Compare microbial communities in extremely well-defined conditions
Compare microbial communities in extremely well-defined conditions
About the Parallel Cultivation Platform
Key specifications
Location: Delft University of Technology
Features: chemotrophic, phototrophic, redox conditions.
The Parallel Cultivation Platform consists of forty bioreactor units, including controllers and on-line analytical facilities. The platform enables dynamic comparative analysis of the quantitative physiology of microbial communities in a wide range of well-defined conditions. Phenotypic characterization is coupled to genotypic characterization for providing insights in the structure and function of microbial community development.
Techniques
The standard experimental set-up (30 units)
0.5 – 2.0 Liter bioreactors that can be operated as Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR), chemostat, retentostat, or any other dynamic feeding profile
Fully automated control system to define, monitor, and control substrate supply patterns (gas and liquid), environmental conditions (dissolved oxygen concentration, redox, pH, etc).
On-line MS based off gas composition and flow measurement
Low-maintenance, long-term experiments (1 to 12 months)
Allows for identification of the functional development of a microbial community in well-defined conditions over many generations.
The intensive experimental set-up (10 units)
Ultrafiltration sampling unit allowing continuous supply of solid-free fermentation broth for periodic sampling and on-line analysis by High Pressure Liquid Chromatrography (HPLC), Gas Chromatography (GC), and Ion Chromatography (IC)
Liquid samples available for off-line analysis through a wide range of methods, e.g. ICP-MS, LC-MS, GC-MS
Intensive, short-term experiments (1 to 10 weeks)
Allows the assessment of the effect of a specific process on the functional and molecular development of a specific microbial community.
Equipment
Bioreactors
Mass spectrometer
Pumps
Utilities
Biocontrollers
Frequently asked questions
The platform consists of 40 temperature-controlled stirred bioreactor units that can be operated at 0.5 to 2.0 liter liquid volume. These bioreactors are equipped with an extensive set of on- and off-line analytical facilities. Further, we distuinguish a standard and an intensive experimental set-up. Please consult the technical details below for more info.
The flexible arrangement of analytical equipment enables the investigation of virtually all redox conditions of interest in microbial ecology, ranging from aerobic to strictly anaerobic conditions. Please see the figure and technical details below for a schematic overview of a potential experimental set-up.
This platform is specifically suitable for investigating the impact of dynamic process conditions on the functional and molecular development of microbial communities. In fact, dynamic process conditions are typical for many natural and man-made ecosystems, such as day-night cycles, seasonal variations and variable substrate supply rates. However, to date, they remain largely unexplored in microbial ecology.
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