Bioprocessing Scale-Up

About

The Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University is home to a unique array of plug-and-play pilot scale bioprocessing equipment capable of taking bench top processing ideas to pilot and demonstration scale. Developed as part of the biorefining research on the high sugar grasses developed at IBERS the generic processing equipment can be applied to a wide range of feedstocks and process waste streams to isolate and concentrate different value components. We also house a unique biochar facility capable of both condensing and recovering volatile components and generating very high quality biochar from a wide range of feedstocks. The facility is set out over two distinct areas (primary and downstream processing) and includes: Primary processing: Dewatering screw presses (4” and 10” – 100 to 1000 kg/hr) Cooled holding tanks (2 x 750 litres) Conveyor systems for feedstock transfer Stirred IBC storage and/or pre-treatment Pellet presses for dry feedstock densification (to ~250kg/hr) Flail hammer mills for dry feedstock processing (3-50mm mesh ~200kg/hr) Downstream processing Cambi batch steam explosion rig (35 litres) Bench top and steam-in-place fermenters/bioreactors (4x1,2x10, 30, 2x50 and 300 litres units) Dual duty pasteurizer (50/500 litres/hr) 2xZ41 CEPA clarifying centrifuges (~100-200 litres/hr) GEA-Westfalia SA7-06-076 disk stack auto desludging clarifier (1000-2000 litres/hr) Sharples P600 decanter centrifuge (~500 litres/hr) Axium Process UF/MF pilot rig fitted with either 4”x40” spiral or 4x1.2m ceramic housing (upto 750 litres/day) Axium Process NF/RO pilot rig with 2.5”x40” and 4”x40” spiral membrane housings (upto 1000 litres/day) Sterlitech flat plate test rig for assessing feedstock/membrane compatibility 20 & 50 litre rotary evaporators Flash chromatography systems Semi-prep HPCCC (high performance counter current chromatography) Walk-in fume hood Stirred & jacketed SS reaction vessels (25 – 75 litres) Analytical and microbial support laboratories Biochar facility Slow pyrolysis recirculation rig – batch process (500 kg/day) Bench top tube furnace (~1-2 kg/day) TGA-GC-MS & TGA-FTIR