Bioreactors and methods for cultivating microalgae are provided herein. The bioreactor and methods include features and modifications to improve heterotrophic growth efficiency by providing a light signal.

Provided are systems and methods for spatially and temporally controlling light with an illumination device comprising a light source operably connected to a circuit board, one or more light guide plates, one or more optical masks, a controller, and a computer readable medium, comprising instructions that, when executed by the controller, cause the controller to: illuminate a cell or a substrate with light from the light source, and spatially and temporally control illumination of light to the cell or the substrate with one or more illumination parameters, wherein the one or more light guide plates provides uniform illumination of the light. Also provided herein are methods of screening using the system and/or device of the present disclosure.

According to one embodiment, an optical sensor includes a plurality of sensing parts two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix to form a sensor surface, and a phototransmissive sample-supporting plate arranged to be opposed to the sensing parts.

In order to cut a plurality of clumps having an approximately uniform shapes and approximately uniform dimensions out of a cell aggregate which has proliferated and appropriately eliminate contamination with fragments of different shapes or dimensions, when cutting the clumps of approximately uniform shape out of the cell aggregate which has proliferated, cutting lines along which the clumps of a specific shape are cut out are set such that the area of a peripheral part of the cell aggregate which is not cut by the cutting line exceeds the surface area of one of the clumps, and the cell aggregate is cut by irradiating with laser light in such a way as to trace the cutting lines.

A device (1) for accommodating a disposable container (44) has a receptacle (10) with at least one receptacle wall (16) that defines an interior of the receptacle (10) for accommodating the disposable container (44). The device includes a temperature control unit for controlling the temperature of the receptacle wall (16). A lighting device (50) is located on an inner face of the receptacle wall (16) that faces the interior of the receptacle (10) and that has the temperature controlled by the temperature control unit. The lighting device (50) is designed to emit light into the interior of the receptacle (10).

Embodiments of a modular tubular bioreactor system for culturing an aqueous culture of microorganisms are described herein. The tubular bioreactor may comprise culture tubes configured in a vertically spaced and horizontally staggered arrangement to optimize the application of light to the culture in phototrophic and mixotrophic cultivation.

An improved system of generating renewable energy is comprised of a specific configuration of mechanisms, materials, and processes that all function together as a single symbiotic system. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the system cultivates aquatic biomass, then extracts triglycerides from said biomass. The extracted triglycerides are converted into biodiesel through transesterification. During the operation of the system, a continuous output of biofuel, thermal energy, steam, and electricity, is efficiently produced. These yields are precisely measured and repurposed as energy input at various points throughout system processes, thus resulting in a surplus output. Any embodiment of the disclosed system will generate a continuously renewable final product of biofuel and power.

A structure for culturing cells includes growth medium regions on a surface of the structure. Each of the growth medium regions includes a growth medium surface configured to receive and promote growth in a cell that is being cultured. The structure includes a non-growth medium. The non-growth medium includes a non-growth medium surface configured to receive the cell that is being cultured.

A moving bed biofilm reactor system for growing microorganisms comprising a reservoir containing a fluid that contains nutrients conducive to growth of microorganisms and a plurality of inert biomass carriers having a surface area configured to support growth of microorganisms is provided. The microorganisms may be used to remove a pollutant from a fluid. Furthermore, the microorganisms may be harvested and used as a foodstuff fertilizer, biofuels, and bioplastics.

The invention discloses microorganism cell culture conditions that result in increased cellular and media concentrations of a biological pigment. The invention has applications in use as a natural food colouring, as antioxidants in the food supplement industries, in the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cosmeceutical industries, and a non-toxic ink. The method results in pigment that is relatively easy to separate from the microorganism culture.