An airlift bioreactor for perfusion cell culture comprises a single- or multi-tiered riser for working volume scale-up, an internal inclined gravity settler for cell retention, an outlet port for cell-free spent culture medium removal, and an inlet port for fresh medium addition.

Compositions and methods for a hybrid biological and chemical process that captures and converts carbon dioxide and/or other forms of inorganic carbon and/or CI carbon sources including but not limited to carbon monoxide, methane, methanol, formate, or formic acid, and/or mixtures containing CI chemicals including but not limited to various syngas compositions, into organic chemicals including biofuels or other valuable biomass, chemical, industrial, or pharmaceutical products are provided. The present invention, in certain embodiments, fixes inorganic carbon or CI carbon sources into longer carbon chain organic chemicals by utilizing microorganisms capable of performing the oxyhydrogen reaction and the autotrophic fixation of CO.sub.2 in one or more steps of the process.

A syntrophic enrichment for enhanced digestion (SEED) system is presented, in which a retrofit addition to existing anaerobic digestion infrastructure provides improved digestion process rate and biogas quality. The system provides optimal niche environments for accelerating fermentative, syntrophic and methanogenic metabolisms to increase digestion system loading rates and enhance main digester microbiome. Prescribed media formulations, reactor integrations, and operational methods using various fixed and loose media enhance global digestion system performance. The retrofitted system enables existing plants to transition from an outdated solids-management model to one of valorized biomethane production.

Compositions and methods for a hybrid biological and chemical process that captures and converts carbon dioxide and/or other forms of inorganic carbon and/or CI carbon sources including but not limited to carbon monoxide, methane, methanol, formate, or formic acid, and/or mixtures containing CI chemicals including but not limited to various syngas compositions, into organic chemicals including biofuels or other valuable biomass, chemical, industrial, or pharmaceutical products are provided. The present invention, in certain embodiments, fixes inorganic carbon or CI carbon sources into longer carbon chain organic chemicals by utilizing microorganisms capable of performing the oxyhydrogen reaction and the autotrophic fixation of CO.sub.2 in one or more steps of the process.

fermelnters or other processes for the treatment or conversion of organic substances, and also for improving viscosity, in which specifically required, technological or biological procedures are combined in one mixing and combi-hydrolysis tank. The device has one or more descending walls for separating the gas chamber in the top part of the tank, one descending wall of which separates the gas chamber of the tank opening from the other tank, and optionally a further descending wall, the lower end of which is permanently located above the lowest fluid level and which separates the gas chamber of the pump chamber from the other tank. The device optionally has an ultrasonic module for treating a recirculated material from an advanced fermentation stage or from the device according to claim 1, and also a gas supply system in the lower zones of the feed and/or pump chamber for hydrogenous gases, produced in the process or supplied externally, for stimulating methane formation by means of hydrogen-oxidising archaea.

An inoculation apparatus is provided. The inoculation apparatus includes a vessel for containing liquid mycelium culture having: an outlet port; an injection port; and a breather port. The inoculation apparatus also includes an auto-fill syringe having a nozzle and an inlet port; a connection line with a first end connecting to the outlet port and a second end connecting to the inlet port; and an injection means connected to the nozzle. Related methods are also provided.

A photobioreactor includes a first and a second container extending along a longitudinal direction; the second container extending inside the first container, so as to delimit a first channel between the first and the second containers; and forming a second channel inside the second container; a first passage means capable of allowing the circulation of a fluid between the first channel and the second channel; a second passage means capable of allowing the circulation of the fluid between the first channel and the second channel, disposed above the first passage means; at least one light source; a gas injection means, configured so as to inject gas in the form of bubbles into the second channel; the circulating fluid being able to be exposed to a light source.

The invention relates to a digester for a liquid medium, comprising a container, a dividing wall between two spaces, and a device for injecting gas into the lower part of one of the spaces. The gas creates an upflow of the mixture of liquid medium and injected gas in said space, and a downflow in the other space. The dividing wall is equipped with at least one device for establishing a fluid communication between the spaces, so that the fluid communication configuration is automatically varied between a first open configuration in which fluid can flow freely from one space to the other, and a second closed configuration in which the flow of fluid is blocked fully or partially by the aforementioned device.

A sparger device includes a sparge tube having opposed distal ends, an inlet opening, and a plurality of sparge holes along a longitudinal extent of the sparge tube between the opposed distal ends, and a central hub coupled with the sparge tube at a point intermediate the opposed distal ends of the sparge tube, the central hub having a fluid passageway in fluid communication with the sparge tube via the inlet opening.

A fermenter can have at least one hollow fluid conduit disposed at least partially within a vessel. An external circumference of the hollow fluid conduit and an interior circumference of the vessel can define a downward flow path through which a multi-phase mixture including a liquid media and compressed gas substrate bubbles flows. An interior circumference of the hollow fluid conduit can defined an upward flow path which is in fluid communication with the downward flow path. The multi-phase liquid can flow through the upward flow path and exit the fermenter. Cooling may be provided in the hollow fluid conduit or the vessel. One or more backpressor generators can be used to maintain a backpressure on the fermenter. One or more fluid movers can be used to variously create an induced and/or forced flow in the downward and upward flow paths.