pH control in a miniaturized bioreactor

A miniaturized bioreactor with a volume on the order of 100 [micro]l has been built with the aim of increasing the efficiency of the screening process for various microbial cultures. Unlike larger reactors currently in use, the current miniaturized design lacks a method of pH control. Without pH control, cell growth can be hindered or even stopped altogether when the growing medium becomes too acidic. Using technology already in place to optically measure the pH inside the reactor in conjunction with a valve and a base-filled reservoir, a simple closed-loop (feedback) control system has been developed. The volume of base injected into the reactor must be minimized because the reactor itself is so small. Data is recorded and control signals are outputted by a computer running LabView software. While the control system developed in this thesis shows promise, further development is needed before it can be put to good use.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2004

Author dc:creator

• Griswold, Aaron A. (Aaron Alexander), 1981-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Klavs F. Jensen.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/32812

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/32812