[compost_tea] Re: Cornelious vessels

From: rhc1050 <RHC1050_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 23:41:53 -0000

--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, "Jack Hickman" <jackhickman@b...>
wrote:
>
> I have a question.I had one of these vessels.These are used to
> dispense Coke and Pepsi at soda fountains.I used welder's oxygen
which
> is pure oxygen.I set the vessel at 60 psi and pumped the oxygen in
the
> vessel.Let set for 1 hour with,with pressure up.This gave me
anywhere
> from 40 to 60 ppm dissolved oxygen in it.
> My question, would this make a better ACT?

You are getting very close to the way one would grow large scale 
monocultures of bacteria or cells under laboratory conditions, where
the culture is not nutrient limited and maximum cell density is
desired.  However, at high concentrations, oxygen can be toxic.
Typically, we would fill our reactor with media, bubble air at a rate
that was determined to be as fast as possible without shearing the
cells, measure oxygen levels and set our meter such that the measured
level was 100%.  We would then add bacteria or cells and run at an
oxygen level somewhat less than 100%, typically 70%.   At some point,
the culture density would be such that we could no longer maintain
the desired level with air and we would switch to oxygen.  We also
monitored pH and adjusted for optimum and fed selected nutrients late
in the culture cycle.

To my mind, this is exactly how I would like to brew ACT, at least
for experimental purposes (it wouldn't surprise me if Elaine already
has).  I'm working with an electrical engineer friend in NZ to see
just how cheap we could build a set of automated controls.  He's a
pretty amazing guy, it wouldn't surprise me if he came up with
something practical.  The two flies in the ointment will be the cost
of a decent oxygen probe and how the powers that be finally rule on
feeding molasses (though I am making sum produce an organic medium
without the use of added sugars).

ron




Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
ADVERTISEMENT
click here


Yahoo! Groups Links

Received on Thu Mar 17 2005 - 22:04:45 EST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Tue Feb 07 2012 - 14:15:49 EST