This study was conducted to investigate the occurrence of PAH degrading microorganisms in two river systems in the Western Cape, South Africa and their ability to degrade two PAH compounds: acenaphthene and fluorene. A total of 19 bacterial isolates were obtained from the Diep and Plankenburg rivers among which four were identified as acenaphthene and fluorene degrading isolates. In simulated b...

BACKGROUND During bioprocess development, secondary screening is a key step at the boundary between laboratory and industrial conditions. To ensure an effective high-throughput screening, miniaturized laboratory conditions must mimic industrial conditions, especially for oxygen transfer, feeding capacity and pH stabilization. RESULTS A feeding strategy has been applied to develop a simple scr...

In the present work, the effects of dual impeller configurations comprising of Rushton turbine (RT) and Concave-bladed disk turbine (CD-6) on the oxygen transfer profile and fermentation performance of kojic acid production by Aspergillus flavus Link 44-1 was investigated. Batch cultivations of A. flavus Link 44-1 were performed in 2 L stirred tank bioreactor. The fermentations were conducted u...

Biofiltration of hydrophobic volatile pollutants is intrinsically limited by poor transfer of the pollutants from the gaseous to the liquid biotic phase, where biodegradation occurs. This study was conducted to evaluate the potential of silicone oil for enhancing the transport and subsequent biodegradation of hexane by the fungus Fusarium solani in various bioreactor configurations. Silicone oi...

In this work, a novel stirred tank for the production of H2 by the biological fermentation of organic wastes is presented. The bioreactor design must ensure effective mixing of the liquid phase, full contact between the substrate and the biofilm and energy efficient biogas recovery. A vortexingesting dual impeller stirred vessel equipped with a central draft tube containing the packing support ...

The microbial degradation of thiodiglycol, the primary hydrolysis product of sulfur mustard, by a pure culture of Alcaligenes xylosoxydans ssp. xylosoxydans (SH91) was accomplished in laboratory scale stirred tank reactors. This is a major component of the overall biodegradation process proposed for the complete mineralization of sulfur mustard. Several configurations were evaluated for degrada...

Cellular therapies are emerging as a standard approach for the treatment of several diseases. However, realizing the promise of cellular therapies across the full range of treatable disorders will require large-scale, controlled, reproducible culture methods. Bioreactor systems offer the scale-up and monitoring needed, but standard stirred bioreactor cultures do not allow for the real-time regu...

In the future, due to limited resources, a crisis of energy storing molecules (fuels), which are currently produced from crude mineral oil, is expected. One strategy to compensate a part of the oil defi ciency is the production of biodiesel from microalgal lipids. As model microorganism for lipid production microalgae Euglena gracilis was selected and photo-mixotrophic cultivation was performed...

Background The benefits of single-use technologies in both upstream and downstream operations are now widely acknowledged by the biopharmaceutical industry, and have resulted in radical changes to the design and operation of many pharmaceutical processes. In mammalian cell culture, multi-use, cleanable glass or stainless steel stirred tank reactors (STRs) have been used successfully for growth ...

High-purity fructooligosaccharides (FOS) were produced from sucrose by an innovative process incorporating immobilized Aspergillus japonicus and Pichia heimii cells. Intracellular FTase of A. japonicus converted sucrose into FOS and glucose, and P. heimii fermented glucose mainly into ethanol. The continuous production of FOS was carried out using a tanks-in-series bioreactor consisting of thre...