The present invention is a composting bioreactor system that continually receives biodegradable solid wastes, waste waters and exhaust gases, automatically recycles the biodegradable wastes into nutrients and heat energy, and automatically supplies the nutrients and heat into an integrated hydroponic or aquaponic system. This invention together with integrated food growing system may be installed onsite such as balconies, backyards and premises of restaurants and food factories etc. therefore may lead to zero mileage targets both for recycling wastes and for supplying foods. This invention integrates composting process and aquaponic technology together and may establish a closed-loop recirculation of both water and gases therefore upgrades aquaponics into compoponics. A compoponic system has both soil and soilless growing beds and mimics nature recirculating nutrients, carbon and energy among human being, animals, microorganisms and plants by way of photosynthesis, slow burning by cellular respiration and burning by combustion.

Provided are a treatment method for a barren solution, and a treatment device for a barren solution, with which hydrogen sulfide can be efficiently removed from the barren solution. In an aeration tank provided with a vertical-type cylindrical reaction vessel, stirring blades arranged in the reaction vessel, and an annular aeration tube having a large number of air outlets, which is arranged to a bottom part of the reaction vessel, aeration is performed by blowing gas for aeration into the reaction vessel from a large number of air outlets of the aeration tube while stirring a liquid by rotation of the stirring blades.

A bioreactor is provided that includes a main reactor having a configuration selected from the group consisting of stirred and unstirred tank reactor, trickle bed reactor (TBR), cocurrent contactor (CCC), moving bed bioreactor (MBBR), and a bubble column reactor. The bioreactor also includes a growth reactor continuous with the main reactor and having a configuration selected from the group consisting of stirred and unstirred tank reactor, trickle bed reactor (TBR), cocurrent contactor (CCC), moving bed bioreactor (MBBR), and a bubble column reactor. A method is also provided where acetogenic bacteria are contacted with syngas in a growth fermentor section of a reactor vessel that is continuous with a main fermentor section of a reactor vessel.

The stirring device, in particular for a fluid-mixing bioreactor, comprises a drive shaft including a rod, an agitating element and a sleeve of tubular shape. The sleeve forms a coupling sleeve receiving the shaft therethrough and is directly rotationally coupled to the rod. The agitating element, which has a hub with an annular side wall delimiting an inner space and an impeller assembly comprising blades, is indirectly rotationally coupled to the rod via the sleeve that is engaged in the inner space. One of an inner surface of the wall and an outer surface of the sleeve is a guiding surface with progressively reduced cross section. Axial movement between the hub and the sleeve is prevented in a locked configuration of a sleeve fastening arrangement. Hub-sleeve contact areas can be axially distributed.

A sparger assembly for a bioprocessing system includes a first layer having a plurality of pores of a first size, and a second layer disposed above the first layer and having a plurality of holes of a second size, the second size being greater than the first size. The pores of the first layer and the holes of the second layer allow for the passage of a sparge gas through the first layer and the second layer.

A sparger assembly (700) for a bioprocessing system includes a base plate (710) and at least one aeration manifold (712, 714) removably connected to tire base plate. Each aeration manifold includes at least one inlet for receiving a gas and a plurality of gas outlet openings for delivering tire gas to a fluid within the bioprocessing system. An impeller assembly (740) fora bioprocessing system includes a hub and at least one blade (742) operatively connected to the hub. The at least one blade includes a first portion connected to the hub and extending generally vertically, and a second portion extending at an upward angle from tire first portion.

A process for fermenting syngas is provided which is effective for decreasing an amount of time needed to inoculate a main reactor. The process includes propagating a culture of acetogenic bacteria to provide an inoculum for a main reactor and fermenting syngas in the main reactor.

A container assembly includes a flexible bag having an interior surface bounding a chamber and an opposing exterior surface. The bag has a bottom end wall that includes a first sparger and a second sparger. The first sparger and the second sparger each have a flexible first sheet overlying a flexible second sheet, the first sheet and the second sheet being secured together so as to form a sparging area bounded between the first sheet and the second sheet, at least a portion of the first sheet overlying the sparging area being gas permeable so that gas can pass from the sparging area, through the first sheet, and into the chamber.

Under one aspect, a fermentation system includes a fermentation vessel having a straight wall length L and an inner diameter D. The fermentation system also can include a source of a gas including a reactive gaseous component. The fermentation system also can include spargers spaced apart from one another along the straight wall length L of the fermentation vessel and configured to introduce bubbles of the gas into fermentation broth within the fermentation vessel. The release of the bubbles of the gas by each of the spargers can establish a respective mixing zone within the fermentation broth within the fermentation vessel. Each mixing zone can have substantially the same volumetric uptake rate of the reactive gaseous component by the fermentation broth as each other mixing zone.

A container assembly includes a flexible bag having an interior surface bounding a chamber and an opposing exterior surface. The bag has a bottom end wall that includes a first sparger and a second sparger. The first sparger and the second sparger each have a flexible first sheet overlying a flexible second sheet, the first sheet and the second sheet being secured together so as to form a sparging area bounded between the first sheet and the second sheet, at least a portion of the first sheet overlying the sparging area being gas permeable so that gas can pass from the sparging area, through the first sheet, and into the chamber.