It is safe to say that the beginning of the 21st century has proved to be somewhat different from what science fiction utopias imagined, with climate change emergencies, waste management crises, rising global health concerns, and pandemics.
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In response to these concerns, in 2020, the United Nations established the 17 Strategic Development Goals. This document aimed to highlight areas that require urgent improvement and propose improvements in areas such as Health and Well-being, Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, and Climate Action.
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Despite being used historically for processes such as food fermentations and, more recently, for producing pharmaceuticals or biofuels, bioreactors have incredible potential to address some of these critical concerns.
Bioreactors sit at the intersection between science and engineering and can provide interesting solutions to some of these challenges. Additionally, their unique adaptability offers opportunities to make significant changes to the industry, paving the way for sustainable practices and creating a more resilient world.
A Bioreactor for Every Problem
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Food Production and Sustainability
Food security and food supply are of growing concern in a world with an ever-increasing population of almost 8 billion people.
A range of environmental and ethical issues can result from current agricultural and farming practices. For instance, impoverished soils and desertification can result from the practice of monoculture farming.
Elsewhere, rice paddies involve producing greenhouse gases (predominantly methane) and use large amounts of water. Furthermore, meat production in intensive farming uses copious amounts of land and can produce significant amounts of methane. This type of farming also raises ethical concerns about the health and well-being of the animals involved.
Current research using bioreactors focuses on the production of lab-grown meat, as well as cellular agriculture. Bioreactors can help to reduce the amount of land used for farming, minimizing the amount of suffering for these animals and preventing the production of gas linked to the digestive systems of ruminants and inundated land.
Mitigating Climate Change
Global warming has been found to be directly linked to the buildup of greenhouse gases (mainly CO2, CH4, and N2O), and bioreactors can have a major impact on the overall accumulation of these gases.
For example, photosynthetic organisms, such as algae and cyanobacteria, can be cultivated in photobioreactors, helping to capture atmospheric CO2 and trap it into either organic matter or bioproducts (e.g., bioplastics).
Livestock origin accounts for 20% of the methane accumulated in the atmosphere. Producing meat independent of ruminants results in a reduction in the production of this gas.
Production of Biofuel
Renewable energy sources such as biofuels are considered a viable alternative to fossil fuels: the use of which results in less greenhouse gas being released into the atmosphere.
Biofuel production falls into one of two categories: using organisms with fermentative capabilities, like Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to produce ethanol or Clostridium acetobytilicum for the production of butanol; the other option is using photosynthetic organisms, especially members of the genera Chlorella or Scenedesmus.
Algae are cultivated for their very high lipid content, which can then be extracted and converted into biodiesel. Thus, bioreactors can be used to grow microorganisms that produce biofuels, contributing to a greener economy.
Management of Waste
Bioreactors provide a controlled environment for the activity and growth of microorganisms, as they can break down waste substances and produce high-value products.
Using anaerobic processes can result in the decomposition of organic matter and the production of biogas – a gas predominantly made up of methane that can be used as biofuel.
Methane is typically produced under controlled conditions; thus, this gas does not tend to escape into the atmosphere, where it acts as a greenhouse gas.
Additionally, the product of anaerobic digestion processes, also known as digestate, is nutrient-rich and can be used as a fertilizer substitute for industrial resources.
Production of Clean Water
Access to clean water is becoming increasingly difficult as a result of global warming, where desertification processes are accelerating, and droughts are becoming more prominent. However, bioreactors can help to improve the situation.
Biological processes are routinely used throughout wastewater treatment. Aerobic processes help to remove organic compounds from the water, producing CO2 as the final product (mineralization).
Specialized designs, such as membrane bioreactors, allow for simultaneous nutrient and pollutant removal – linked to microbial activity – and clarification as microorganisms get trapped in the membrane.
In addition, microbial communities that process nitrogen and phosphorus can remove these elements from the effluent, preventing algal blooms from forming in downstream water (this is linked to excess nutrients (eutrophication)). The nitrogen and phosphorus removed from the water can then be used as fertilizers.
Bioreactors: Vessels of Hope and of Innovation
As a result of their application design, flexibility, and versatility, bioreactors are a major player when it comes to resolving some of the problems the UN has identified.
These bioengineering tools have proven to constantly adapt and improve and, as such, hold great potential for a future full of green energy and sustainably produced food.
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Harnessing the power of biology, bioreactors have the potential to transform waste into wealth and trash into treasure, helping to combat some of the threats that humankind faces, such as climate change and food security.
Although some of the aforementioned challenges seem daunting and complex, bioreactors, in combination with H.E.L Group’s innovation, have the potential to foster a sustainable, equitable, and resilient world.
References and Further Reading
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960852419304109
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014181302300404X
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224417303400
About H.E.L Group
H.E.L develops and manufactures innovative scientific instruments and software designed to optimize the efficiency, safety, and productivity of key processes in chemistry and biology applications.
The H.E.L team of 70 includes highly skilled process and software engineers, based at their extensive research and manufacturing facilities in the UK, as well as sales and support offices around the world.
H.E.L has a long history of solving complex challenges for customers. Since 1987, the Company has worked with businesses and laboratories globally, providing proprietary automated solutions for the pharma, biotechnology, chemical, battery, and petrochemical sectors.
We continue to extend the reach of our products and service to support and enable R&D and process optimization further across Europe, the US, China, and India.
H.E.L is accredited with ISO 9001 : 2015
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