A Low Cost Stirring Platform with Integrated Temperature Control Scheme for Microbioreactor Operation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/jt.v62.1304Keywords:
Microbioreactors, mixing, process automation, temperature control and micro-stirrer barAbstract
In this paper, we presented the establishment of a cheap and simple stirring platform integrated with on/off temperature controller for microbioreactor operation. The stirring platform was designed to provide necessary mixing via magnetic stirrer bar for a microbioreactor setup. The microbioreactor (volume ~ 300 mL) used in this investigation was fabricated out of the poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) polymer material via micromachining. The reactor was deliberately designed to work under bubble-free conditions and limited only to batch operation. The paper first described the details of the mechanical design of the stirring platform and the microbioreactor prototype used in the work. These include the dimensions of the reactor and the stirring platform, positioning of the sensors and actuators employed, wiring connections, and the process control algorithm. Secondly, experimental results obtained to assess the mixing quality of the reactor and to characterize the performance of the controller (stirring and temperature) in terms of control accuracy and system responses were presented. We show that by implementing a rather straight forward control algorithm, the mixing quality and the temperature of the microbioreactor can be accurately controlled within an acceptable range of the set point values and provide a good response (i.e. in the range of few seconds). Results also showed that (1) at agitation rate of 300 rpm, mixing time as fast as 3 seconds was obtained and (2) reactor temperature can be tightly controlled at ±0.15 oC of the set point value.
References
Szita, N., Bocazzi, P., Zhang, Z., Boyle, P., Sinskey, A. J., and Jensen, K. F. 2005. Development of a Multiplexed Microbioreactor System for High-throughput Bioprocessing. Lab on a Chip. 5: 819–826.
Lee, H. L., Bocazzi, P., Ram, R. J., and Sinskey, A. J. 2006. Microbioreactor Arrays with Integrated Mixers wnd Fluid Injectors for High Throughput Experimentation with Ph And Dissolved Oxygen Control. Lab on a Chip. 6: 1229–1235.
Zhang, Z., Perozziello, G., Boccazzi, P., Sinskey, A. J., Geschke, O. and Jensen, K. F. 2007. Microbioreactors for Bioprocess Development. Association for Laboratory Automation. 12: 143–151.
Swarts, J. W., Vossenberg, P., Meerman, M. H., Janssen, A. E. M. and Boom, R. M. 2008. Comparison of Two-phase Lipase-catalyzed Esterification on Micro and Bench Scale. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. 99: 855–861.
Zainal Alam, M. N. H., Pinelo, M., Samantha, K., Jonsson, G., Meyer, A., and Gernaey, K. V. 2010. A Continuous Membrane Microbioreactor System for Development of Integrated Pectin Modification and Separation Processes. Chemical Engineering Journal. 167: 418–426.
Pohar, A., Znidarsic-Plazl, P., and Plazl, I. 2012. Integrated System of a Microbioreactor and a Miniaturized Continuous Separator for Enzyme Catalyzed Reactions. Chemical Engineering Journal. 189–190: 376–382.
Schäpper, D., Zainal Alam, M. N. H., Szita, N., Lantz, A. E., Gernaey, K. V. 2009. Application of Microbioreactors in Fermentation Process Development: A Review. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 395: 679–695.
Shuler, M. L. and Kargi, F. 2002. Bioprocess Engineering: Basic Concepts. 2nd ed. Prentice Hall, New Jersey, US. 292–296.
Zhang, Z., Szita, N., Boccazzi, G., Sinskey, A. J. and Jensen, K. F. 2005. A Well-mixed, Polymer-based Microbioreactor with Integrated Optical Measurements. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. 93: 287–296.
Strook, A. D., Dertinger, S. K. W., Ajdari, A., Mezić, I., Stone, H. A. and Whitesides, G. M. 2002. Chaotic Mixer for Microchannels. Science. 295:647–651.
Wen, Y., Zang, R., Zhang, X., and Yang, S. 2012. A 24-microwell Plate with Improved Mixing and Scalable Performance for High Throughput Cell Cultures. Process Biochemistry. 47: 612–617.
Schäpper, D., Stocks, S. M., Szita, N., Lantz, A. E., and Gernaey, K. V. 2010. Development of a Single-use Microbioreactor for Cultivation of Microorganisms. Chemical Engineering Journal. 160: 891–898.
Li, X., van der Steen, G., van Dedem, G. W. K., van der Wielen, L. A. M., van Leeuwen, M., van Gulik, W. M., Heijnen, J. J., Krommenhoek, E. E., Gardeniers, J. G. E., van den Berg, A. and Ottens, M. 2008. Improving Mixing in Microbioreactors. Chemical Engineering Science. 63: 3036–3046.
Zainal Alam, M. N. H., Schäpper, D., and Gernaey, K. V. 2010. Embedded Resistance Wire as Heating Element for Temperature Control in Microbioreactors. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering. DOI: 10.1088/0960-1317/20/5 /055014.
Seborg, D. E., Edgar, T. F., and Mellichamp, D. A. 2004. Process Dynamics and Control. 2nd ed. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 317–320.
Collins, T. J. 2007. ImageJ for Microscopy. BioTechniques. 43(1 Suppl): 25–30. doi:10.2144/000112517.
Bailey, J. F., and Ollis, D. F. 1986. Biochemical Engineering Fundamentals. 2nd ed. Mc-Graw Hill, New York, US
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright of articles that appear in Jurnal Teknologi belongs exclusively to Penerbit Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (Penerbit UTM Press). This copyright covers the rights to reproduce the article, including reprints, electronic reproductions, or any other reproductions of similar nature.
