Complete Product Description

The Mobile Laboratory Fermenter KLF (total volumes from 16 to 30 litres) can be easily integrated in a laboratory. Special features such as a double jacketed vessel bottom for optimal temperature control and the double mechanical seal with the removable stirrer shaft are standard equipment.

The KLF small laboratory fermenter is the smallest unit in our CSTR series of bioreactors. Its design permits straightforward interfacing with the Bioengineering modular instrumentation and control system, so that more instruments and controls can be added at any time (this is the first step in scaling up many processes). A benchtop apparatus, the KLF is the only small laboratory fermenter of its kind that can be sterilized in situ.

Flexibility, sturdy construction and ease of operation make this small laboratory fermenter an attractive choice in research and educational settings, especially for scale-up and screening tasks. Its small volume helps hold down purchasing, overhead and direct operating costs. The user need not rely on free autoclave capacity, the fermenter does not have to be moved around, and stirring can be continued during sterilization (particularly important for sensitive media). What is more, the medium can be cooled down rapidly, and the special port system allows sterile connection of the fermenter to peripheral apparatus, even after sterilization.

Three interchangeable glass cylinders with volumes from 2.4 to 3.7 L are available as fermenter vessels. The stirrer can be driven from below or top through a mechanical seal or with a magnetic coupling. A variety of impellers can be attached to the shaft at any desired height, and changeovers for the most diverse mixing strategies can be handled with ease. The standard version features temperature control with an 800 heating and cooling finger, stirrer speed control, and air metering with air intake and exhaust filters. The Bioengineering modular instrumentation and control system makes it possible to upgrade the small laboratory fermenter to a fully equipped, computer-controlled fermenter system. The following quantities can be measured and controlled: pH, p02, redox potential, pCO2, turbidity, pressure, torque, weight, level, and metering.

A range of options for culture media mixing and gas dispersion permit the use of the small laboratory fermenter for all kinds of aerobic and anaerobic cell cultures - bacteria, yeasts, fungi, algae, plant and animal cells in suspension - as well as micro carrier cultivations. The apparatus can be adapted to work with explosive substances and at pressures up to 6 bar.