Industrial fermenters

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Industrial fermenters

• Growing cells on a large scale

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Industrial fermenters

• Can hold up to 200 000 litres of culture
• Cells are provided with nutrients and very
  carefully controlled environment to keep them in
  desired growth stage
• Usually made out of stainless steel as many
  fermentations produce acid.
• Nutrients and other materials are fed in by valve
  operated pipelines.

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Industrial fermenters
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Industrial fermenters

• Conditions in the fermenter are carefully
  monitored to regulate cell growth.
• Fermenter and all pipework must be sterile before
  fermentation begins
• This is usually achieved by flushing the whole
  system with superheated steam before the
  production begins.

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Industrial fermenters
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Industrial fermenters

• Interior is monitored by sterilisable probes
  which record temp., pressure, stirrer speed, pH,
  oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.
• These are all recorded and electronic control
  systems with automatic valves will regulate them.
• E.g. if medium becomes too acidic, bases can be
  added from a reservoir to correct the pH

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Industrial fermenters

• A fermenter with a 30 000 gallon capacity

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Industrial fermenters

• The production of microbial products is called
  fermentation but it is not fermentation in the
  defined sense of the word.
• Process if frequently aerobic so ferementer has
  to be well aerated.
• Incoming air is filtered and pumped into the base
  of the fermenter a valve releases the pressure
  from the top f the tank.

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Industrial fermenters
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Industrial fermenters

• The aeration will be sufficient to mix many
  cultures
• If the culture is thick or sticky additional
  stirring is required by a motor driven paddle
  called an impeller.
• While initially the culture may need warming to
  start of the process once it has started a
  cooling system is vital.

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Industrial fermenters
Control panel for an industrial fermentation
operation
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Industrial fermenters

• An antibiotic producing fermentation may use a
  tonne of sugar a day.
• The organisms are likely to raise the temperature
  of the culture by more than 10C per hour more
  heat will come from the activity of the impeller.
• This rise in temperature could quickly kill the
  microbes if not cooled.
• Cooling is achieved by either a water jacket or
  cooling coils inside the fermenter.

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Industrial fermenters
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Industrial fermenters

• Most fermentations are batch processes, e.g. beer
  and wine, penicillin
• Nutrients and the innoculum are added to the
  sterile fermenter and left to get on with it!
• Anti-foaming agent may be added.
• Once the desired amount of product is present in
  the fermenter the contents are drained off and
  the product is extracted.

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Industrial fermenters
Fermenters in an American winery
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Industrial fermenters

• Some products are made by a continuous culture
  system.
• There is a steady stream of nutrient input, and
  spent medium is drained off.
• Not many products are made this way but
  manufacturers would like to be able to make most
  products this way..why?