Chapter 10 - Working principle of typical bioreactors

Abstract

Bioprocess is a field that deals with living cells to obtain desired products and the techniques involved in the manufacturing of these products. Bioreactors consist of a large chamber where biochemical reactions occur in controlled environmental conditions to obtain important biological compounds. There is an urge to produce renewable bioenergy and a high demand to produce an immediate alternate for petroleum products, therefore, researchers are concentrating on bioreactors to produce such outputs. This chapter focuses on the working principle of different types of bioreactors, particularly those used in the production of biomass and biofuels. The types of bioreactors dealt with in this chapter include aerobic bioreactors, anaerobic bioreactors, plug flow bioreactors, upflow anaerobic sludge blanket bioreactors, photobioreactors, reverse membrane bioreactors, immersed membrane bioreactors, fluidized bed bioreactors, packed bed bioreactors, activated sludge bioreactors, membrane bioreactors, and immobilized cell bioreactors. Mostly these bioreactors are designed in such a way that they can be engineered or modified to be used for sewage or wastewater treatment and the production of biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas, etc. This chapter also covers the basic configurations and working principles of the above-mentioned bioreactors along with their applications and limitations.