Microfluidic Devices: Useful Tools for Bioprocess Intensification

Abstract

The dawn of the new millennium saw a trend towards the dedicated use of microfluidic devices for process intensification in biotechnology. As the last decade went by, it became evident that this pattern was not a short-lived fad, since the deliverables related to this field of research have been consistently piling-up. The application of process intensification in biotechnology is therefore seemingly catching up with the trend already observed in the chemical engineering area, where the use of microfluidic devices has already been upgraded to production scale. The goal of the present work is therefore to provide an updated overview of the developments centered on the use of microfluidic devices for process intensification in biotechnology. Within such scope, particular focus will be given to different designs, configurations and modes of operation of microreactors, but reference to similar features regarding microfluidic devices in downstream processing will not be overlooked. Engineering considerations and fluid dynamics issues, namely related to the characterization of flow in microchannels, promotion of micromixing and predictive tools, will also be addressed, as well as reflection on the analytics required to take full advantage of the possibilities provided by microfluidic devices in process intensification. Strategies developed to ease the implementation of experimental set-ups anchored in the use of microfluidic devices will be briefly tackled. Finally, realistic considerations on the current advantages and limitation on the use of microfluidic devices for process intensification, as well as prospective near future developments in the field, will be presented.

Microchips and their Significance in Isolation of Circulating Tumor Cells and Monitoring of Cancers

“…According to the diffusion rules of liquids, where the distances between the materials in an especial reaction become closer, in the other hand the amount of the components decrease into nano-or femtoliter scales, the interaction of these components reaches to their maximum levels which can eventually allow the reaction to be performed faster and more comprehensive. Furthermore, as the scales are decreased, intra-molecular and tensile forces lose their interaction, while the viscosity and inter-molecular forces become predominant (Marques and Fernandes, 2011). Performing the various reactions such as molecular labeling, refinement, isolation and monitoring of the products at the same time are among the unique characteristics of micro-fluidic systems which allow the systems to accomplish a wide spectrum of experiments with the maximum levels of accuracy and efficacy (Cibilic, 2000).…”

“…Selecting the base material for a special micro-fluidic system is overshadowed by the base technology which the micro-chip is working with. Some of the most determined types of these associations are summarized in Table 2 (Marques and Fernandes, 2011).…”

Biotechnical Micro-Flow Processing at the EDGE – Lessons to be learnt for a Young Discipline

“…9 They are seen as counterpart to the successful trend in the chemical engineering area, where micro-and small-scale flow devices are used up to production scale. Some general information, stemming from the chemical microreactors is provided such as to discuss different designs, configurations and modes of operation of micro-flow reactors.…”

“…It is important to note that benefit from the miniaturization can be found in other steps than conversion (such as efficient mixing and separation). 7,9 Thus, the issues of process integration and a holistic process design approach have considerable importance.…”

Process Intensification for Production and Recovery of Biological Products

“…PI refers to replace complex technologies with integrated equipment and processes that are smaller in size, less costly and more efficient (Charpentier, 2007). Preferably, it integrates as many unit operations as possible into a multifunctional ones to be used in the chemical and biological industries (Marques and Fernandes, 2011). Environmentally, however, the most telling impact of PI is likely to be in the development of reactor designs for truly green technology.…”