Batch and Continuous Biochemical Reactor Studies Using Mixed Microbial Cultures

Abstract

<p> Using soluble organic carbon in the form of glucose as a growth limiting nutrient, the kinetics of mixed microbial populations (mainly bacterial in content) were studied using completely mixed batch and continuous biochemical reactors, in order to determine if kinetic data obtained from these two processes is identical and reproducible. </p> <p> Significant differences were found in the metabolic activity of of bacteria growing in batch and continuous culture; also periods of continuous culture were found to alter the kinetics of subsequent batch cultures. Simultaneous batch experiments and consecutive batch experiments were found to be substantially reproducible with respect to kinetic data, but inconsistency was obtained in continuous culture kinetic data. The degree of dispersion of the bacteria was also found to be different in batch and continuous culture; continuous operation gave rise to dispersed growth of bacteria, whereas batch operation gave rise to flocculent bacterial growth. </p>