MELISSA: a loop of interconnected bioreactors to develop life support in space.

Publisher: Elsevier Science Publishers Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 8411927 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 0168-1656 (Print) Linking ISSN: 01681656 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Biotechnol Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Amsterdam : Elsevier Science Publishers, c1984-

Ecological Systems, Closed* ; Ecosystem*; Bioreactors/*microbiology ; Coculture Techniques/*instrumentation ; Conservation of Natural Resources/*methods ; Life Support Systems/*instrumentation ; Space Flight/*instrumentation; Coculture Techniques/methods ; Environmental Microbiology ; Equipment Design ; Equipment Failure Analysis ; Feedback ; Humans ; Pilot Projects ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Space Flight/methods ; Space Simulation/methods ; Waste Management/instrumentation ; Waste Management/methods

The development of a loop of interconnected continuous bioreactors, aimed to provide life support in space, is reported. The complete loop concept consists of four bioreactors and one higher plant compartment. For its realization the continuous and controlled operation of the bioreactors is characterized, up to the pilot scale level, first for each individual reactor, second for the interconnected reactor operation. The results obtained with the two more advanced bioreactors in the Micro Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELISSA) loop are described more specifically. These reactors consist of a packed-bed reactor working with an immobilized co-culture of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter cells, and an external loop gas-lift photobioreactor for the culture of the cyanobacteria Spirulina platensis. Their individual operation for long duration runs has been achieved and characterized, and their interconnected operation at pilot scale is reported.

Date Created: 20021019 Date Completed: 20030513 Latest Revision: 20191210

20240829

10.1016/s0168-1656(02)00222-5

12385718