Bioreactor insert and biofilm support, related apparatus and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11970684-B2
Application number	US-202318153689-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2023
Priority date	Oct 1, 2018
Publication date	Apr 30, 2024
Grant date	Apr 30, 2024

Abstract

The disclosure relates to bioreactors, for example for biological treatment and, more specifically to bioreactor insert apparatus including biofilms and related methods. The bioreactor insert apparatus provides a means for circulation of reaction medium within the bioreactor, a biofilm support, and biological treatment of an inlet feed to die reactor/insert apparatus. The bioreactor insert apparatus has a high relative surface area for biofilm attachment and is capable of generating complex flow patterns and increasing treatment efficiency/biological conversion activity in a biologically-active reactor. The high surface area structure incorporates multiple biofilm support structures such as meshes at inlet and outlet portions of the structure. The biofilm support structures and biofilms thereon can increase overall reaction rate of the bioreactor and/or perform some solid/liquid separation in the treatment of the wastewater or other influent.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A bioreactor insert apparatus for reaction medium circulation, biofilm support, and biological treatment, the apparatus comprising:
an inlet volume in fluid communication with a first fluid inlet;
an outlet volume in fluid communication with a first fluid outlet;
a plurality of modular exit volumes, each exit volume being in fluid communication with the inlet volume and comprising at least one exit biofilm support disposed at a boundary between the exit volume and an external volume outside the bioreactor insert apparatus, wherein: the exit biofilm support is adapted to promote growth, attachment, and metabolism of microorganisms in the form of a biofilm thereon, and the exit biofilm support is adapted to permit fluid and solid transport across the exit biofilm support and between the exit volume and the external volume, and each modular exit volume is adapted to be selectively replaced with a different modular exit volume having at least one of a different geometry and a different material relative to the replaced modular exit volume; and
a plurality of modular recirculation volumes, each recirculation volume being in fluid communication with the outlet volume and comprising at least one recirculation biofilm support disposed at a boundary between the recirculation volume and the external volume outside the bioreactor insert apparatus, wherein: the recirculation biofilm support is adapted to promote growth, attachment, and metabolism of microorganisms in the form of a biofilm thereon, the recirculation biofilm support is adapted to permit fluid and solid transport across the recirculation biofilm support and between the recirculation volume and the external volume, and each modular recirculation volume is adapted to be selectively replaced with a different modular recirculation volume having at least one of a different geometry and a different material relative to the replaced modular recirculation volume;
wherein a ratio (A/V A ) of total surface area (A) of all biofilm supports combined to bioreactor insert apparatus volume (V A ) is at least 1 m −1 .

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bioreactor insert apparatus comprises:
a first structure comprising the inlet volume and the plurality of exit volumes mounted thereto; and
a second structure comprising the outlet volume and the plurality of recirculation volumes mounted thereto; and
wherein the first structure and the second structure are separate structures with the exit volumes being in fluid communication with the recirculation volumes via the external volume.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first fluid outlet is in fluid communication with the first fluid inlet.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises at least 10 exit volumes.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises at least 10 recirculation volumes.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the biofilm support is in the form of a mesh.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the biofilm support comprises an electrically conductive material.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the insert apparatus and the biofilm support comprises an electrically resistive material, and the electrically resistive material is in electrical connection with a power source adapted to supply electrical current to the electrically resistive material and to heat the electrically resistive material.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bioreactor insert apparatus or at least one component thereof has been formed by a 3D printing process.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising biofilms adhered to the biofilm supports, the biofilms comprising a community of microorganisms collectively having biological activity.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a biofilm seed adhered to the biofilm support, the biofilm seed comprising a water-soluble adhesive matrix and a community of microorganisms as a biofilm precursor distributed throughout the matrix.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the inlet volume is defined by an inlet conduit in fluid communication with the first fluid inlet;
the outlet volume is defined by an outlet conduit in fluid communication with the first fluid outlet;
the modular exit volumes are defined by one or more modular exit modules each comprising a plurality of exit conduits in fluid communication with the inlet conduit; and
the modular recirculation volumes are defined by one or more modular recirculation modules each comprising a plurality of recirculation conduits in fluid communication with the outlet conduit.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
each modular exit volume is adapted to be selectively replaced with the different modular exit volume having the different geometry relative to the replaced modular exit volume; and
each modular recirculation volume is adapted to be selectively replaced with the different modular recirculation volume having the different geometry relative to the replaced modular recirculation volume.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
each modular exit volume is adapted to be selectively replaced with the different modular exit volume having the different material relative to the replaced modular exit volume; and
each modular recirculation volume is adapted to be selectively replaced with the different modular recirculation volume having the different material relative to the replaced modular recirculation volume.

15. A bioreactor comprising:
a reaction vessel defining an interior reaction volume; and
a bioreactor insert apparatus mounted within the reaction vessel, the bioreactor insert apparatus comprising:
an inlet volume in fluid communication with a first fluid inlet;
an outlet volume in fluid communication with a first fluid outlet;
a plurality of modular exit volumes, each exit volume being in fluid communication with the inlet volume and comprising at least one exit biofilm support disposed at a boundary between the exit volume and an external volume outside the bioreactor insert apparatus, wherein: the exit biofilm support is adapted to promote growth, attachment, and metabolism of microorganisms in the form of a biofilm thereon, the exit biofilm support is adapted to permit fluid and solid transport across the exit biofilm support and between the exit volume and the external volume, and each modular exit volume is adapted to be selectively replaced with a different modular exit volume having at least one of a different geometry and a different material relative to the replaced modular exit volume; and
a plurality of modular recirculation volumes, each recirculation volume being in fluid communication with the outlet volume and comprising at least one recirculation biofilm support disposed at a boundary between the recirculation volume and the external volume outside the bioreactor insert apparatus, wherein: the recirculation biofilm support is adapted to promote growth, attachment, and metabolism of microorganisms in the form of a biofilm thereon, the recirculation biofilm support is adapted to permit fluid and solid transport across the recirculation biofilm support and between the recirculation volume and the external volume, and each modular recirculation volume is adapted to be selectively replaced with a different modular recirculation volume having at least one of a different geometry and a different material relative to the replaced modular recirculation volume;
wherein the external volume corresponds to a portion of the interior reaction volume outside the bioreactor insert apparatus.

16. The bio

Assignees

• Univ Michigan Regents

Inventors

• Skerlos Steven
• Raskin Lutgarde
• Fairley-Wax Timothy
• Jalgaonkar Nishant

Classifications

• Y02E50/30

  Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel · CPC title

• C12M29/26 Primary

  Conditioning fluids entering or exiting the reaction vessel · CPC title

• C02F3/10

  Packings; Fillings; Grids (packing elements in general B01J19/30, B01J19/32) · CPC title

• C02F3/1268

  Membrane bioreactor systems · CPC title

• C02F3/2806

  Anaerobic processes using solid supports for microorganisms · CPC title