Culture of bacteria in an aerated, rectangular tank reactor

Abstract

Aerobic bacterial growth was assessed in a simple rectangular vessel with good mixing achieved solely by air flow. Growth became oxygen limited at culture densities below 1·5 mg dry wt/ml, even at maximum air flow and the extent of oxygen-sufficient growth depended on the volume of the culture and the air flow rate. However, the system permitted high retention of biomass growing attached to kiesel-ghur beads, indicating conditions of low shear. The system may be suitable for cheap cultivation of slow-growing micro-organisms and for anaerobic or shear-sensitive cultures.