Chemostats and Competition Among Species

Abstract

The chemostat, or bioreactor, is a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) used for continuous production of microbial biomass. It consists of a freshwater and nutrient reservoir connected to a growth chamber, or reactor, with microorganism. The mixture of freshwater and nutrient is pumped continuously from the reservoir to the reactor chamber, providing feed to the microorganism, and the mixture of culture and fluid in the growth chamber is continuously pumped out and collected. The medium culture is continuously stirred. Stirring ensures that the contents of the chamber are well mixed so that the culture production is uniform and steady. If the steering speed is too high, it would damage the cells in culture, but if it is too low, it could prevent the reactor from reaching steady-state operation. Figure 5.1 is a conceptual diagram of a chemostat.