Immobilization and Evaluation of Bacterial Cells in Bioreactors

Immobilizatton of bacteria (see Chapter 5 ), for example by entrapment within a gel bead or by attachment on a surface, greatly improves broreactor performance. When compared to their free-cell counterparts, tmmobrlized-cell bacterial bioreactors have higher productivity per unit bacterial bromass, can sustain higher liquid flow rates, occupy less space, and are more resistant to contamination by microbes as well as by exposure to high concentratrons of chemical pollutants.