Apparatuses and methods for microscopic analysis of a sample by simultaneously characterizing infrared absorption characteristics of a plurality of spatially resolved locations are described herein. These apparatuses and methods improve sampling times while collecting microscopic data regarding composition of a sample across a wide field.

The present disclosure is directed to methods, approaches, devices, equipment, and systems for minimizing or reducing contamination in facilities implementing fermentation or distillation processes. In embodiments, the facility is a biofuel plant that produces fermentation product such as product alcohol like butanol. In some embodiments, the methods, approaches, devices, equipment, and systems are operable to implement clean in place contamination (CIP) mitigation techniques that can also include sterilize in place (SIP) mitigation techniques to decontaminate equipment including surfaces of the equipment that come in contact with materials used in the production of product alcohols. Other cleaning and contamination minimizing techniques are also described.

A ball valve for fermentation tank includes a main body, a ball body, and a rotation mechanism. The main body encloses a chamber therein and has a first inlet, a first outlet, and a discharge port therebetween. The ball body has a flow channel with a second inlet, a second outlet, and a liquid intake port. A gap is formed between the ball body and the main body. The rotation mechanism is connected to the ball body to make it rotate. When the ball body is at an open position, the second inlet communicates the first inlet, the second outlet communicates the first outlet, and the liquid intake port communicates the gap. When the ball body is at a washing position, the second inlet and the second outlet face the gap, the liquid intake port communicates the first inlet.

The present disclosure relates to completely closed systems suitable for bio-processing of cellular samples, for example peripheral blood samples used for immunotherapy applications, and related methods of use. The systems are not open to the air, thus allowing for sterile sample processing and transfer of the sample throughout the entirety of bio-processing. Each component of the disclosed systems contains a unique identifier, allowing for traceability of the sample as it proceeds through the various steps involved in bio-processing. The identifier ultimately traces the sample back to the patient from which the sample was derived. Certain embodiments provide a unique freezing bag for long-term storage of cellular samples. The freezing bag has a unique identifier that allows for easy traceability and retrieval of a bio-archived sample and at least two ports, one for sample testing, another for sterile docking to a device that allows for delivery of its contents to a patient.

An apparatus to prevent bio-filming during the delivery of photonic energy to a culture or set of organisms in a fluid culture medium, the device including a culture medium, a container configured to house the culture medium, and an assembly to generate and deliver a liquid energy transfer medium between the culture medium and the photonic device, the assembly including one or more apertures sized and shaped to form one or more liquid replenishing lenses and a fluid-light unit in the container to house the photonic device and the liquid energy transfer medium, the photonic device is at least one from among a photoreceptor, a photoemitter, or a combination of the photoreceptor and the photoemitter, and further including a pump coupled to the fluid-light unit, the assembly is configured to convey the photonic energy between the photonic device and the culture medium through the liquid energy transfer medium.

Provided is a cell culture apparatus including a culture vessel that stores a cell suspension containing cells; a first filter part that has a first filter membrane that performs membrane separation treatment on the cell suspension extracted from the culture vessel; a first circulation flow path that allows components blocked by the first filter membrane to return to the culture vessel; a second filter part that has a second filter membrane that performs membrane separation treatment on components of the cell suspension permeated through the first filter membrane; a second circulation flow path that allows components permeated through the second filter membrane to return to the culture vessel; and a recovery flow path that recovers components blocked by the second filter membrane. In the cell culture apparatus, an average hole diameter of the first filter membrane is 20 m or smaller, and 0<B/A0.5 is satisfied in a case where an average hole diameter of the first filter membrane is A and an average hole diameter of the second filter membrane is B; or an average hole diameter of the first filter membrane is 20 m or smaller, and the second filter membrane is an ultrafiltration membrane.

A dispensing device includes: a primary tank which accommodates a liquid; primary-side pressure adjusting means for adjusting pressure in an interior of the primary tank; a plurality of branch flow paths connected to the primary tank; and a plurality of secondary tanks which are provided corresponding to the plurality of branch flow paths, respectively, and each of which is connected to a corresponding branch flow path.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a valve assembly for preventing dead leg spaces in a container or tubing, the embodiments including a three-way valve system for controlling back-pressure in a fluid generating device, such as a single-use high pressure bioreactor. Also disclosed is a pressurized reactor system for bioprocessing, comprising a single-use container including a flexible wall or a semi-rigid wall.

An algae production reactor system according to the invention comprises a reactor vessel which is provided with: one or more liquid inlets and one or more liquid outlets; one or more gas inlets at the bottom, said gas inlets being connected with a source of carbon dioxide, and one or more gas outlets at the top of the vessel; vertically interspaced and joined pairs of double glass plates which are at least partially submerged in the reactor liquid, said double glass plates having a layer of light-scattering particles in between and having a flat side being exposed to a light source; and means for vertically circulating reactor liquid.

The invention relates to a photobioreactor (1) for cultivating phototrophic microorganisms (such as microalgae for example), comprising a reactor element (2) which has a plurality of rising pipes (3a) and falling pipes (3b) for a liquid culture medium (4) containing the microorganisms and which has a distributing pipe (5). The upper ends (6) of each of the rising pipes (3a) and the falling pipes (3b) are connected to the distributing pipe (5) in a liquid-permeable manner. The invention is characterized in that both the culture medium (4) as well as a gas chamber (9) above the culture medium (4) for receiving gas bubbles (10) rising out of the culture medium (4) are provided in the distributing pipe (5) in the operating state, wherein a boundary surface (11) is arranged between the culture medium (4) and the gas chamber (9) in the distributing pipe (5). By arranging the boundary surface (9) (or the boundary surface region), which is typically susceptible to dirt, in the distributing pipe (5), the aim of the invention to simplify the cleaning process of the photobioreactor or the process of keeping same clean is achieved. In this manner, the yield and service life of the photobioreactor is increased. The invention additionally relates to a method for cultivating phototrophic microorganisms.