An Open-Source Modular Bioreactor Platform for Cultivation of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and Extraction of Intracellular Glucose
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processes-13-02985-v2.pdf
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Author(s)
Baho, Ingie
Tseo, Yitong
Zu, Yuexuan
Padia, Vineet
Hunter, Ian
Date Issued
September 18, 2025
Journal
Processes
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Citation
Baho, I.; Tseo, Y.; Zu, Y.; Padia, V.; Hunter, I. An Open-Source Modular Bioreactor Platform for Cultivation of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and Extraction of Intracellular Glucose. Processes 2025, 13, 2985.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is a photosynthetic microbe with high potential for capturing excessive atmospheric carbon while generating valuable bioproducts, like glucose. Current cultivation technologies remain expensive, closed-source, and poorly suited for downstream processing. This study presents a low-cost, open-source bioreactor platform with integrated modules for Synechocystis cultivation and glucose extraction. The system incorporates a photobioreactor, a lysis module, and a pressure-driven filtration setup. Optical density was continuously monitored using a custom-built module, and glucose was quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Under an incident light intensity of approximately 400 μmol
m−2
s−1
, cultures reached a biomass productivity of 90 mg L−1 day−1
, with a specific growth rate of 0.166 day−1
and glucose concentrations up to 5.08
mg L−1
. A model was developed to predict the growth based on measured environmental parameters, achieving a strong predictive accuracy with a mean absolute error and variance of 0.0009±0.0003
. The system demonstrates up to 65% reduction in cost compared to commercial alternatives. This modular platform provides an accessible solution for biomanufacturing research and serves as a template for sustainable cyanobacteria-derived glucose production.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computational and Systems Biology Program
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical Engineering
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Creative Commons Attribution
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13092985
