‘TeeBot’: A High Throughput Robotic Fermentation and Sampling System

Abstract

When fermentation research requires the comparison of many strains or conditions, the major bottleneck is a technical one. Microplate approaches are not able to produce representative fermentative performance due to their inability to truly operate anaerobically, whilst more traditional methods do not facilitate sample density sufficient to assess enough candidates to be considered even medium throughput. Two robotic platforms have been developed that address these technological shortfalls. Both are built on commercially available liquid handling platforms fitted with custom labware. Results are presented detailing fermentation performance as compared to current best practice, i.e., shake flasks fitted with airlocks and sideports. The ‘TeeBot’ is capable sampling from 96 or 384 fermentations in 100 mL or 30 mL volumes, respectively, with airlock sealing and minimal headspace. Sampling and downstream analysis are facilitated by automated liquid handling, use of 96-well sample plate format and temporary cryo-storage (<0 °C).

Prediction of Higher Heating Values in Bio-Oil from Solvothermal Biomass Conversion and Bio-Oil Upgrading Given Discontinuous Experimental Conditions

“…Second, the experimental work related to thermochemical biomass conversion is, in general, very cumbersome and tends to require high-temperature and pressure-resistant equipment that can be costly. This is a matter that other experimental disciplines of science, such as biology 78 and organic synthesis, 79 do not struggle with (as much), where high-throughput experimentation via robotic tools is already available 80 or upcoming. 81 A possible solution to this matter could be the development of new experimental methods that require less workup and reactors that can be deployed in large numbers simultaneously.…”