An immobilized enzymatic reactor can include a wall defining a chamber having an inlet and an outlet; a solid stationary phase covalently linked to an enzyme and disposed within the chamber; and a pressure modulator in a fluid communication with the chamber and adapted to support continuous flow of a liquid sample comprising a polymer analyte through the inlet, over the solid stationary phase, and out of the outlet under a pressure between about 2,500 and 35,000 psi. In one example, the solid stationary phase includes inorganic/organic hybrid particles in an ultra performance liquid chromatography system, the enzyme is a protease, and the polymer analyte is a polypeptide. The immobilized enzymatic reactor can prepare an analyte for applications such as for hydrogen deuterium exchange mass spectrometry.

A device for treatment of cells with particles is disclosed. The device includes a semi-permeable membrane positioned between two plates, the first plate defining a first flow chamber and comprising a port, a flow channel, a transverse port, and a transverse flow channel, the first flow chamber constructed and arranged to deliver fluid in a transverse direction along the first side of the semi-permeable membrane, the second plate defining a second flow chamber and comprising a port. A method for transducing cells is disclosed. The method includes introducing a fluid with cells and viral particles into a flow chamber adjacent a semi-permeable membrane such that the cells and the viral particles are substantially evenly distributed on the semi-permeable membrane. The method also includes introducing a recovery fluid to suspend the cells and the viral particles, and separating the cells from the viral particles. A method of activating cells is disclosed.

A conjugation device includes at least one flow reactor having an inlet and an outlet, the flow reactor(s) being completely filled with a support such as a matrix including 1) chromatography beads, fibers or membranes, and 2) a biologic catalyzer, namely the enzyme ligase, which is immobilized onto this support; a fluid delivery unit in fluid communication with the inlet of the flow reactor(s) and configured to continuously provide the flow reactor(s) with at least one kind of reaction fluid such as antibody and linker-payload according to stages of the conjugation process, the at least one kind of process fluid including a first moiety and a second moiety of a conjugate to be produced; and a fluid collection unit in fluid communication with the outlet of the flow reactor(s) and configured to control collection of fluid flowing out of the outlet of the flow reactor(s) according to the stages of the conjugation process. In a period of enabling the at least one kind of reaction fluid to continuously flow through the flow reactor(s), a conjugation reaction is conducted between the first moiety and the second moiety under catalysis of the ligase to produce the conjugate.

Aspects of the invention include methods of removing carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) from a CO.sub.2 containing gas. In some instances, the methods include contacting CO.sub.2 containing gas with a bicarbonate buffered aqueous medium under conditions sufficient to produce a bicarbonate rich product. Where desired, the resultant bicarbonate rich product or a component thereof may then be stored or further processed, e.g., combined with a divalent alkaline earth metal cation, under conditions sufficient to produce a solid carbonate composition. Aspects of the invention further include systems for practicing the methods, as well as products produced by the methods.

The invention includes novel, systems, methods and compositions for the in vitro production of polynucleotides, and in particular the production of mRNA for use in therapeutic applications.

The present disclosure provides a conversion of a gaseous substrate with the use of a microorganism. In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a microbial gas-phase reaction system for converting a gaseous substrate with the use of a microorganism. This microbial gas-phase reaction system comprises at least one member selected from among a carrier having the microorganism immobilized thereon, a gas supply part for supplying the gaseous substrate to the gas phase of the microbial gas-phase reaction system, and a water supply system for supplying water to the carrier. In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for converting a gaseous substrate with the use of a microorganism. This method comprises a step for exposing a surface of a carrier, on which the microorganism is immobilized, to a gas phase containing the gaseous substrate.

A method for producing a carbonate-containing species-rich, nitrogen-containing species-free solution from a urea-rich solution is proposed. The method comprising the steps of: providing a first reservoir comprising a first mixture including urea and a catalyser comprising an enzymatic catalyser and/or a microorganism; allowing an enzymatic reaction catalysed by the catalyser to decompose urea, thereby obtaining a second mixture comprising nitrogen-containing species and carbonate-containing species; converting at least some of the nitrogen-containing species into gaseous nitrogen-containing species to obtain a third mixture comprising the gaseous nitrogen-containing species and the carbonate-containing species; filtering the third mixture by a gas- permeable filter, thereby separating at least some of the gaseous nitrogen-containing species from the carbonate-containing species while keeping the catalyser away from the gas-permeable filter; and collecting the so-obtained carbonate-containing species-rich, nitrogen-containing species-free solution.

A hydrothermal decomposition apparatus 17 as a biomass processing apparatus that decomposes a biomass material 11 into cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin under a high temperature and high pressure condition to remove a lignin component and a hemicellulose component, a biomass solid discharging unit 18 that discharges a biomass solid (a hot-water insoluble component) 20 processed in the hydrothermal decomposition apparatus 17, and a slurrying vessel 21 communicating with the biomass solid discharging unit 18, into which water 19 is injected and the discharged biomass solid 20 is added to make it slurried are provided to an apparatus body 13, which is a processing vessel having a gas-liquid interface 13a.

Provided herein is a process for hydrolyzing a cellulosic feedstock to produce sugar. The process comprises introducing a pretreated cellulosic slurry to an inlet region of a plug flow hydrolysis reactor using a slurry introduction device that reduces the axial momentum of the slurry at the surface of the reactor contents. The cellulosic feedstock slurry is hydrolyzed in the plug flow hydrolysis reactor by contacting the cellulosic feedstock with at least cellulase enzymes to produce glucose. Also provided herein is a vertically-oriented, unmixed downflow hydrolysis reactor for hydrolyzing a pretreated cellulosic feedstock slurry which comprises such a slurry introduction device disposed in a top region thereof.

The present invention provides a method of recovering viable microbial cells from a complex sample, said method comprising: a) providing a sample having a volume of at least 1 ml; b) contacting said sample with a buffer solution and one or more proteases, wherein said buffer solution has a pH of at least pH 6 and less than pH 11, wherein said buffer solution and said one more proteases do not comprise a detergent or a chaotrope, and wherein the buffer solution/protease/sample mixture is non-hypotonic; c) filtering the mixture obtained in step (b) through a filter suitable for retaining microbial cells; and d) recovering the microbial cells retained by the filter in step (c), wherein the recovered microbial cells are viable, and a microbial recovery device for the same.