Airlift bioreactor

Abstract

Provided is an airlift bioreactor, comprising a tank body (100), a draft tube (200), and a material propulsion unit. A reaction chamber used for accommodating reaction materials is formed in the tank body (100); the draft tube (200) is provided with a hollow chamber and is arranged in the reaction chamber; the material propulsion unit is mounted or connected to the draft tube (200), and the material propulsion unit is driven to rotate about the center line of the draft tube (200), so that the reaction materials in the reaction chamber circularly flow between the hollow chamber in the draft tube (200) and an annular space between the draft tube (200) and the tank body (100). The airlift bioreactor does not need a transmission mechanism such as a complex and heavy shaft system, a shaft seal system and a speed reducer, has a compact structure, a high level of integration, a small size, a light weight, low noise, low vibration, high reaction efficiency and good sealing performance, and is less prone to microbial contamination during fermentation.

Description

Airlift bioreactor

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Chinese patent applications 202311758510.0 and 202311758512.X filed on December 20, 2023, Chinese patent application 202420051789.2 filed on January 9, 2024, and Chinese patent application 202411091957.1 filed on August 9, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to the technical field of bioreactors, in particular to an airlift bioreactor. Background Art

[0004] Large-scale bioreactors are core equipment for bio-industrial production, providing a good reaction environment for cells or enzymes and playing an important role in the bio-industry. As the reactors become larger, the heterogeneity of the reaction system becomes more prominent. Generally, cells exposed to fluctuating environments often have a negative impact on the productivity of the bioprocess, but in some cases, controlled environmental heterogeneity can improve bioprocess performance. The mixing effect is an important factor affecting the uniformity of the reaction system. Therefore, the stirring and mixing system of the reactor is crucial to providing the required reaction environment for cells or enzymes.

[0005] Most industrial fermentations are aerobic fermentations, and the reactions are carried out under oxygenated conditions. In aerobic liquid deep fermentation, mechanically stirred ventilation bioreactors occupy a dominant position in bioreactors. The dissolved oxygen concentration in the culture medium and the circulation of the liquid phase are controlled by the stirring speed and ventilation volume. The gas and material in the reactor are dispersed more evenly, and the average oxygen mass transfer efficiency is high. However, mechanically stirred ventilation bioreactors also have some shortcomings that need to be solved, such as: (1) Generally, there are multiple stirring blades. The energy consumption of stirring is positively correlated with the number of stirring blades. Therefore, the operating energy consumption is high, and the energy consumption of its mechanical stirring device accounts for about half of the energy consumption of the fermentation process. (2) The structure is complex, and the manufacturing, installation and maintenance costs are high. (3) The potential risk of bacterial contamination at the stirring shaft seal is high. (4) The flow field is complex. To achieve rational amplification, there is still a lack of efficient theoretical guidance and technical means for optimizing and amplifying the fermentation process of this type of bioreactor. (5) The stirring speed is high. For the fermentation culture of plant cells and microbial mycelium, the cells and mycelium are damaged by the rotating shear force of the stirring blades, and the metabolism and productivity will be affected. (6) For large-diameter reactors, a stagnant zone will form near the tank wall away from the stirring paddle, and the ventilation in this area will be restricted. (7) For high-viscosity reaction liquids, the mixing effect of the reaction liquid away from the stirring paddle is poor, and it is even almost static, showing severe dissolved oxygen limitation. When the ventilation volume is too large, the stirring paddle is wrapped by gas, and the stirring paddle will experience "gas flooding", and the volume oxygen transfer coefficient (KLa) will no longer increase. (8) As bioreactors develop towards large-scale, the size and power of the tank top motor are getting larger and larger, occupying space, and the size and strength of the stirring system are also increasing.

[0006] Therefore, for certain products that are very cost-sensitive and reaction processes with slow reaction rates and low production intensity, the operating costs of using mechanically stirred aeration bioreactors are often economically unaffordable.

[0007] Airlift bioreactors, on the other hand, have low operating energy consumption and are used for microbial fermentation, plant and animal cell culture, enzyme-catalyzed reactions, and wastewater treatment. Airlift bioreactors lack a mechanical stirring system and do not require a shaft seal for stirring, resulting in excellent sealing and a low risk of contamination. They also avoid damage to cells and mycelium caused by the shear force of the stirring blades. They have a simple structure and are easy to scale up. Their typically large aspect ratio allows for longer bubble retention in the reaction solution, resulting in higher gas utilization. The manufacturing, installation, operation, and maintenance costs of airlift bioreactors are much lower than those of mechanically stirred aeration bioreactors.

[0008] However, traditional large-scale airlift bioreactors also have shortcomings that limit their application: (1) It is generally believed that airlift bioreactors have long mixing times due to the lack of a mechanical stirring system, and the gas-liquid mixing and gas dispersion effects are poor. The mixing limitations of large reactors lead to some heterogeneity in the reaction environment, which has a negative impact on the profitability of the process. (2) The amplitude of periodic fluctuations in the dissolved oxygen in the reaction liquid and the oxygen uptake of the cells is large. At the bottom of the reactor, the culture liquid is fully oxygenated and enters the rising liquid zone. However, in the downcomer zone, although the fermentation liquid is entrained with bubbles, there is no fresh air input. Therefore, the downcomer zone is generally in an anoxic state and the CO2 concentration is too high. (3) The operational flexibility is small. The airlift bioreactor can only adjust the dissolved oxygen concentration in the reaction liquid, the circulation period of the liquid phase and the mixing time by adjusting the ventilation volume, but cannot be controlled separately. (4) When the efficiency of cells and enzymes is improved to a certain level, mass transfer becomes the limiting factor for improving the efficiency of the bioreactor. The compressed gas introduced is the sole energy source for mixing and circulating the reaction liquid in the airlift bioreactor. It relies on a large amount of ventilation input momentum to promote mass transfer and circulation of the reaction liquid. The mixing and circulation effect is poor at low gas velocity. Therefore, the ventilation volume per unit volume of reaction liquid is often higher than that of mechanically stirred ventilation bioreactors, and the energy consumption of ventilation is high. For some cells that are very sensitive to the oxygen concentration in the reaction liquid, the dissolved oxygen level must be strictly monitored, and reducing the ventilation volume will lead to serious insufficiency of mass transfer and heat transfer of the fluid. In addition, excessive ventilation drives out carbon dioxide and ethylene in the reaction liquid, which is not conducive to the cultivation of plant cells. (5) The position of the guide tube of the internal circulation airlift bioreactor is fixed, and the position of the external circulation pipe of the external circulation airlift bioreactor is also fixed. The gas content of the reaction liquid and the operations such as inoculation, feeding, sampling, discharge, and continuous reaction during the reaction process all affect the apparent volume and liquid level of the reaction liquid in the reactor. The fluctuation of the liquid level of the reaction liquid affects the flow circulation of the reaction liquid, and thus affects the entire flow field in the reactor. (6) For the scale-up of emerging reactions such as plant cell culture, photosynthetic fermentation, gas fermentation, electrofermentation, enzyme electrocatalysis, and photoenzyme catalysis, the existing airlift bioreactors still need a lot of improvement.

[0009] At the same time, traditional large-scale airlift bioreactors cannot be used for semi-solid fermentation with high solid content and high viscosity of the reaction liquid.

[0010] Compared with liquid fermentation, technicians in this field generally believe that solid-state fermentation has the advantages of relatively simple equipment and process, energy saving, water saving, and less polluting wastewater discharge. However, the cycle of solid-state fermentation is long, and the conversion and utilization rate of insoluble solid biomass is low. The specific reasons include: (1) The core of microbial fermentation is enzyme catalysis, and water is the reaction medium of most biological enzymes. In the absence of free water, the catalytic environment of extracellular biological enzymes is poor and the catalytic ability cannot be fully exerted. (2) The average particle size of the nutrient carrier of forced ventilation solid-state fermentation is generally large. The large steric hindrance and its non-productive adhesion to microorganisms and enzymes seriously restrict the accessibility of microorganisms and enzymes to the substrate. (3) The particle size of the solid culture matrix must be moderate to facilitate full contact between the matrix and microorganisms, and to play a loose supporting role, maintain the air permeability of the discontinuous physical structure of the solid culture matrix, and ensure gas diffusion. If the particle size of the solid culture matrix is ​​too small and the gap between the particles is narrow, it cannot provide enough oxygen for the microorganisms. Therefore, the nutrient carrier cannot be consumed too much, which directly limits the conversion and utilization rate of the main raw material. (4) Due to the difficulty of mass transfer and heat transfer in solid-state fermentation, not only are there macroscopic inhomogeneities in the materials, but the heterogeneity of the microenvironment of the matrix particles also seriously affects the fermentation, which is manifested in the gradients of oxygen, water, carbon source, nitrogen source, product, pH, microorganisms and enzymes, as well as the large differences in the microenvironment between the surface and bottom layers of the microbial film formed by the colonization of the matrix particles, resulting in significant differences in microbial metabolic growth and enzymatic reactions. (5) Soluble nutrients penetrate into the interior of the solid matrix particles and are not easily utilized, resulting in low utilization of these components and high residues. (6) Filamentous fungi often produce a large number of spores in the solid-state fermentation environment. The production of spores consumes a large amount of nutrients. If the goal is not to obtain spores, the production of spores reduces the effective conversion rate of the substrate and the yield of the target product. In summary, the proportion of target products in solid-state fermentation products is not high, and they can usually only be used in processes with low product purity requirements. In addition, the downstream product separation process is also a difficult process.

[0011] In terms of large-scale solid-state fermentation equipment and its process control, due to the lack of large-scale reactors that meet the requirements of strictly controllable culture conditions, the mechanization level of solid-state fermentation is low and the labor intensity is high, resulting in solid-state fermentation not being competitive in the large-scale production efficiency of many products, and product quality is not easy to stably control. For pure bacterial fermentation and mixed bacterial fermentation products of limited strains, contamination will lead to heavy losses in products, funds and time. For this reason, aseptic operations of the fermentation process must be implemented in large enclosed spaces. It is precisely the rigid requirements for aseptic operations in enclosed spaces that have made large-scale controllable solid-state fermentation processes difficult to achieve so far. The volume of existing closed dynamic solid-state fermentation reactors is difficult to exceed 20m 3, mainly manifested in: difficulty in mass transfer and heat transfer, the existence of obvious nutrient, product and temperature gradients, difficulty in monitoring and regulating parameters such as pH, temperature, humidity, oxygen content, biomass, substrate and product concentration during the fermentation process, and low degree of automation and controllability. It is difficult to implement feeding and discharging operations on solid materials while ensuring aseptic operation, and thus it is also difficult to achieve continuous fermentation. Since gaps must be left between the matrices, the actual utilization rate of the reactor is even lower. For example, it is very difficult to control the temperature and other parameters during the fermentation process of traditional solid-state rice wine, vinegar, sauce, etc. For this reason, only small containers can be used, which have low efficiency, low raw material utilization, long fermentation cycle, high cost, and are not suitable for large-scale industrialization needs. For this reason, the present invention proposes semi-solid fermentation with high solid content, which requires innovation in the structure of traditional reactors. Summary of the Invention

[0012] In response to the above technical problems, the present invention provides an airlift bioreactor, which overcomes the shortcomings of existing mechanically stirred ventilation bioreactors and airlift bioreactors, has strong adaptability to processes, and can be applied to large-scale, controllable and efficient fermentation of insoluble solid biomass.

[0013] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an airlift bioreactor, comprising:

[0014] A tank body, wherein a reaction chamber for accommodating reaction materials is formed in the tank body;

[0015] a flow guide tube having a hollow cavity and arranged in the reaction chamber; and

[0016] A material propulsion unit is installed or connected to the guide tube, and by driving the material propulsion unit to rotate around the center line of the guide tube, the reaction material in the reaction chamber circulates between the hollow cavity in the guide tube and the annular space between the guide tube and the tank body.

[0017] Preferably, the guide tube is fixedly installed in the reaction chamber, the material propulsion unit includes a rim propeller installed on the upper end of the guide tube, and the airlift bioreactor also includes at least one air bag arranged in the reaction chamber, which is connected to the outside of the tank body to change the liquid level of the material in the reaction chamber by passing fluid into the air bag or discharging the fluid in the air bag.

[0018] Preferably, the rim propeller comprises a rim propeller stator, a rim propeller rotor and a rim propeller blade, wherein the rim propeller stator is fixedly connected to the upper end of the guide cylinder, and the rim propeller blade is designed to be integrated with the rim propeller rotor or is detachably connected to the rim propeller rotor.

[0019] A cavity for accommodating the rim propeller rotor is provided in the rim propeller stator, or the rim propeller rotor is sleeved on the rim propeller stator and can be driven to rotate relative to the guide tube together with the rim propeller blades.

[0020] Preferably, the guide cylinder is an integral cylinder or is composed of several segmented cylinders coaxially arranged from top to bottom, and an annular gap is provided between two adjacent segmented cylinders to connect the hollow cavity in the guide cylinder to the annular space between the guide cylinder and the tank body.

[0021] Preferably, the guide tube is a rotary guide tube rotatably installed in the reaction chamber, and the material advancing unit includes a spiral belt connected to the inner wall and / or outer wall of the rotary guide tube and spirally extending around the center line of the rotary guide tube.

[0022] Preferably, a jacket or a heat exchange tube is provided on the inner wall and / or outer wall of the guide tube, wherein the heat exchange tube extends along the axial direction of the guide tube and is evenly arranged in the circumferential direction thereof, or the heat exchange tube is coiled on the inner wall and / or outer wall of the guide tube.

[0023] Alternatively, the guide tube is configured to be formed by splicing together a plurality of guide tube heat exchange tubes distributed along the circumferential direction or the axial direction.

[0024] Preferably, a screw-ribbon propeller is further included, which coaxially extends into the hollow cavity of the guide cylinder and is driven to rotate around its own axis to promote the flow of the reaction material in the hollow cavity.

[0025] Preferably, it further comprises a lower gas distributor and / or an upper gas distributor for supplying gas to the reaction materials in the reaction chamber.

[0026] Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a defoaming paddle installed in the reaction chamber and located above the guide tube, wherein the defoaming paddle is driven to rotate above the reaction material.

[0027] Preferably, it also includes a fixed pipe connected to the top of the tank body and extending into the hollow cavity in the guide tube, and a self-priming impeller connected to the bottom end of the fixed pipe, wherein an air suction hole is formed on the fixed pipe, and when the self-priming impeller is driven to operate, it sucks gas from the space above the material in the reaction chamber and discharges it into the hollow cavity in the guide tube.

[0028] Preferably, the self-priming impeller includes an impeller stator, an impeller rotor and an exhaust blade connected to the impeller rotor as a whole, the exhaust blade having an exhaust channel connecting the fixed pipe to the hollow cavity in the guide tube, so that when the exhaust blade rotates with the impeller rotor, the gas is sucked from the space above the material in the reaction chamber and discharged into the hollow cavity in the guide tube.

[0029] Preferably, a guide cone is provided at the bottom of the reaction chamber and protrudes toward the hollow cavity in the guide cylinder.

[0030] Preferably, the guide tube is coaxially arranged in the tank body, or a plurality of the guide tubes are arranged in a coaxial arrangement in the tank body.

[0031] Preferably, it also includes:

[0032] A vent pipe having an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein the air inlet is connected to an external air tank, and the air outlet is located at the bottom of the tank body;

[0033] The feed tube has a feed port and a feed port, the feed port is connected to an external multiple liquid storage tank storing nutrients, and the feed port is located in the vent tube or at the air outlet of the vent tube.

[0034] Preferably, the feed pipe includes a main pipe and several branch pipes, the feed port is provided at one end of the main pipe away from the branch pipes, and the branch pipes are arranged in parallel with each other and are respectively connected to the slurry storage tanks.

[0035] Preferably, an atomizer is provided at the feed inlet, and the atomizer is an airflow atomizer or a pressure atomizer.

[0036] Preferably, the tank body further comprises at least one vertical rod or vertical pipe provided in the tank body, wherein the upper end of the vertical rod is connected to the top of the tank body, and the lower end is connected to the bottom of the tank body; the upper end of the vertical pipe is connected to the top of the tank body or passes through the top wall of the tank body and is connected to an external ventilation pipe, and the lower end is connected to the bottom of the tank body;

[0037] One or more integrated motor agitators are provided on the vertical pole or vertical tube, and the integrated motor agitator includes a rim motor and stirring blades. The rim motor includes a motor stator fixedly connected to the vertical pole or vertical tube and a motor rotor sleeved outside the motor stator. The stirring blades are arranged as a whole with the motor rotor or are detachably connected to the motor rotor.

[0038] Preferably, at least one of the following is installed on the vertical pole or vertical pipe:

[0039] a defoaming paddle, located above the guide cylinder and driven to rotate above the reaction material;

[0040] A self-priming impeller sucks gas from the space above the material in the reaction chamber and discharges the gas into the hollow cavity in the guide cylinder when the self-priming impeller is driven to operate.

[0041] A second aspect of the present invention provides an airlift bioreactor comprising:

[0042] A tank body, wherein a reaction chamber for accommodating reaction materials is formed in the tank body;

[0043] a flow guide tube having a hollow cavity and fixedly installed in the reaction chamber; and

[0044] At least one rim propeller is installed on the guide tube, and by driving the rim propeller to rotate around the center line of the guide tube, the reaction material in the reaction chamber circulates between the hollow cavity in the guide tube and the annular space between the guide tube and the tank body.

[0045] A third aspect of the present invention provides an airlift bioreactor comprising:

[0046] A tank body, wherein a reaction chamber for accommodating reaction materials is formed in the tank body;

[0047] a flow guide tube having a hollow cavity and arranged in the reaction chamber; and

[0048] A screw-ribbon propeller coaxially extends into the hollow cavity of the guide tube, and is driven to rotate around its own axis to promote the flow of the reaction material in the hollow cavity, and allows the reaction material to circulate between the hollow cavity in the guide tube and the annular space between the guide tube and the tank body.

[0049] A fourth aspect of the present invention provides an airlift bioreactor comprising:

[0050] A tank body, wherein the tank body is provided with at least one flow guide cylinder arranged coaxially with the tank body or evenly distributed around the axis of the tank body, or the outer wall of the tank body is provided with at least one external circulation pipe connected to the fluid in the tank;

[0051] There is at least one rim thruster, which is arranged at the upper end of the guide cylinder or suspended in the tank, or arranged in the external circulation pipe;

[0052] There is at least one air bag disposed in the tank body, and the air bag is connected to an external pipe for introducing fluid into the air bag.

[0053] Preferably, the rim propeller comprises a rim propeller stator, a rim propeller rotor and a rim propeller blade, the rim propeller stator is provided with a cavity for accommodating the rim propeller rotor, and the rim propeller rotor and the rim propeller blade are integrally designed or detachably connected; or,

[0054] The rim propeller includes a rim propeller stator, a rim propeller rotor and a rim propeller blade. The rim propeller rotor is sleeved on the outside of the rim propeller stator. The rim propeller rotor and the rim propeller blade are integrally designed or detachably connected.

[0055] Preferably, the guide cylinder is an integral cylinder or is composed of several segmented cylinders arranged coaxially, and an annular gap is provided between two adjacent segmented cylinders. The rim propeller stator is connected to the guide cylinder or the rim propeller stator is connected to the pipe wall of the external circulation pipe, or the rim propeller stator is fixed in the tank body through a fixing part.

[0056] Preferably, a jacket or a heat exchange tube of the guide tube is provided on the inner wall and / or outer wall of the guide tube;

[0057] The heat exchange tubes of the guide tube extend along the axial direction of the inner wall and / or outer wall of the guide tube and are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction; or,

[0058] The heat exchange tube of the draft tube is coiled on the inner wall or outer wall of the draft tube; or,

[0059] The heat exchange tubes of the guide tube are spliced ​​longitudinally and / or transversely to form the guide tube.

[0060] Preferably, a gas distributor is also included, and the gas distributor includes an upper gas distributor and / or a lower gas distributor, the upper gas distributor is suspended on the inner tank top of the tank body or is arranged between the rim propeller stator and the rim propeller rotor, and the lower gas distributor is arranged at the inner bottom of the tank body.

[0061] Preferably, the lower end gas distributor is a cyclone propulsion type gas distributor, comprising a lower end vent pipe and a cyclone propulsion type gas distributor turbine arranged at the gas outlet of the lower end vent pipe.

[0062] Preferably, the cyclone-propelled gas distributor turbine is evenly distributed with radially opening rotor blades, and the upper end of the cyclone-propelled gas distributor turbine is connected with a cyclone-propelled gas distributor blade for pushing the fluid axially upward; or,

[0063] The cyclone propulsion type gas distributor turbine is composed of a plurality of tangential flow cyclone propulsion type gas distributor nozzles.

[0064] Preferably, the cyclone propulsion type gas distributor is a magnetic levitation type gas distributor.

[0065] Preferably, the rim propeller is a magnetic levitation propeller.

[0066] Preferably, the bottom of the tank is provided with a guide cone, and / or,

[0067] A plurality of porous sieve plates are arranged in the tank body.

[0068] Preferably, a plurality of vortex guide plates are provided in the liquid rising area and the liquid falling area of ​​the tank body, and / or,

[0069] A spoiler is provided above the guide tube.

[0070] Preferably, the rim propeller is an outer rotor rim propeller, the rim propeller rotor is sleeved on the outside of the rim propeller stator, and the rim propeller blades are defoaming paddles.

[0071] Preferably, the rim propeller rotor and the rim propeller stator together constitute an impeller, the interior of the impeller is designed to be a cavity, and it becomes a self-priming impeller. The internal cavity of the impeller is connected to the lower end of the rim propeller fixing tube, and the upper end of the rim propeller fixing tube is provided with an air suction hole, and the upper end of the rim propeller fixing tube is fixed to the inner top of the tank body.

[0072] Preferably, a light source or a light source array is provided in the tank body for light fermentation, and the light source or the light source array is arranged on the guide plate, the inner and outer walls of the guide cylinder, the inner wall of the outer circulation pipe or the inner wall of the tank body; or,

[0073] Electrodes are arranged in the tank for electric fermentation.

[0074] The fifth aspect of the present invention provides a semi-solid fermentation bioreactor, comprising a tank body having a feed port and a discharge port, wherein a rotating guide tube is arranged in the tank body, and the rotating guide tube is configured to be able to rotate around its own axis, and a spiral belt extending along its length direction is provided on the inner wall and / or outer wall of the rotating guide tube.

[0075] Preferably, one rotating guide cylinder is provided and is coaxially arranged with the tank body; or a plurality of rotating guide cylinders are provided and the plurality of rotating guide cylinders are evenly spaced apart in the tank body.

[0076] Preferably, the spiral belt is provided on both the inner wall and the outer wall of the rotating guide cylinder, and the spiral belt on the inner wall of the rotating guide cylinder has an opposite rotation direction to that of the spiral belt on the outer wall of the rotating guide cylinder.

[0077] Preferably, at least part of the wall of the rotary guide cylinder is configured as a hollow structure.

[0078] Preferably, a motor is provided on the inner top of the tank body, and the motor is used to drive the rotary guide tube to rotate around its own axis.

[0079] Preferably, a defoaming paddle is provided above the rotary guide tube, and the defoaming paddle is driven by the motor to rotate around the axis of the rotary guide tube.

[0080] Preferably, the semi-solid fermentation bioreactor further comprises a screw-ribbon propeller, which is coaxially inserted in the draft tube and driven to rotate around its own axis to promote the flow of materials in the draft tube.

[0081] Preferably, a fixed guide tube is provided between the lower end of the rotating guide tube and the inner bottom of the tank body, the fixed guide tube is coaxially arranged with the rotating guide tube, and a rim propeller is provided on the inner cylinder wall and / or the outer cylinder wall of the fixed guide tube, and the rim propeller is used to push the material to move along the axial direction of the fixed guide tube; and / or

[0082] The semi-solid fermentation bioreactor further comprises an air bag and a pipeline. The air bag is arranged below the liquid level of the material in the tank body. The pipeline is arranged to be able to input fluid into the air bag for controlling the volume of the air bag.

[0083] Preferably, the fixed guide cylinder is an integral cylinder or is composed of at least two segmented cylinders combined along the axial direction of the tank body, and an annular gap is provided between two adjacent segmented cylinders in the axial direction.

[0084] The present invention has the following advantages due to the adoption of the above technical solution:

[0085] 1. The liquid level of the reaction liquid is adjusted and stabilized by the inflation degree of the air bag in the reactor, and the mixing and circulation of the top reaction liquid is controlled and stabilized to avoid the whole flow field being out of control due to the out-of-control of the top reaction liquid height.

[0086] 2. The rim propeller provides a second source of kinetic energy for mixing and circulation of the reaction liquid in the airlift bioreactor. Together with the ventilation volume of the lower end gas distributor, it regulates the liquid velocity, circulation cycle and mixing time of the reaction liquid. To a certain extent, it can control the fluctuation period and degree of the reaction liquid pressure and gas content.

[0087] 3. The rim propeller eliminates the need for complex and heavy shaft systems, transmission mechanisms, shaft seals, and speed reducers. It boasts a compact structure, high integration, small size, light weight, low noise, minimal vibration, and high efficiency. Therefore, the reactor of this invention maintains the advantages of an airlift bioreactor: no dynamic seal, good sealing, and resistance to bacterial contamination.

[0088] 4. Compared with the multi-stage agitator of the mechanically stirred ventilation bioreactor, the rim propeller promotes the axial circulation of the liquid flow, has good axial mixing performance, and can adapt to the reaction liquid with high viscosity or containing a large amount of solids; the rim propeller can achieve a greater propulsion force on the reaction liquid at a lower speed, with low energy consumption and less shear force of the blades on cells and mycelium.

[0089] 5. Introducing fresh gas into the downcomer zone of the culture solution can increase the gas content and dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) in the downcomer zone and reduce the amplitude of periodic fluctuations of gas and DO in the reaction solution. This can not only adapt to fermentation with high respiratory intensity, but also improve the reaction uniformity in the reactor.

[0090] 6. The speed of the rim propeller, the ventilation volume of the upper gas distributor and the ventilation volume of the lower gas distributor are used to control the intensity of fluid mixing, the gas content in the rising and falling liquid zones, and DO. This not only increases the flexibility of process operation, but also provides the possibility of implementing new control methods such as flow field environment control, temperature field control, and concentration field control.

[0091] 7. The flow field is relatively simple and easy to scale up. By adding spoilers, guide plates, porous sieve plates, etc., the turbulence of the flow field is increased, the bubbles are further dispersed, and the radial mixing of the fluid is enhanced.

[0092] 8. Improve the uniformity of the reaction system and reduce the negative impact of the heterogeneity of the reaction system on the reaction.

[0093] 9. The reactor of the present invention can be used for gas fermentation and anaerobic fermentation. It is also easily modified to accommodate emerging large-scale bioreactions such as photosynthetic fermentation, electrofermentation, enzyme electrocatalysis, photoenzyme catalysis, and plant cell culture. It can also be used for other chemical reactions.

[0094] 10. The airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention has a guide tube arranged in the reaction chamber of the tank body, and the material propulsion unit is installed or connected to the guide tube; compared with the stirring system in the traditional reactor, it does not require complex and heavy shaft systems and other transmission mechanisms, shaft sealing systems and reducers. It not only has a compact structure, high integration, small size, light weight, low noise and small vibration, but also has high reaction efficiency and good sealing. The airlift bioreactor is not easily contaminated by bacteria during the fermentation process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0095] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention;

[0096] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of another airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention;

[0097] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a third airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention;

[0098] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a fourth airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention;

[0099] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a single-ribbon propeller airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention;

[0100] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a double-ribbon propeller airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention;

[0101] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a large-diameter-high-ratio airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention;

[0102] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a second large-diameter, high-ratio airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention;

[0103] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of an open large-diameter high-ratio airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention;

[0104] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a rim propeller provided by the present invention;

[0105] FIG11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a flow-guiding heat exchange cylinder provided by the present invention;

[0106] FIG12 is a schematic longitudinal section of the guide heat exchange cylinder provided by the present invention;

[0107] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a self-priming impeller provided by the present invention;

[0108] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a fifth airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention;

[0109] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of a sixth airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention;

[0110] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of a seventh airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention;

[0111] FIG17 is a schematic diagram of an eighth airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention;

[0112] The marks in the figure are as follows: 100 - tank body; 101 - tank body bottom; 102 - tank body top; 103 - feed port; 104 - exhaust port; 105 - discharge port; 200-draft guide tube; 201-annular gap; 202-draft guide tube heat exchange tube; 203-draft guide cone; 204-impeller stator; 205-impeller rotor; 206-exhaust blade; 207-feeding port; 208-cyclone propulsion gas distributor; 209-spoiler; 210-vent pipe; 211-lower end vent pipe; 212-lower end gas distributor; 213-upper end vent pipe; 214-upper end gas distributor; 215-feeding tube; 216-fixed pipe; 217-intake port; 218-self-priming impeller; 219-fixed rod; 220-defoaming paddle; 230-fixed draft guide tube; 240-rotating draft guide tube; 300-reacting materials; 301-downflow zone; 302-upflow zone; 400 - Rim propeller; 401 - Ribbon propeller; 402 - Rim propeller stator; 403 - Rim propeller rotor; 407 - Shaft seat; 410 - Rim propeller blades; 411 - Single-ribbon propeller; 412 - Double-ribbon propeller; 413 - Helical ribbon; 500 - Airbag; 501 - Airbag retaining ribs. 600 - Vertical pole; 601 - Vertical pipe; 610 - Integrated motor agitator; 611 - Rim motor; 612 - Agitator blades; 613 - Motor stator; 614 - Motor rotor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0113] The following describes the specific embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to illustrate and explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0114] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the present invention are described clearly and completely below. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. All other embodiments derived by ordinary persons in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0115] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the present invention shall have the usual meanings understood by persons of ordinary skill in the field to which the present invention belongs. The words "first", "second", "third", "fourth" and similar terms used in the present invention do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects preceding the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Words such as "connect" or "connected" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect.

[0116] For ease of description, spatially relative terms may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature relative to another element or feature as shown in the figures, such as "inside," "outside," "inner side," "outer side," "lower," "upper," etc. Such spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.

[0117] Referring to Figures 1 to 9 , one aspect of the present invention provides an airlift bioreactor comprising a tank body 100, a draft tube 200, and a material propulsion unit. The tank body 100 defines a reaction chamber for accommodating reaction material 300; the draft tube 200 has a hollow cavity and is disposed within the reaction chamber; and the material propulsion unit is mounted or connected to the draft tube 200 and is driven to rotate about the centerline of the draft tube 200, thereby causing the reaction material 300 within the reaction chamber to circulate between the hollow cavity within the draft tube 200 and the annular space between the draft tube 200 and the tank body 100.

[0118] It can be understood that the guide tube 200 of the airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention can be a fixed guide tube 230 (see Figures 1 to 3, Figures 5 to 10) or a rotating guide tube 240 (see Figure 4). Accordingly, as described in detail later, the guide tube 200 can be equipped with a rim propeller 400 or a material propulsion unit in the form of a spiral belt 413.

[0119] When a fermentation reaction is carried out using the airlift bioreactor provided by the present invention, the reaction material 300 is put into the reaction chamber of the tank body 100, and the material propulsion unit rotates around the center line of the guide tube 200, so that the reaction material 300 circulates between the hollow cavity and the annular space within the guide tube 200; thereby, the reaction material 300 in the tank body 100 is fully mixed, achieving the purpose of enhancing the mass transfer and heat transfer of the reaction material 300, and improving the fermentation conversion rate of the insoluble solid reaction material 300 (see Figures 1 to 9).

[0120] Optionally, the reaction material 300 flows downward in the hollow cavity inside the guide tube 200 to form a downcomer 301, and flows upward in the annular space between the guide tube 200 and the tank body 100 to form a riser 302 (see Figures 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9). Optionally, the reaction material 300 flows upward in the hollow cavity inside the guide tube 200 to form a riser 302, and flows downward in the annular space between the guide tube 200 and the tank body 100 to form a downcomer 301 (see Figures 3 and 8).

[0121] The reaction materials 300 circulate in the downcomer 301 and the riser 302 , thereby achieving sufficient mixing of the reaction materials 300 .

[0122] It can be understood that the material propulsion unit can be, but is not limited to, a rim propeller 400 (see FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 , etc.) or a spiral belt 413 (see FIG. 4 ), etc.

[0123] In some optional embodiments, the tank body 100 of the airlift bioreactor further comprises an inlet 103, a discharge port 105, and an exhaust port 104. When performing a fermentation reaction using the airlift bioreactor provided herein, the reaction material 300 is introduced into the tank body 100 through the inlet 103, and the fermentation reaction product is discharged through the discharge port 105. The inlet 103 can also serve as a manhole, and the exhaust port 104 is provided at the top 102 of the tank body.

[0124] The airlift bioreactor of the present invention can be a closed tank 100 with a large diameter-to-height ratio, containing multiple parallel draft tubes 200 and a material propulsion unit (see Figures 7 and 8). The airlift bioreactor of the present invention can also be configured as an open reactor for open fermentation (see Figure 9).

[0125] 1 to 3 , in some preferred embodiments, the draft tube 200 is fixedly mounted within the reaction chamber, the material propulsion unit comprises a rim propeller 400 mounted at the upper end or middle portion of the draft tube 200, and the airlift bioreactor further comprises at least one air bag 500 disposed within the reaction chamber. The air bag 500 is connected to the exterior of the tank 100 to change the liquid level within the reaction chamber by introducing fluid into the air bag 500 or discharging fluid from the air bag 500.

[0126] The rim propeller 400 of this embodiment provides kinetic energy for mixing and circulating the reaction materials 300 within the airlift bioreactor. It is understandable that the rim propeller 400 is also known as a "rim-driven thruster (RDT)", a shaftless propeller, or an integrated motor propeller. It integrates the propeller's rotor and blades into one, without using a shaft to transmit torque. The torque generated by the motor is directly transmitted to the rim of the rim blades through the rotor, driving the rim blades to rotate, replacing the stirring shaft system and shaft seal system that pass through the tank in traditional agitators. The rim propeller 400 is divided into an inner rotor rim propeller and an outer rotor rim propeller according to the position of the rotor. Compared with traditional shaft agitation systems, the rim propeller 400 does not require a shaft system, is much lighter, has fewer noise sources, and has very low vibration. It also has the advantages of high efficiency, compact structure, and small size. Figure 10 schematically shows a cross-sectional structure of an inner rotor rim propeller.

[0127] The rim propeller 400 of this embodiment can be a pneumatic rim propeller driven by compressed gas. This pneumatic rim propeller uses compressed gas to drive the rotor while simultaneously introducing gas into the reaction solution. Therefore, compressed gas drive can fully utilize the kinetic energy of the compressed gas while also introducing fresh gas into the downcomer. A compressed gas-driven rim propeller avoids the difficulty of creating a potential difference between the fermenter and the outside world, which is often encountered with electric drive.

[0128] The rim thruster 400 of this embodiment can also be an electrically driven electric rim thruster. The cables of the electric rim thruster and the compressed gas pipelines of the pneumatic rim thruster are easy to arrange and seal in the reactor, and take up less space.

[0129] The airlift bioreactor further comprises at least one air bag 500 disposed in the reaction chamber. The liquid phase height above the draft tube 200 of the airlift bioreactor has a great influence on the mixing and circulation of the reaction liquid. Liquid or gas liquid The solid dispersed phase is composed of a phase whose height varies with both the volume of the liquid in the tank and the amount of gas injected. The gas holdup of the reaction material 300, as well as operations such as inoculation, feeding, sampling, discharging, and continuous fermentation during the reaction process, all affect the volume and liquid level of the reaction solution in the reactor. To stabilize and regulate the height of the liquid level in the reactor, the present invention installs an airbag 500 below the liquid level in the reactor. The airbag 500 is connected to a pipeline leading to the outside of the tank. Fluid is filled into or discharged from the airbag 500 through the pipeline. The filling degree of the airbag 500 is controlled to change the volume of the airbag 500 and thus regulate the liquid level of the reaction solution in the reactor. The airbag 500 can be filled with gas and liquid, preferably compressed air. A liquid level sensor can be provided to feedback control the filling degree of the airbag 500.

[0130] The airlift bioreactor provided in this embodiment can change the liquid level of the reaction material 300 in the reaction chamber by introducing fluid into the airbag 500 or discharging the fluid in the airbag 500, thereby controlling and stabilizing the mixing and circulation of the top reaction material 300, and avoiding the loss of control of the entire flow field due to the loss of control of the height of the reaction material 300.

[0131] The longitudinal cross-section of the airbag 500 is fusiform, and the wall is composed of an elastic polymer material capable of withstanding the fermentation sterilization temperature and pressure. The airbag 500 can be formed into a cylindrical shape, replacing a portion of the guide tube 200. The airbag 500 is preferably located in the middle section of the guide tube 200, with the upper and lower ends of the airbag 500 preferably fixed to the guide tube 200 above and below it. The airbag 500 can also be placed in other suitable locations. Optionally, the airbag 500 is secured by an airbag fixing rib 501, which is preferably a tubular structure, and the pipe of the airbag fixing rib 501 is connected to the interior of the airbag 500. A reactor can have one or more airbags 500.

[0132] 10 , in a preferred embodiment, the rim propeller 400 includes a rim propeller stator 402, a rim propeller rotor 403, and rim propeller blades 410. The rim propeller stator 402 can be fixedly connected to the upper end of the guide tube 200, and the rim propeller blades 410 are designed to be integral with the rim propeller rotor 403 or detachably connected to the rim propeller rotor 403. A cavity for accommodating the rim propeller rotor 403 is defined in the rim propeller stator 402, or the rim propeller rotor 403 is sleeved on the rim propeller stator 402 and can be driven to rotate relative to the guide tube 200 together with the rim propeller blades 410.

[0133] The rim propeller 400 is immersed in the reaction liquid and can be installed at the upper end and / or the middle position of the guide tube 200. The rim propeller stator 402 of the rim propeller 400 is connected to the guide tube 200, so that the rim propeller 400 is installed in the reactor (see Figures 1 to 3 and Figures 5 to 10).

[0134] The rim propeller rotor 403 rotates relative to the rim propeller stator 402, driving the rim propeller blades 410 to rotate relative to the guide tube 200, so that when the airlift bioreactor performs a fermentation reaction, the rim propeller 400 drives the reaction material 300 in the tank body 100 to be fully mixed.

[0135] In the present invention, the integrated rotor and blades are referred to as an "impeller," and impellers can have various designs. The blades of the rim propeller 400 are preferably pitched or helicoidal, with two or more blades symmetrically distributed. When the rim propeller 400 is in operation, the blades push the fluid in the corresponding area downward, increasing the flow rate of the reaction material 300 within the downcomer zone 301, accelerating the circulation and mixing of the reaction material 300, and breaking up bubbles that have coalesced above the reaction material 300.

[0136] When the rim propeller 400 at the top of the draft tube 200 increases its speed to a certain level, the vortex generated by the rim propeller 400 reaches the top of the impeller, entraining the gas above the liquid surface into the reaction mass 300. Some of the gas in the headspace of the reaction chamber then re-enters the reaction mass 300 to participate in the reaction. Another benefit of this method is that any foam floating on the surface of the reaction mass 300 is entrained back into the reaction mass 300, thus defoaming it.

[0137] Referring to Figures 1 to 9, in some preferred embodiments, the guide cylinder 200 is an integral cylinder or is composed of several segmented cylinders coaxially arranged from top to bottom, and an annular gap 201 is provided between two adjacent segmented cylinders to connect the hollow cavity in the guide cylinder 200 to the annular space between the guide cylinder 200 and the tank body 100.

[0138] It should be noted that the configuration of the draft tube 200 in the present invention needs to be adaptively selected based on its own specifications and dimensions as well as the specifications and dimensions of the tank body 100 to effectively propel the reaction materials 300 within the tank body and ensure enhanced mass and heat transfer. In one specific embodiment, multiple draft tubes are provided, evenly spaced about the axis of the tank body (see Figures 7 to 9).

[0139] It is understood that the draft tube 200 that guides the circulation of the reaction liquid in the airlift bioreactor is a cylinder coaxial with the tank body 100. The draft tube 200 can be a single unit (see Figures 1, 6 to 9) or two or more coaxial cylinders in segments (see Figures 2, 3, and 5). The gap between two adjacent segmented cylinders is called an annular gap 201. There may or may not be an annular gap 201 between the rim propeller stator 402 of the rim propeller 400 and the draft tube 200. The draft tube 200 can be a regular cylinder or a spiral cylinder, which guides the reaction liquid to spiral upward or downward, increasing the tangential flow and turbulence in the flow field, extending the residence time and flow path of bubbles in the reactor, and breaking up large bubbles. The airlift bioreactor is arranged with a plurality of draft tubes 200 evenly distributed around the axis of the tank body 100.

[0140] Referring to Figure 4, in some preferred embodiments, the guide tube 200 is a rotating guide tube 240 rotatably installed in the reaction chamber, and the material advancing unit includes a spiral belt 413 connected to the inner wall and / or outer wall of the rotating guide tube 240 and spirally extending around the center line of the rotating guide tube 240.

[0141] The spiral belt 413 in this embodiment can forcibly drive the reaction material 300 in the tank body 100 to rise in the rising zone 302 or descend in the downcomer zone 301 when the rotating guide tube 240 rotates around its own axis, thereby promoting sufficient mixing of the reaction material 300 in the tank body 100, thereby achieving the purpose of enhancing mass transfer and heat transfer of the reaction material 300.

[0142] In an optional embodiment, the spiral bands 413 are provided on both the inner and outer walls of the rotating draft tube 240. The spiral bands 413 on the inner wall of the rotating draft tube 240 rotate in opposite directions to the spiral bands 413 on the outer wall of the rotating draft tube 240. This allows the reaction materials inside and outside the rotating draft tube 240 to circulate, thereby facilitating mass and heat transfer and promoting efficient fermentation reactions.

[0143] Referring to Figures 11 and 12 , in some preferred embodiments, when a fixed flow guide tube 230 is used, a jacket or flow guide tube heat exchange tubes 202 may be provided on the inner and / or outer walls of the fixed flow guide tube 230. The flow guide tube heat exchange tubes 202 may extend axially along the fixed flow guide tube 230 and be evenly arranged circumferentially; alternatively, the flow guide tube heat exchange tubes 202 may be coiled around the inner and / or outer walls of the fixed flow guide tube 230; alternatively, the fixed flow guide tube 230 may be configured to be composed of a plurality of flow guide tube heat exchange tubes 202 distributed circumferentially or axially.

[0144] It should be noted that the fixed flow guide tube 230 itself can also be set as a flow guide tube heat exchange tube 202 with a hollow interior. The flow guide tube heat exchange tube 202 can be a coil on the inner wall and / or outer wall of the fixed flow guide tube 230 (Figure 12A shows a semicircular coil on the inner wall of the fixed flow guide tube 230), or a longitudinal vertical tube (Figure 11A is a circular vertical tube on the longitudinal inner wall of the fixed flow guide tube 230, Figure 11B is a square vertical tube on the longitudinal inner wall of the fixed flow guide tube 230, and Figure 11C is a semicircular vertical tube on the outer wall of the fixed flow guide tube 230); the flow guide tube heat exchange tube 202 can also be directly spliced ​​longitudinally and / or transversely to form the outer shape of the fixed flow guide tube 230 (Figure 12B shows square tubes spliced ​​transversely and spirally to form the outer shape of the fixed flow guide tube 230, and Figure 11D shows square tubes spliced ​​longitudinally to form the outer shape of the fixed flow guide tube 230).

[0145] Fluid used for heat exchange is passed into the interior of the guide tube heat exchange tube 202, so that the fixed guide tube 230 also has the function of a heat exchanger, heating and cooling the reaction material 300, improving the temperature control performance of the airlift bioreactor, and heating and cooling faster, which not only saves the heating and cooling time of sterilization and improves the equipment utilization rate, but also can adapt to fermentation with large heat release.

[0146] 5 and 6 , in some preferred embodiments, the airlift bioreactor may further include a screw-belt propeller 401 , which coaxially extends into the hollow cavity of the flow guide tube 200 and is driven to rotate around its own axis to promote the flow of the reaction material 300 in the hollow cavity.

[0147] In an optional embodiment, when the guide tube 200 is configured as a rotating guide tube 240, the screw-belt propeller 401 and the guide tube can share a motor, that is, the screw-belt propeller 401 and the guide tube 200 are simultaneously driven by the motor to rotate, thereby promoting the flow of the reaction material 300 in the hollow cavity.

[0148] It is understandable that, in the case of being provided with a spiral ribbon propeller 401, the guide tube 200 can also be set as a fixed guide tube 230. The spiral ribbon propeller 401 can adopt any appropriate structural form, as long as it can promote the reaction material 300 in the rotating guide tube 240 to flow when rotating around its own axis. The spiral ribbon propeller 401 can be a single spiral ribbon propeller (see Figure 5) or a double spiral ribbon propeller (see Figure 6). It is understandable that the single spiral ribbon propeller includes a single spiral ribbon propeller 411, and the double spiral ribbon propeller includes a double spiral ribbon propeller 412. Furthermore, in order to ensure the stability and reliability of the spiral ribbon propeller 401 during rotation, the bottom 101 of the tank body is provided with a shaft seat 407 that rotates with the bottom end of the spiral ribbon propeller 401.

[0149] 1 to 9 , in some preferred embodiments, the airlift bioreactor further includes an upper gas distributor 214 and / or a lower gas distributor 212 for supplying gas to the reaction material 300 in the reaction chamber.

[0150] It can be understood that the upper gas distributor 214 provides an upper vent pipe 213 to supply gas to the reaction material 300 in the reaction chamber (see Figures 2 and 3); the lower gas distributor 212 provides a lower upper vent pipe 211 to supply gas to the reaction material 300 in the reaction chamber (see Figures 1 to 9).

[0151] The upper gas distributor 214 may be disposed at the upper inner portion of the tank body 100 , and the lower gas distributor 212 may be disposed at the bottom 101 of the tank body.

[0152] It can be understood that the ventilation volume of the upper gas distributor 214 and the lower gas distributor 212 can be controlled independently. In actual use, the upper gas distributor 214 and the lower gas distributor 212 can be used at the same time, or the upper gas distributor 214 or the lower gas distributor 212 can be used alone.

[0153] The present embodiment does not impose any particular limitation on the structural form of the gas distributor; for example, the gas distributor may be a single-tube type, an umbrella-shaped type, a small-hole coil type, a jet type, a swirl type, or a turbine type. The gas outlet of the gas distributor may be provided with a microfiltration membrane, preferably a ceramic membrane or a metal sintered membrane, which has the advantage of reducing the bubbles entering the tank body 100.

[0154] Furthermore, the gas distributor based on the microfiltration membrane can also reversely pressurize or extract the filtrate from the tank body 100. Utilizing the pressure differential between the tank body 100 and the vent pipe 211, the reaction material 300 in the tank body 100 can pass through the microfiltration membrane to achieve solid-liquid separation, and the filtrate can flow out of the vent pipe 211. This operation is suitable for the online separation of products produced by microbial fermentation and enzyme catalysis that can pass through the microfiltration membrane. By promptly removing the product to reduce product feedback inhibition, it is possible to implement coupled fermentation and product separation, continuous fermentation, and online sampling.

[0155] In this embodiment, the lower gas distributor 212 is preferably a cyclone-propelled gas distributor 208 . The advantage of the cyclone-propelled gas distributor 208 is that it can fully utilize the injection kinetic energy of the compressed gas to increase the rising flow rate of the reaction material 300 (see FIG. 3 ).

[0156] Specifically, the cyclone-propelled gas distributor 208 has a cavity turbine (cyclone-propelled gas distributor turbine) at the outlet of the lower vent pipe 211, rotating about the outlet. The evenly distributed vanes within the cavity turbine are radially open, and attached to the upper portion of the cavity turbine are blades (cyclone-propelled gas distributor blades) that propel the fluid axially upward. When gas is injected into the tank 100 through the lower vent pipe 211, the gas is guided by the vanes within the cavity turbine, driving the cavity turbine in the opposite direction. The blades on the cavity turbine rotate accordingly, pushing the fluid upward, increasing the flow rate of the fluid in the rising liquid zone and further breaking up bubbles.

[0157] The turbine of the cyclone-propelled gas distributor 208 can also be composed of multiple tangential flow gas nozzles (cyclone-propelled gas distributor nozzles). The stator and rotor of the cyclone-propelled gas distributor 208 can use magnetic levitation technology to reduce friction between the rotating disk and the ventilation pipe, reduce energy consumption, and extend service life.

[0158] It should be noted that the dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) in the aerobic fermentation reaction material is a key operational variable during the reaction process, and its control level directly affects the changes in multiple other variable parameters. This embodiment specifically controls the DO, gas content, superficial liquid velocity, material circulation time, and mixing intensity in the reaction material by adjusting the ventilation volume of the upper and lower gas distributors and the rotational speed of the material propulsion unit, thereby providing the possibility of implementing new control methods for the flow field environment, temperature field, concentration field, etc.

[0159] 3 to 6 and 10 , in some preferred embodiments, a defoaming paddle 220 installed in the reaction chamber and located above the guide tube is further included. The defoaming paddle 220 is driven to rotate above the reaction material 300 .

[0160] It can be understood that the technical solution of this embodiment can be to set up a defoaming paddle bracket connected to the rim motor 611 in the reaction chamber to support the defoaming paddle 220. The defoaming paddle 220 rotates with the rim motor 611. The rim motor 611 drives the defoaming paddle 220 to rotate while driving the guide tube 200 to rotate (see Figure 4), playing a role in defoaming in the gas-liquid separation area. A rim motor can also be hung from the top 102 of the tank body, as shown in Figures 3, 5 and 6, and the defoaming paddle 220 is connected to its motor rotor. The defoaming paddle is started and the speed of the defoaming paddle is adjusted according to the foam situation. When there is no foam, it is not started to save electricity. When there is a lot of foam, the defoaming paddle is started, and it can even rotate at a higher speed to centrifuge the foam to the tank body 100 to achieve rapid defoaming. The defoaming paddle 220 with independent speed control can have various forms, including but not limited to: rake type, scraper type, turbine type, centrifugal type, and disc type.

[0161] 1 and 13 , in some preferred embodiments, the tank further includes a fixed pipe 216 connected to the tank top 102 and extending into the hollow cavity within the guide tube 200, and a self-priming impeller 218 rotatably mounted on the bottom end of the fixed pipe. The fixed pipe 216 is formed with an air suction hole 217. When driven to rotate, the self-priming impeller 218 can draw air from the space above the guide tube 200 and discharge it into the hollow cavity within the guide tube 200.

[0162] The self-priming impeller 218 can achieve the recirculation of gas in the top space of the airlift bioreactor, thereby making full use of the reaction gas. Its mechanism is as follows: the self-priming impeller 218 is directly hoisted into the tank body and immersed in the reaction material. The self-priming impeller 218 rotates, forming a liquid flow around the self-priming impeller 218, continuously repelling the surrounding reaction material. When the self-priming impeller 218 rotates at a high speed and reaches a critical speed, the pressure of the material around the self-priming impeller 218 is lower than the pressure at the center of the self-priming impeller 218 cavity. The self-priming impeller 218 with a cavity generates a pressure difference at its end opening. When the local pressure drop overcomes the reaction material liquid level pressure head, the gas in the hollow fixed tube 216 reaches the end opening of the rotor and is ejected at high speed. The suction hole 217 at the upper end of the fixed tube 216 draws in the gas in the reactor top space, achieving gas recirculation. The self-priming impeller 218 can have a variety of design methods / structures. If the fixed pipe 216 is connected to the air inlet pipe outside the tank, the gas inside and outside the tank can be sucked in at the same time.

[0163] 1 and 13 , in some preferred embodiments, the self-priming impeller 218 includes an impeller stator 204, an impeller rotor 205, and an exhaust blade 206 integrally connected to the impeller rotor 205. The exhaust blade 206 has an exhaust passage connecting the fixed pipe 216 to the hollow cavity within the guide tube 200. When the exhaust blade 206 rotates with the impeller rotor 205, the exhaust blade 206 draws gas from the space above the guide tube 200 and discharges the gas into the hollow cavity within the guide tube 200.

[0164] It can be understood that the impeller rotor 205 drives the exhaust blade 206 to rotate, so as to draw the gas in the top space of the tank into the reaction material 300 through the air intake port and the air intake pipe.

[0165] Referring to FIG. 3 , in a preferred embodiment, a guide cone 203 protruding toward the hollow cavity in the guide cylinder is provided at the bottom of the reaction chamber.

[0166] It can be understood that the guide cone 203 is used to guide the mixing and circulation of the reaction material 300 at the bottom of the tank body 100, improve the circulation and mixing effect of the reaction material 300 at this position, avoid the reaction material 300 at the central position of the bottom of the tank body from becoming a flow dead zone, and especially prevent the accumulation of fermentation particles at the central position of the bottom of the tank body.

[0167] Referring to FIG. 2 , in an optional embodiment, a spoiler 209 may be provided above the guide tube 200 . The spoiler 209 may increase the turbulence of the flow field, further disperse the bubbles, and enhance radial mixing of the fluid.

[0168] 1 to 9 , in some preferred embodiments, the guide tube 200 is coaxially arranged in the tank body 100 (see FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 ), or a plurality of the guide tubes 200 arranged parallel to each other are provided in the tank body 100 (see FIG. 7 to FIG. 9 ).

[0169] Referring to Figures 1 and 6 , the draft tube 200 guiding the circulation of the reaction liquid in the airlift bioreactor of this embodiment is a cylinder coaxial with the tank body. The draft tube 200 can be a single unit or comprised of two or more coaxial cylinders in sections (see Figures 2, 3, and 5 ). The draft tube 200 can be a regular cylinder or a spiral cylinder, guiding the reaction liquid in a spiral upward or downward motion, increasing tangential flow and turbulence in the flow field, extending the residence time and flow path of bubbles within the reactor, and breaking up large bubbles. The airlift bioreactor is equipped with several draft tubes 200 evenly distributed around the axis of the tank body 100.

[0170] Referring to Figures 14 and 15 , in some preferred embodiments, the airlift bioreactor further comprises a vent pipe 210 and a feed pipe 215. The vent pipe 210 has an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein the air inlet is connected to an external gas storage tank, and the air outlet is located at the bottom of the tank body 100; the feed pipe 215 has a feed inlet and a feed inlet 207, wherein the feed inlet is connected to an external storage tank for multiple feed solutions containing nutrients, and the feed inlet 207 is located inside the vent pipe or at the air outlet of the vent pipe.

[0171] To further illustrate the beneficial effects of this embodiment, the related technologies are introduced here. Feeding liquid is a common fermentation process control strategy, which can feed liquids such as nutrients, precursor compounds, inducers, regulators, promoters, enzyme preparations, acids, and bases.

[0172] The existing feed method injects the liquid feed vertically into the fermentation broth in a continuous columnar stream from the top of the fermenter. This results in high feed concentrations in the fermentation broth at the local addition point, while the concentration at the distal end is much lower, leading to significant concentration differences in the fermentation broth. Particularly in large fermenters, due to limited mass transfer capacity, the feed concentration is too high at certain locations, requiring a long time to evenly disperse into the fermentation broth, with some mixing times reaching as long as 1000 seconds.

[0173] The above method will result in excessively high concentrations of feed in local areas of the fermentation broth. The dilution and mixing time of the feed in the fermentation broth is long, resulting in an unbalanced fermentation environment, which often has a negative impact on fermentation. Feeds such as acids and bases cause drastic changes in the pH of the local fermentation broth, causing significant damage to cells and reducing the profitability of the strain and process. At the same time, cells near the feed point will increase their absorption of substrates, leading to increased overflow metabolism and high oxygen demand, resulting in the overflow of unwanted products and energy. In areas with lower substrate concentrations, cells may re-consume overflow metabolites and / or activate stress response pathways. Therefore, the method of injecting feed from the top of the tank is not suitable for the metabolic requirements of the bacteria.

[0174] On the other hand, in the aforementioned fed-batch method, air is introduced from the bottom of the fermenter. The dissolved oxygen in the fermentation liquid is highest near the air outlet, while the dissolved oxygen in the upper fermentation liquid is lower. Generally, during aerobic fermentation, when the carbon source concentration is high, the demand for oxygen is greater. The existing method of injecting the fed-batch liquid from the top of the tank initially creates a higher carbon source concentration zone in the upper fermentation liquid. As the fermentation liquid circulates to the high dissolved oxygen zone at the bottom of the tank, the carbon source concentration is diluted and reduced as the fermentation liquid circulates. This results in lower dissolved oxygen concentration in areas with higher carbon source concentration, and lower carbon source concentration in areas with higher dissolved oxygen concentration.

[0175] The airlift bioreactor of this embodiment has the feed inlet 207 located in the vent pipe 210 or near the gas outlet. It has a simple structure and adapts to the oxygen demand of aerobic fermentation carbon source metabolism. The feed liquid is first distributed in the gas outlet area, so that the carbon source concentration in the area with the highest dissolved oxygen concentration is the highest. As the fermentation liquid circulates to the upper part, the dissolved oxygen decreases, the carbon source is utilized and diluted, and the concentration decreases accordingly. The feed process is not affected by the foam on the fermentation liquid surface.

[0176] 14 and 15 , in some preferred embodiments, the feed pipe 215 includes a main pipe and several branch pipes, the feed port 207 is provided at one end of the main pipe away from the branch pipes, and the branch pipes are arranged in parallel with each other and are respectively connected to the slurry storage tanks.

[0177] It is understandable that the feed liquid in this embodiment can be a solution, a suspension, an emulsion, or a paste. Different branch pipes can be fed with different feed liquids or the same feed liquid.

[0178] 14 and 15 , in some preferred embodiments, an atomizer is provided at the feed inlet 207 , and the atomizer is an airflow atomizer or a pressure atomizer.

[0179] It is understandable that the pressure atomizer uses a high-pressure pump or compressed gas to give pressure energy to the liquid feed, spraying the liquid feed from the spray hole into the tank body 100. Optionally, the atomization pressure of the pressure atomizer is 0.05 to 7 MPa, preferably 0.2 to 2 MPa, and the spray hole diameter is 0.2 mm to 12 mm, preferably 0.5 to 2 mm. The pressure atomizer can change the pressure of the sprayed liquid by, but not limited to, a variable frequency pump or a subtraction valve of compressed air. The spray holes are distributed radially or randomly on the nozzle, and the shapes of the spray holes include circular, elliptical or rectangular.

[0180] The atomizer provided at feed inlet 207 enables the airlift bioreactor of this embodiment to feed liquid materials, such as nutrients, precursor compounds, inducers, regulators, promoters, enzyme preparations, acids, and bases, into tank 100 along with compressed gas. The feed material is dispersed into a mist droplet by the compressed gas, fully utilizing the strong mass transfer capacity of this region to rapidly disperse into the fermentation broth. This shortens the dilution and mixing time, creates a more balanced fermentation environment, and reduces the adverse effects of excessive local feed material concentration on the fermentation process.

[0181] Referring to Figures 16 and 17, in some preferred embodiments, the airlift bioreactor further comprises at least one upright pole 600 or upright pipe 601 disposed within the tank body 100, wherein the upper end of the upright pole is connected to the tank body top 102 and the lower end is connected to the tank body bottom 101. The upper end of the upright pipe 601 is connected to the tank body top 102 or passes through the tank body top 102 and is connected to an external pipeline, and the lower end is connected to the tank body bottom 101. The upright pole 600 or upright pipe 601 is provided with one or more integrated motor agitators 610, each of which comprises a rim motor 611 and stirring blades 612. The rim motor 611 comprises a motor stator 613 fixedly connected to the upright pole 600 or upright pipe 601 and a motor rotor 614 sleeved outside the motor stator 613. The stirring blades 612 are integrally provided with the motor rotor 614 or are detachably connected to the motor rotor 614.

[0182] The airlift bioreactor provided in this embodiment features a fixed, non-rotating vertical rod 600 or vertical tube 601. An integrated motorized stirrer 610 is appropriately positioned on the vertical rod 600 or vertical tube 601 and submerged in the reaction liquid. This airlift bioreactor eliminates the need for a rotating stirring shaft extending through the top or bottom of the tank, eliminating the need for dynamic seals and enhancing the reactor's process adaptability.

[0183] It can be understood that the integrated motor agitator 610 integrates the motor rotor 614 and the stirring blades 612 into one, realizing the integration of the rim motor 611 and the stirring blades 612. The torque generated by the rim motor 611 is directly transmitted to the motor rotor 614, and the motor rotor 614 drives the stirring blades 612 to rotate, replacing the rotating stirring shaft system and shaft seal system that passes through the top or bottom of the tank body in the traditional agitator. The motor stator 613 is fixed to the vertical rod 600 or the vertical pipe 601 as a whole. Compared with the traditional stirring system, the integrated motor agitator 610 is much lighter, has low noise, very low vibration, high efficiency, compact structure and small size, and a wider speed range.

[0184] Alternatively, the stirring blades 612 may be, but are not limited to, flat-blade turbine stirring blades, pitched-blade stirring blades, or spiral-blade stirring blades. Different stirring blades 612 can achieve stirring of axial flow and radial flow. The shape, outer diameter, and blade form of the integrated motor stirrer 610 can be designed and replaced as needed.

[0185] The motor stator 613 and the motor rotor 614 preferably utilize magnetic levitation technology to reduce friction between the motor stator 613 and the motor rotor 614, thereby lowering energy consumption and increasing the service life of the integrated motor agitator 610. The rim motor 611 can also be directly secured to the top 102 or bottom 101 of the tank. The motor rotor 614 of an integrated motor agitator 610 can have a single layer of stirring blades 612 integrated into it, or multiple layers of stirring blades 612 integrated into a single motor rotor 614.

[0186] 16 and 17 , in some preferred embodiments, at least one of a defoaming paddle 220 and a self-priming impeller 218 is mounted on the vertical rod 600 or vertical tube 601. The defoaming paddle 220 is located above the guide tube 200 and is driven to rotate above the reaction material 300. When the self-priming impeller 218 is driven to operate, it draws gas from the space above the guide tube 200 and discharges it into the hollow cavity within the guide tube 200.

[0187] It is understood that the motor rotor 614 and the stirring blades 612 can be integrated into an impeller. In this embodiment, a self-priming impeller 218 can be installed on the vertical rod 600 or the vertical pipe 601. The self-priming impeller 218 can be understood as an impeller integrated with the motor rotor 614 and the stirring blades 612, with the internal cavity being designed to communicate with the interior of the tank body 100 and the exterior of the tank body 100.

[0188] By increasing the rotation speed of the impeller, gas can be sucked in from outside the tank body 100: the self-priming impeller 218 rotates, and a liquid flow is formed around the self-priming impeller 218, which continuously repels the surrounding reaction liquid. When the self-priming impeller 218 rotates at a high speed and reaches a critical speed, the pressure of the liquid around the self-priming impeller 218 is lower than the pressure at the center of the impeller cavity. The self-priming impeller 218 with a cavity generates a pressure difference at its end opening. When the local pressure drop overcomes the reaction liquid level pressure head, the gas reaches the end opening of the motor rotor through the vent pipe and is ejected at a high speed, completing the effects of gas supply and stirring to meet the reaction needs.

[0189] 1-4 , in a second aspect, the present invention provides an airlift bioreactor comprising a tank body 100, a draft tube 200, and at least one rim propeller 400. The tank body 100 defines a reaction chamber for accommodating reaction materials 300; the draft tube 200 has a hollow cavity and is fixedly mounted within the reaction chamber; and the rim propeller 400 is mounted on the draft tube 200 and is driven to rotate about the centerline of the draft tube 200, thereby causing the reaction materials 300 within the reaction chamber to circulate between the hollow cavity within the draft tube 200 and the annular space between the draft tube 200 and the tank body 100.

[0190] It can be understood that when the airlift bioreactor of this embodiment is used for biological fermentation, the rim propeller 400 is immersed in the reaction liquid; the rim propeller 400 can be fixed to the upper end of the guide tube 200, and the rim propeller stator 402 is connected to the guide tube 200; the rim propeller 400 can also be suspended from the top 102 of the tank body by a fixing rod 219 or a hollow rim propeller fixing tube 216.

[0191] Optionally, the reaction material 300 flows downward within the hollow cavity of the draft tube 200 to form a downcomer 301, and then flows upward within the annular space between the draft tube 200 and the tank body 100 to form a riser 302 (see Figures 1, 2, and 4). Alternatively, the reaction material 300 flows upward within the hollow cavity of the draft tube 200 to form a riser 302, and then flows downward within the annular space between the draft tube 200 and the tank body 100 to form a downcomer 301 (see Figure 3). The reaction material 300 circulates in the downcomer 301 and riser 302, thereby achieving sufficient mixing of the reaction material 300.

[0192] Compared with the traditional shaft stirring system, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention is much lighter, has fewer noise sources, and has very low vibration because it does not require shaft equipment; it also has the advantages of high efficiency, compact structure and small size.

[0193] 5 and 6 , in a third aspect, the present invention provides an airlift bioreactor comprising a tank body 100, a draft tube 200, and a screw-belt propeller 401. The tank body 100 is formed with a reaction chamber for accommodating a reaction material 300; the draft tube 200 has a hollow cavity and is disposed within the reaction chamber; and the screw-belt propeller 401 coaxially extends into the hollow cavity of the draft tube 200 and is driven to rotate about its own axis to propel the reaction material 300 within the hollow cavity and circulate the reaction material between the hollow cavity within the draft tube 200 and the annular space between the draft tube 200 and the tank body 100.

[0194] The reaction material 300 flows downward in the hollow cavity of the draft tube 200 to form a downcomer 301, and then flows upward in the annular space between the draft tube 200 and the tank body 100 to form a riser 302. The reaction material 300 circulates in the downcomer 301 and riser 302, thereby achieving sufficient mixing of the reaction material 300.

[0195] The screw-ribbon propeller 401 can adopt any appropriate structural form, as long as it can promote the material flow 300 in the guide tube 200 when rotating about its own axis. For example, the screw-ribbon propeller 401 can be a single screw-ribbon propeller (see Figure 5) or a double screw-ribbon propeller (see Figure 6). Furthermore, to ensure the stability and reliability of the screw-ribbon propeller 401 during rotation, the bottom 101 of the tank body is provided with a shaft seat 407 that forms a rotational fit with the bottom end of the screw-ribbon propeller 401.

[0196] The ribbon propeller 401 improves the flow effect of the reaction material 300 in the tank body 100, strengthens the mass transfer and heat transfer of the airlift bioreactor, and thus improves the conversion rate of soluble solid biomass fermentation in the airlift bioreactor.

[0197] While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto. Within the technical scope of the present invention, various simple variations of the technical solution of the present invention may be made. To avoid unnecessary repetition, the present invention will not further describe various possible combinations. However, these simple variations and combinations should also be considered as disclosed herein and fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An airlift bioreactor, characterized in that: include: A tank body (100), wherein a reaction chamber for accommodating reaction materials is formed in the tank body (100); a flow guide tube (200), the flow guide tube (200) having a hollow cavity and arranged in the reaction chamber; and A material propulsion unit is installed or connected to the guide tube (200), and the material propulsion unit is driven to rotate around the center line of the guide tube (200) so that the reaction material in the reaction chamber circulates between the hollow cavity in the guide tube (200) and the annular space between the guide tube (200) and the tank body (100).

2. The airlift bioreactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide tube (200) is fixedly installed in the reaction chamber, the material propulsion unit includes a rim propeller (400) installed on the upper end of the guide tube (200), and the airlift bioreactor also includes at least one air bag (500) arranged in the reaction chamber, and the air bag (500) is connected to the outside of the tank body (100) so as to change the liquid level in the reaction chamber by passing fluid into the air bag (500) or discharging the fluid in the air bag (500).

3. The airlift bioreactor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rim propeller (400) comprises a rim propeller stator (402), a rim propeller rotor (403) and a rim propeller blade (410), wherein the rim propeller stator (402) is fixedly connected to the upper end of the guide tube (200), and the rim propeller blade (410) is designed to be integral with the rim propeller rotor (403) or is detachably connected to the rim propeller rotor (403). The rim propeller stator (402) is provided with a cavity for accommodating the rim propeller rotor (403), or the rim propeller rotor (403) is sleeved on the rim propeller stator (402) and can be driven to rotate relative to the guide tube (200) together with the rim propeller blades (410).

4. The airlift bioreactor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The guide cylinder (200) is an integral cylinder or is formed by a plurality of segmented cylinders coaxially arranged from top to bottom, and an annular gap (201) is provided between two adjacent segmented cylinders to connect the hollow cavity in the guide cylinder (200) to the annular space between the guide cylinder (200) and the tank body (100).

5. The airlift bioreactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide cylinder (200) is a rotating guide cylinder (240) rotatably installed in the reaction chamber, and the material advancing unit comprises a spiral belt (413) connected to the inner wall and / or outer wall of the rotating guide cylinder (240) and spirally extending around the center line of the rotating guide cylinder (240).

6. The airlift bioreactor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: A jacket or a flow guide tube heat exchange tube (202) is provided on the inner wall and / or outer wall of the flow guide tube (200), wherein the flow guide tube heat exchange tube (202) extends along the axial direction of the flow guide tube (200) and is evenly arranged in the circumferential direction thereof, or the flow guide tube heat exchange tube (202) is coiled on the inner wall and / or outer wall of the flow guide tube (200), Alternatively, the flow guide tube (200) is configured to be formed by splicing together a plurality of flow guide tube heat exchange tubes (202) distributed along a circumferential direction or an axial direction.

7. The airlift bioreactor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: It also includes a screw-belt propeller (401), which coaxially extends into the hollow cavity of the guide tube (200) and is driven to rotate around its own axis to promote the flow of the reaction material in the hollow cavity.

8. The airlift bioreactor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: It also includes a lower gas distributor (212) and / or an upper gas distributor (214) for supplying gas to the reaction materials in the reaction chamber.

9. The airlift bioreactor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: It also includes a defoaming paddle (220) installed in the reaction chamber and located above the guide tube (200), and the defoaming paddle (220) is driven to rotate above the reaction material.

10. The airlift bioreactor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: It also includes a fixed pipe (216) connected to the top of the tank body (100) and extending into the hollow cavity in the guide tube (200), and a self-priming impeller (218) connected to the bottom end of the fixed pipe (216), wherein an air suction hole (217) is formed on the fixed pipe (216), and when the self-priming impeller (218) is driven to operate, it draws gas from the space above the material in the reaction chamber and discharges it into the hollow cavity in the guide tube (200).

11. The airlift bioreactor according to claim 10, characterized in that: The self-priming impeller (218) comprises an impeller stator (204), an impeller rotor (205), and an exhaust blade (206) connected to the impeller rotor (205) as a whole, and the exhaust blade (206) has an exhaust channel that connects the fixed pipe (216) to the hollow cavity in the guide tube (200), so that when the exhaust blade (206) rotates with the impeller rotor (205), gas is sucked from the space above the material in the reaction chamber and discharged into the hollow cavity in the guide tube (200).

12. The airlift bioreactor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The bottom of the reaction chamber is provided with a flow guide cone (203) protruding toward the hollow cavity in the flow guide cylinder (200).

13. The airlift bioreactor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The guide tube (200) is coaxially arranged in the tank body (100), or a plurality of guide tubes (200) arranged in a certain manner are provided in the tank body (100).

14. The airlift bioreactor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: Also includes: A vent pipe (210), the vent pipe (210) having an air inlet and an air outlet, the air inlet being connected to an external air storage tank, and the air outlet being located at the bottom of the tank body (100); A feed pipe (215), wherein the feed pipe (215) has a feed port and a feed port (207), wherein the feed port is connected to an external multiple liquid storage tank storing nutrients, and the feed port (207) is located inside the ventilation pipe (210) or at the air outlet of the ventilation pipe (210).

15. The airlift bioreactor according to claim 14, characterized in that: The feed pipe (215) comprises a main pipe and a plurality of branch pipes, the feed port (207) is arranged at one end of the main pipe away from the branch pipes, and the branch pipes are arranged in parallel with each other and are respectively connected to the slurry storage tanks.

16. The airlift bioreactor according to claim 14, characterized in that: An atomizer is provided at the feed inlet (207), and the atomizer is an airflow atomizer or a pressure atomizer.

17. The airlift bioreactor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that It also includes at least one vertical pole (600) or vertical pipe (601) disposed in the tank body (100), wherein the upper end of the vertical pole (600) is connected to the top of the tank body (100), and the lower end is connected to the bottom of the tank body (100); the upper end of the vertical pipe (601) is connected to the top of the tank body (100) or passes through the top wall of the tank body (100) and is connected to an external ventilation pipe, and the lower end is connected to the bottom of the tank body (100); One or more integrated motor agitators (610) are provided on the vertical pole (600) or vertical tube (601), and the integrated motor agitator (610) comprises a rim motor (611) and a stirring blade (612), the rim motor (611) comprises a motor stator (613) fixedly connected to the vertical pole (600) or vertical tube (601) and a motor rotor (614) sleeved outside the motor stator (613), and the stirring blade (612) and the motor rotor (614) are integrally arranged or detachably connected to the motor rotor (614).

18. The airlift bioreactor according to claim 17, characterized in that At least one of the following is installed on the vertical pole (600) or the vertical pipe (601): a defoaming paddle (220), the defoaming paddle (220) being located above the flow guide cylinder (200) and being driven to rotate above the reaction material; A self-priming impeller (218) which, when driven to operate, draws gas from the space above the material in the reaction chamber and discharges the gas into the hollow cavity in the guide tube (200).

19. An airlift bioreactor, characterized in that: include: A tank body (100), wherein a reaction chamber for accommodating reaction materials is formed in the tank body (100); A flow guide tube (200), the flow guide tube (200) having a hollow cavity and fixedly installed in the reaction chamber; as well as, At least one rim propeller (400) is mounted on the guide tube (200) and can be driven to rotate around the center line of the guide tube (200) so that the reaction material in the reaction chamber circulates between the hollow cavity in the guide tube (200) and the annular space between the guide tube (200) and the tank body (100).

20. An airlift bioreactor, characterized in that: include: A tank body (100), wherein a reaction chamber for accommodating reaction materials is formed in the tank body (100); A flow guide tube (200), the flow guide tube (200) having a hollow cavity and arranged in the reaction chamber; as well as, A screw-belt propeller (401) coaxially extends into the hollow cavity of the guide tube (200) and is driven to rotate around its own axis to promote the flow of the reaction material in the hollow cavity and allow the reaction material to circulate between the hollow cavity in the guide tube (200) and the annular space between the guide tube (200) and the tank body (100).

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