ABSTRACT PRESSURIZED BlOREACTORS: FUl'IDAMENTALS AND APPLICA T!ONS

In this work a review is made on pressurized bioreactors. Several designs are described ~ batch, chemostat, gas-lift- and the potential applications with examples- studies on oxidative stress, reduction of shear stress, among others, are refered. There are several reasons for studying the behaviour ofbiologlcal systems at higher pressures than the atmospheric. Firstly, a large part of the biomass existing in our planet is located in high-pressure environments, like the deep-sea, as it was first demonstrated by ZoBell and Morita ( 1957). Since then, several microorganisms have been isolated (Erauso eta/., 1993) and studies on laboratory conditions were performed to try to understand the hydrostatic and hyperbaric pressure effects on cells physiology (Reysenbach eta/., 1991; Nelson eta/., 1991). The knowledge of microbial adaptation to high pressures may have many potentia