Design of an Airlift Bioreactor

An important consideration for the process design is cell immobilization-enabled flow-through operation. Large-scale biosorption relies on cells that are immobilized on a supporting substrate and used to 'attract' metal ions. Cell immobilization allows easy separation of the feed solution and REEs that are attached to the cell surface. It also allows continuous operation without the need of energy-intensive centrifugation or filtration. Lightweight, high surface area, low cost (~$200/m3) high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic disks are used as cell carriers for biofilm formation.

在工艺设计中，细胞固定化驱动的连续流动操作是一个重要的考量因素。大规模生物吸附依赖于固定在支撑基材上的细胞，用于‘吸引’金属离子。细胞固定化使得从进料溶液中轻松分离附着在细胞表面的稀土元素成为可能。此外，它还允许在不需进行能耗密集型的离心或过滤的情况下进行连续操作。轻质、高比表面积、低成本（约200美元/立方米）的高密度聚乙烯（HDPE）塑料盘被用作细胞载体，以形成生物膜。