Provided is a defoamer for a fermenter. A defoamer for a fermenter according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a body (100) having a first hollow (110) at a central portion thereof and having a disk shape; a support (200) having a second hollow (210) connected with the first hollow (110), and extending from an upper surface (120) and a lower surface (130) of the body (100); and a plurality of first vanes (310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370, and 380) mounted on the lower surface (130) of the body (100).

An air bubble removal device for removing air bubbles from a medium including a housing including an inner space for storing a predetermined amount of the medium, an introduction port through which the medium is introduced from the outside into the inner space, and a discharge port through which the medium in a state in which air bubbles have been removed is discharged from the inner space to the outside; and a support part coupled to the housing so as to maintain the housing in a state spaced a predetermined height from a bottom surface.

An air bubble removal device for removing air bubbles from a medium including a housing including an inner space for storing a predetermined amount of the medium, an introduction port through which the medium is introduced from the outside into the inner space, and a discharge port through which the medium in a state in which air bubbles have been removed is discharged from the inner space to the outside; and a support part coupled to the housing so as to maintain the housing in a state spaced a predetermined height from a bottom surface.

The invention concerns a digester for performing a sludge methanization treatment for the purpose of generating biogas and a digestate, the digester comprising a device (32) for discharging foaming and/or floating matter (16) from the digestate (12), comprising: a first tank (33) delimited by a first wall (100) having a first height (h1), the first tank (33) being intended to be fed with digestate (12) and with foaming and/or floating matter (16) from a volume of material (14) by overflow over the first wall (100); a second tank (34) connected to the atmosphere and sited outside the enclosure (13) of the digester, comprising: a first zone (35) delimited by a second wall (103) having a second height (h2); and a second zone (36) in communication with the reservoir (19); a conduit (37) connecting the first tank (33) via a first orifice (101) to the first zone (35) of the second tank (34) via a second orifice (102) positioned higher than or level with the first orifice (101), the first zone (35) being intended to be fed with digestate (12) and with foaming and/or floating matter (16) from the first tank (33) through the conduit (37); the second zone (36) being intended to be fed with digestate from the first zone (35) by overflow over the second wall (103);
the first height (h1) and the second height (h2) being predefined such that a first mixture, containing variable proportions of digestate and foaming and/or floating matter in the first tank (33) and having a first average density (d1), is transferred by gravity into the first zone (35), which contains a second mixture containing variable proportions of digestate and foaming and/or floating matter and having a second density (d2), the transfer operating such that the product of the first average density (d1) times the first height (h1) is greater than the product of the second average density (d2) times the second height (h2) times the first height (h1).

A bioreactor for culturing of microorganisms or cells comprising: a casing defining an interior space of the bioreactor, wherein said interior space is configured to receive and hold a culture medium with microbial or cellular liquid cultures; and at least one coupling element provided on the casing for coupling with a foam mitigation device for mitigation of foam built-up in the interior space of the bioreactor during use of the bioreactor for culturing of microorganisms or cells; wherein the coupling element is configured to allow ultrasonic waves generated by the foam mitigation device act upon foam built-up in the interior space of the bioreactor.

A foam sensor system includes a container bounding a compartment. A foam sensor assembly is mounted on the container and includes: a base being secured to the container; a foam contact being spaced apart from the base and disposed within the compartment of the container, at least a portion of the foam contact having a first diameter; and a transition member extending between the base and the foam contact with at least a portion of the transition member being openly exposed within the compartment of the container, at least a portion of the transition member having a second diameter that is smaller than the first diameter, the foam contact and transition member being connected together so that an electrical signal can pass therethrough.

Bioreactors are provided that include a vessel and a jet mixer disposed in the vessel. Methods that utilize the bioreactors are provided, involving placing a microorganism or cells and a fluid medium in the bioreactor.

A container (2) has flexible walls surrounding a container interior (6). At least one electrical sensor (3, 3, 3, 3, 3) projects into the container interior (6) and has at least first and second electrically conductive plates (8, 8, 9, 9, 9) for determining the conductivity or impedance of a medium that surrounds the plates (8, 8, 9, 9, 9). The plates (8, 8, 9, 9, 9) are connected via connecting lines (10, 11) to a control and regulating unit (4) outside the container interior (6). At least the first plate (8, 8) is on a closed free end of a sheathing (5, 5, 5) and has a contact area exposed to the surrounding medium. The sheathing (5, 5, 5, 17, 17) is a flexible hose (7) or bellows (19, 19) through which the electrical connecting line (10, 11) of the plate (8, 8, 9, 9, 9) is routed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a culture method for cells, which makes it possible to suppress clogging of a filtration filter flow channel in a case where cells are cultured at a high density, and a production method for a useful substance using the culture method for cells. According to the present invention, there is provided a culture method for cells, which includes a culture step of culturing a cell suspension having a cell density of 0.7?10.sup.8 cells/mL or more in a culture tank while introducing a gas into a culture solution and a membrane separation treatment step of passing a cell suspension extracted from the culture tank through a separation membrane to separate the cell suspension into a cell-containing liquid and a permeated liquid, where in the culture method for cells, an anti-foaming component to be added to the culture tank is such that an adding amount thereof per unit culture solution amount and per unit time is 0.70 mg/hour/L or less.

An apparatus, system and method providing a fluid flow suitable to grow and maintain living cells in the fluid flow are disclosed. The apparatus includes a fluid displacement apparatus capable of providing at least one of positive and negative displacement of the fluid and configured to indirectly displace the fluid, an in-line flow sensor configured to directly measure the fluid flow, and a feed-back control in communication with the fluid displacement apparatus and the in-line flow sensor, wherein the feed-back control is configured to continuously control the fluid flow in response to the flow sensor measurements.