Engineering characterization of the novel Bach impeller for bioprocessing applications requiring low power inputs

Design parameters comparison of bubble column, airlift and stirred tank photobioreactors for microalgae production

Microalgae are the most propitious feedstock for biofuel production due to their lipid and fatty acid content. Microalgae cultivation shares many features with bioreactors, such as thermal and pH regulation, feeding procedures, and mixing to enhance heat and mass transfers. Aeration and stirring speeds are important parameters to reduce the costs of producing microalgae. In this study, three different photobioreactor types (stirred tank, airlift, bubble column) were characterized and compared for microalgae production. Hydrodynamics, mass transfer, and power consumption were determined for various aeration rates (0.9, 1.2, 1.5 L/min), and stirring speeds (100, 200 rpm), and Chlorella sorokiniana growth performance was compared under the conditions that provided the highest volumetric mass transfer and the lowest mixing time. Photo-bioreactor homogenization was good as indicated by low mixing times (< 10 s). Bubble column had the highest volumetric mass transfer due to its sparger design. Gas holdup and volumetric mass transfer coefficient were found to increase with the air flow rate and stirring speed. For stirred tank, bubble column, and airlift photobioreactors, maximum specific growth rates of C. sorokiniana were 0.053, 0.061, 0.057 h-1, and biomass productivities were 0.064, 0.097, 0.072 gdw/L.day, respectively. Under the conditions tested, growth was limited by the volumetric mass transfer in the airlift and stirred tank and bubble column was the best option for producing microalgae. These findings pave way for more extensive use of these systems in producing microalgae and provide a basis to compare photobioreactors of different designs.

Synthesis of Micro-/Nanohydroxyapatite Assisted by the Taylor-Couette Flow Reactor

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) has received increasing attention as an essential chemical product with good biocompatibility and adsorption properties. Generally, amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) was generated first in the reactor and transformed into HAP after a period of crystallization. In this work, a series of Taylor-Couette flow reactors with different inner diameters were designed to assist in synthesizing HAP micro-/nanocrystals. ACP was obtained in a Taylor-Couette flow reactor at Re = 247 and successfully transformed into needle-like HAP crystals with a length of about 200 nm and a uniform particle size distribution after crystallization transformation. The yield of a single reactor can reach 2.16 kg per day. The finite element analysis results and time-space diagram of flow pattern variation showed that the Taylor-Couette flow reactor could improve the mixing behavior and the flow field distribution. The Taylor-Couette flow reactor provides a valuable reference for synthesizing inorganic micro-/nanomaterials.

Computer Vision for Kinetic Analysis of Lab- and Process-Scale Mixing Phenomena

A software platform for the computer vision-enabled analysis of mixing phenomena of relevance to process scale-up is described. By bringing new and known time-resolved mixing metrics under one platform, hitherto unavailable comparisons of pixel-derived mixing metrics are exemplified across non-chemical and chemical processes. The analytical methods described are applicable using any camera and across an appreciable range of reactor scales, from development through to process scale-up. A case study in nucleophilic aromatic substitution run on a 5 L scale in a stirred tank reactor shows how camera and offline concentration analyses can be correlated. In some cases, it can be shown that camera data hold the power to predict reaction progress.