Steam Sterilizable Vessels for Cultivation, Propagation & Fermentation
The Fermentation Suite is the bridge between NCERC’s Fermentation Laboratory and Pilot Plant. Whether the goal is sequentially larger processing, or independent studies in any of the three, fully automated vessels, our Fermentation Suite offers the ideal environment for work immediately preceding full-scale piloting.
The Suite features intermediate-scale bioreactors sized from 30-1500 L. It combines the best features of our laboratories and plant into one convenient space with superior versatility and enhanced capabilities.
The area is staffed with leading engineers and scientists with decades of experience in the biorenewables industry. Complementing this experience is a vast network of resources which allows us to collaborate and partner with some of the world’s most prominent authorities in their fields.
With unique assets and unparalleled support, NCERC’s Fermentation Suite offers the ideal environment for products and technologies on the pathway to commercial scale. Contact us today to get your project started!
Capabilities
- Steam-sterilizable 30 L, 150 L, and 1500 L, pharmaceutical grade vessels
- Multiple addition ports for acid, base, anti-foam, inoculum, or customer specific additions
- Customizable agitation with multiple speed and impeller settings
- Maximum of two volume per volume mass (vvm) sterilized air
- Aerobic and anaerobic capabilities
- Vent condensers to minimize evaporation
- Custom generated DCS screens for client specific objectives
- Complete historical data for pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), optical density (OD), revolutions per minute (RPM), weight, air flow, and offgas components
- Ability to maintain a wide range of vessel temperatures and pressures
- Capable of pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, propagation, and fermentation
- Additional equipment available for centrifugation, filtering, and drying
- Real time analytical capabilities with dedicated support from lab
- BSL1 isolation methods
- TFF system with numerous kilodalton (kD) sized filters available
- Steam sterilizable transfer lines to the 6,000 gallon fermenters
Big News!
In October 2021, NCERC announced that it had been awarded $1.9 million though the Rebuild Illinois Wet Lab Capital program by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). Funds received will be utilized to expand NCERC's Fermentation Laboratory and Fermentation Suite, two areas of NCERC’s facility that receive the most attention from startups and companies doing cutting-edge research in the biorenewables sector.
New Equipment Coming in 2022 includes new pre-treatment vessels at the bench- and intermediate-scales, a downstream processing vessel at the intermediate scale and new bioreactors. Read more via the October 20 press release. A special thanks to the partners who submitted letters of support on the proposal and to the Illinois Corn Growers Association who generously contributed to the matching funds on the project.
