Device for producing metabolites
A bioreactor for producing hydrogen gas and metabolites and methods for making and using the same. The bioreactor comprises a main reactor chamber, a semipermeable membrane, a sleeve, microorganism, such as cyanobacteria, for producing hydrogen gas and metabolites, a power supply, a substrate medium, a heating member, a plurality of tubing members, a collection reservoir, a pressure-sealed connecter member, a metabolite purifying filter member, a light source, and an agitator. The bioreactor utilizes light, fermentation, and other metabolic processes for the production of metabolites, derived from various microorganisms contained within the bioreactor through respective metabolic pathways.
1 . A bioreactor for producing metabolites, comprising:
a main reactor chamber being bounded by a main reactor chamber periphery;
a semipermeable membrane being formed from a semipermeable membrane sheet and disposed within the main reactor chamber periphery and including a membrane periphery for defining an inner lumen, the membrane periphery and the main reactor chamber periphery defining a substrate containment space;
a metabolite purifying filter member being in communication with the inner lumen defined by said semipermeable membrane; and
a collection reservoir being in communication with said metabolite purifying filter member,
wherein a substrate medium disposed within the substrate containment space traverses said semipermeable membrane and enters the inner lumen for metabolite production to produce unfiltered metabolites that pass through said metabolite purifying filter member to provide the metabolites for storage in said collection reservoir, and
wherein unfiltered biproducts produced during the metabolite production from the inner lumen are expelled via an outlet member having an outlet tubing member periphery and being in communication with the substrate containment space, the semipermeable membrane sheet being coiled around the outlet tubing member periphery and enclosing the outlet tubing member in more than one sheet layer of the semipermeable membrane sheet with a space being defined between adjacent sheet layers.
2 . The bioreactor of claim 1 , further comprising a heating member for heating the substrate medium disposed within the substrate containment space to a predetermined temperature substrate temperature for promoting the metabolite production.
3 . The bioreactor of claim 2 , wherein said heating member is configured to adjust the predetermined temperature substrate temperature.
4 . The bioreactor of claim 1 , wherein one or more microorganisms are positioned within said semipermeable membrane and interact with the substrate medium traversing said semipermeable membrane to produce the unfiltered metabolites.
5 . The bioreactor of claim 4 , further comprising an agitator circuit for mixing the substrate medium and the microorganisms within the inner lumen of said semipermeable membrane.
6 . A method for producing metabolites via a hollow semipermeable membrane being formed from a semipermeable membrane sheet and disposed within a main reactor chamber and including a membrane periphery for defining an inner lumen, comprising:
disposing a substrate medium into a substrate containment space defined between the membrane periphery and a main reactor chamber periphery of the main reactor chamber;
enabling the substrate medium to permeate the semipermeable membrane and enter the inner lumen;
producing unfiltered metabolites from the substrate medium within the inner lumen;
filtering the unfiltered metabolites via a metabolite purifying filter member in communication with the inner lumen to produce the metabolites; and
expelling unfiltered biproducts produced during the metabolite production from the inner lumen via an outlet tubing member having an outlet tubing member periphery and being in communication with the substrate containment space, the semipermeable membrane sheet being coiled around the outlet tubing member periphery and enclosing the outlet tubing member in more than one sheet layer of the semipermeable membrane sheet with a space being defined between adjacent sheet layers,
wherein the filtered metabolites are stored in a collection reservoir in communication with the metabolite purifying filter member.
7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising heating the substrate medium disposed within the substrate containment space to a predetermined temperature substrate temperature for promoting the metabolite production.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein said heating the substrate medium includes adjusting the predetermined temperature substrate temperature.
9 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising positioning one or more microorganisms within the semipermeable membrane, wherein the microorganisms are adapted to interact with the substrate medium to produce the unfiltered metabolites.
10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising mixing the substrate medium and the microorganisms within the inner lumen of the semipermeable membrane.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein said mixing the substrate medium and the microorganisms comprises mixing the substrate medium and the microorganisms at a predetermined cyclical rate for maintaining a homogenous mixture of the substrate medium and the microorganisms within the inner lumen of the semipermeable membrane.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the cyclical rate is adjustable.
13 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising exposing the main reactor chamber to light for promoting the metabolite production by the microorganisms within the inner lumen of the semipermeable membrane.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein said exposing the main reactor chamber to light includes adjusting a wavelength of the light.
15 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising disposing the substrate medium within the substrate containment space via an inlet tubing member being in communication with the substrate containment space within the main reactor chamber.
16 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising providing the unfiltered metabolites to the metabolite purifying filter member via a collection tubing member being in communication with the inner lumen within the semipermeable membrane.
17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising providing the metabolites from the metabolite purifying filter member to the collection reservoir for storage via the collection tubing member, the collection tubing member coupling the metabolite purifying filter member with the collection reservoir.
18 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising hermetically sealing the main reactor chamber.
19 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising filling the substrate containment space with the substrate medium.
20 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising permitting the substrate medium to envelope the membrane periphery of the semipermeable membrane and permeate through the semipermeable membrane to fill the inner lumen.