Small-sized, conventional, stirred fermentors (200 ml-1000 ml) offer researchers bioreactors with a reduced bench-top footprint. These formats, often available in multiples of 2, 3 or 4 reactors per control tower, require batch-preparation similar to large vessels and as such offer higher throughput only with concomitant increases in operator workload.

By contrast, pre-assembled and pre-sterilized disposable bioreactors minimize turnover time and effort between individual fermentations. The often unconventional formats of parallel disposable bioreactors do, however, often give rise to questions about process scalability. The microreactors presented here are parallel 5.0 ml disposable bioreactors capable of independent control of pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature.  Up to twenty-four simultaneous fermentations may be conducted within a single micro-24 cassette, enabling a practical approach to design of experiment (DOE) fermentation work.

Here, the question of microreactor scalability will be addressed by presentation of the engineering specifications, measured reactor performance, mixing times and kLa’s for individual reactors in the fermentor-array. The twelve interchangeable formats of disposable reactors will be introduced and discussed. References will be made to both the literature and previously reported industrial processes scalability.