Patent ID: 8846383
Filing Date: 2014-09-30
Classification: B01D,C12M,C12P

Abstract:
1. A method for biotechnologically producing valuable products, comprising: feeding substances from upstream feed receptacles to a bioreactor by respective feed lines and feed pumps; measuring the concentrations of the substances fed into the bioreactor; controlling the feed pumps based on the measured concentrations of the substances in the bioreactor; subjecting the substances in the bioreactor to a fermentation process; conveying product from the bioreactor to a single downstream cross-flow filtration unit to produce a filtered permeate and a rententate; conveying the filtered permeate from the cross-flow filtration unit to a first downstream harvest receptacle; resupplying said retentate from the cross-flow filtration unit to the bioreactor; measuring cell concentration in said bioreactor by a control unit that comprises an analytical system that measures the cell concentration in the bioreactor using a sensor in the bioreactor; comparing the measured value of cell concentration with a desired value of cell concentration in a first reference operator; regulating the cell concentration in the bioreactor by selectively pumping media from the bioreactor to a second harvest receptacle in response to the comparison of the measured cell concentration in said bioreactor to said desired value of cell concentration; measuring the weight of the bioreactor; comparing the weight of said bioreactor with a desired weight stored in a second reference operator; and based on the comparison of the measured weight and the desired weight, sending a control signal to at least one of the feed pumps, which sends medium to the bioreactor from at least one of said upstream feed receptacles, whereby supplying and harvesting are controlled for improving cell productivity and enhancing service life of the cross-flow filtration unit, wherein the method proceeds while being conducted in a continuous and integrated manner, and wherein in the production phase, the product harvesting phase and the cell harvesting phase proceed in parallel.