Team:SJTang/Hardware
1. The Purpose of Bioreactor in Clean Hydrogen Production
Through there have been much interest, producing hydrogen through the culturing of Rhodopseudomonas palustris faces a series of unique challenges, and it is long hindered by low efficiency. The photobioreactor system that we designed aims to address some of the key issues in bacterial growth, gas collection and product analysis.
The bioreactor will be able to grow R. palustris and E. coli, safely collect and fill the gas products into standard containers. By adopting this fermentation solution, risks of gas leakage can be greatly reduced. In the meantime, the analysis module can dilute the gas product for the built-in gas sensors to analyze. Such function allowed the researcher to monitor the fermentation status in time and onsite, empowering them to make changes to the growth conditions rapidly. For greenhouse gas emission sensitive projects, onsite gas analysis also made carbon-accounting possible.
Cost effectiveness, user friendliness, and flexibility forms the three pillars of this hardware. The system is not only designed for bacterial hydrogen production but for synthetic biology laboratories working on all kinds of gas production by a variety of microorganisms. Through this bioreactor, we want to help scientists and lab technicians to focus more on strain modification and growth optimization, rather than repetitive preparation for gas chromatography. Our goal is to create hardware for users with little or no preliminary knowledge in the field of electronic engineering, and to make sure that they can integrate the device into their laboratory workflow with minimal effort. This means to pack both hardware and software into a well-rounded solution with coherent user experience, therefore reduce time on clibration and debug.
2. Functionality Overview
The device consists of a fermentation bottle, a gas-collection bottle, a water-collection bottle, a magnetic heating stirrer, a temperature sensor, a water level sensor, and a gas analysis module.
The fermentation bottle is placed above the magnetic heating stirrer, which can maintain the growth temperature within ideal range, and stirring can ensure aeration for oxygen and nutrient availability. Upon production, the gas product enters the gas collection bottle, pushing the water inside it to the measuring cylinder. During this process, fermentation temperature and water level reading are collected by two sets of sensors, reported to Arduino Mega 2560, which is then read, presented, and stored on the computer by the python program.
Besides fermentation monitoring, the hardware is able to actively dilute and analyze the gas product with its analysis module. When a user sends the command of initiating analysis on the python end, a set of instructions will be sent to the Arduino and to the syringe pump, controlling the solenoid valves and syringes to perform pre-programmed tasks. Users will be able to view real-time results of gas concentration both numerically and graphically.
Figure.2.1Structural Design Diagram.
Figure.2.2Assembled Hardware in Use.
3. Demonstration
4. Download Project Files
We packed the hardware into an integrated solution consisting of everything you need for constructing a similar device. To kickstart, simply read through the instructions and gather materials from the Bill of Materials list. You can download the entire project folder by clicking on the image shown right.
Flexibility is at the heart of our solution, feel free to change the design according to your need. Sources files for the code and PCB design are provided, with possible alternatives noted. Should you have any doubts, please contact us at ecoh.sjtang@gmail.com
Learn More About The Bioreactor
Click image to download the project folder.