactor wilt formed of a. pLurality Of containers Joined to one another,

Detailed Description of the fiweation

Figure 1 shows a lid for a hioreactorwhich is generafly shown as 1. The lid is fhrmed ofafirat part 2(1 which has an upper surface with an aperture 21 that can be used to deliver or extract materials. There are also further apertures flit and 22h which thrrn ports fbr either atwchin devices such as thermometers or aerators orwhich can also he used to deliver or extract material in a container to which the lid is attached, En addition there are s.ecuring..mernhers 23 attached to the lid which may be in the form of ho oks or loops that allow the lid to be suspended &oni a Support.

There is also a clip 31) which is tbrmed of two parts which are held together by a hinge 31. The clip is shown as being circular hut is may be any shape that matches the external periphery of the nd. At a location on the lip that is opposite to that where the hinge is situated, there are two thstening points 32 which can be secured together so that the clip is secured around the periphery of the lid. The fastening: points in this case are held together by a screw 33 whtch is threaded through the two thstening points 32 ud secured by a wingnut 34. Although a screw and wing nut is shown any type of fastening that can he tightened and released could be used.

The lid also includes a second part which is container engagement meinbe.r 40, This is provided as a member having peripheral outline that mirrors the shape of the first part. The engagement member has an aperture into which the mouth of a container 50 can be inseried and ibided over the rim of the engagement member (thown in Figure 2). The container may be any lay flat tubing material thrit can be connected to the lid, which is cvpietdly made of stainless steel. The Lid (or head plate) can receive traditional fittings and probes to be insertad in apertures 22,23 allowing for flexibility in a choice of fittings ar1d probes.

in Flgutc. 2. we see an exploded view of the lid as shown in Figure 1. The clip has been opened and as can be seen die clip is aroundlo encircle the periphery of the iirst part 20 of the hioxcactor lid, The second part of the lid 40 has a rim 41 that forms a border aound aperture 42, The mouth oN container 50, such as a flexible hag which fbrrus thecultivatlon chamber for microorganisms can be passed through the aperture and the edges of the mouth 51 are folded over the rim 41 as shown by the arrows in. the figure. There is also a gasket 60 which is optional hut if used forms a seal hetweet the first pat1 20 and second part 40 of the hioreactor lid when the two are hrougTht to meet one another. When the first and second pads are abutting the clip 30 is fastened around the area where the first and second parts meet. about and tightened using screw 33 and nut 34 [he securing of the clip 30 in position holds the first and second parts. of the hioreaetor lid together and also clamps the edges 51 of the container against the rim 42. Th.e gasket6Oibrmssn airtightsea1*the:hS ofthe:cordainerwbaeitisvattached tu the lid, The .ttr or a. neoprene type flh3tctW:50thst it. can be sterilise4 Uquiret Thecornineris typically made uf lay flat tubing tUrn wMch in enabiestlwu,, toi cut and seal thebttom:ta theft width 4JcngttcreSa ti JE, body oflhebioeactoror phowbiøeacur.This enibies the user tu choose zhekdesfred 1ayflattbipgmatriaI LLJ)PB bisded iGOG gauge:lay:flat tubing is recommended asitprevides methar*icat $abiflty and enough r eologicai extensionto prevent splitting: when infer beazy loa4s;, Mast LLDPE blended: (Urns are ttanshwent or traiisppr tdepending u their ma'5edal thickness and suzfac finIsh. &icb o!=b*1 pro SLbr die $dytçiop pa i trai'Ldcffl for th films Qfmo. sc:of coiouSg a44i*ø, *htspaqnThyflaL tuztg.fl k tnaaut wr4jtt$n4 usetwish to culture &rn'tnbrqfS $øretj h. US ntn$!t3 &(vibtmflb!otCfl wit a s fins 3, flUPiktOfliOtn4t CPM$flVS: 5* !t4LCb *U*it QWfl!tspCPtiYQ 1341 tbcQd of S W $4 Pt Qo 40 40WJ 1* a suppoc, ZQQ $mudgfiicrS 1$ atcaUache4 ioG$24i on tbe S'apPQfl200 There in a:74 thaJa be jps:. i!tM ciwfli,2 fthe This and flt4eddl ikiac Wner9aD h ii tCiMQthttE. aonkwQ tocostca. be prSdcd It may be that ihheri Ssntøwh btcoøgu4, in me toAtaiflor, this is *Øapcd Off OSt4fl. growth in SQ.. 1⁄4rtuus itericpffig sthltøaAd lay Etat tbhig4afl be used Wachjevi, 41ff renoe4iaxna tibuhtr bi* :flg photoNóteactst, 11w *Htyto sspSthc. biqrectqrs S has ilip affintag* thatft fa:y sssssngtn*1t S sflst;fqs tbô%tganMs gasysvp where, Iighttn he: pcniy d buu*arsb tøntainet bssfl Lupendand ntvtQuthI ig any sur4ces m, *" :timenUnitn patti 4r: dv g tptan i that hS'g an rnuachabk M Which ô4t'h*:Se4urö4 fls c4'to' a as s,i'aM:*S,:cat be i*se4 a i ad agaIn *4th diffc4tnt tb itaS' s, wh(ch wuId o; b4 possthie £(tl*'.l iznS qoflt&itct wr tiflcørti, Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detaiL by way of illustration and example, and with regard to one or more embodiments, for the purposes of clarity of understanding. it is readiy apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the teachings of this invention that certain changes. variations and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as described in the appended claims. Furthermore the invention is intended to cover not cnN indivithai embodiments that have been described but also combinations of the described embodiments.

Claims

Claims A Wnreacto.r kd induding first and second paris, thefirst pad. having an upper surface.v ffh a lea stone pci t for prrc ducrng or cmorng tr,iten ii from s cent in or to I 1ch tie n attacied and a fo\ser surLhcc tor cnragng witn the cortamn the weena part betng a contawerengaacment member having an opening defined, by a rim thy receiving a mouth of the container inserted in the opening so edges of the mouth can be fcdded over the rim, the lid further haying a dip that when the lowersurface of the first part is brought into proximity with the rim of the second part the edges of the mouth of the container that ha.s been insertd in the opening. are damped between the first and second parts of the bioreactor lid.
2.Abioreactor lid according to claim 1, wherein the upper.surfaec also has outlet ports for extracting materiaL
3. A bioreactor lid according to claim I or claim I wherein the upper surface has at least one securin.g.rnember that allows the Lid to be held on a support.
4, A bioreactor lid according to any preceding claim wherein the dip is a hinged dh that can he tightened around the first and second parts of the lid.
5. A hioreactor lid according to claim 4 wherein the clip is a circlip.
6. A bioreactor lid according to any preceding claim wherein there is a sealing gusket between the lower surface and the rim.

7, A bioreaetor having a biorcactor lid according to any preceding. claim.t A biorcacrnr:atcordiqg to 1aint7,s1terein the. bioroactor Is a photobipreactor. A biøreacwr accordiigto ôiaim$, whcStcontaina katkxiltebg..[0, A bMreacwr aecSIngto claim 9 wzSP the flexible b$g I providti as an ekrngate tube.il.A boreactor acconling to any otctainxs 7 toiD ipauoMgone:ot more fflescopnetted w:btcr WaUsl)ftt!= contatncv SOas to fan a bsthotaM U. pnthll a*e the coiskw flOiflUJUpJ*:flPRItflhitfl$.X. Ab aaoraccordhtgto any of claia* Ito U tu4ipgaapiiai dustty sea 1$. AL biorsraccøSjtig;j gnoUaMs1tA 12 M1Ud1hgad asytui.iA.. A binttw wit ctnnprhrngso Pt Mote bkre*cwrs *oflhg UtStifcahnø to 13.havaig 8 oMPtU, btWGen at iétst tW oft4idt*o it? more bibreactbrs suSd biØtct., aft in fl44 cômftjgpjauion %jihoffitajhersjnth:bjSactørujt 15. A:bkrecu idn subsu nt1à1Py4escdbed}terciniihrefettnceto and as:thusuatei In the anlnttgures.