Design of a biofilm reactor comprising a metal structured packing for the production of lipopeptides by B. subtilis

Abstract : The design of a new single species biofilm bioreactor has been investigated. Bacillus subtilis S499 has been chosen as a model organism for the production of lipopetides. Nevertheless, considering the surface active properties for this kind of metabolite, processes based on submerged culture in stirred-tank bioreactor involve the use of important amount of antifoam and therefore downstream processes are tedious. In this work, an original process was developed with an experimental setting leading to the suppression of foam formation during the culture. B. subtilis S499 makes a biofilm on a stainless steel structured packing in the top of a bioreactor, nutrient and oxygen supply being carried out by the media recirculation as liquid film on the packing. Lipopeptides secreted by biofilm are accumulated in the liquid phase under the packing and can reach concentrations as high as 800 mg/l. The colonization of the packing by the biofilm has been monitored by X-ray tomography.