Low-Cost Bioreactor for Rapid, Mass and Cheap Production of Plant Seedlings

Used drinking and mineral water bottles are categorized as solid waste. Recycling of these bottles will help reducing the amount of solid waste delivered to the landfill. This improve the lifespan of the landfill whilst reducing pollution and environmental degradation. The invention of low-cost bioreactor using these used bottles were developed at the Agrotechnology and Bioscience Division of the Malaysian Nuclear Agency aimed to produce plant seedlings in abundance and rapidly in controlled environment. The bottles were first cleaned with alcohol and bleach (chlorox) before being irradiated using gamma ray in commercialized irradiation facility SINAGAMA. This method is important to ensure that the bottles are free of contamination when used as a low-cost bioreactor. Rubber silicone cover with an air-flow system equipped with bacterial filter is modified to fit in the bottle nozzle to replace the original bottle cap. Temporary immersion system (TIS) concept was applied to operate this low cost bioreactor. Tissue culture process was carried out in sterile condition in the low-cost bioreactor using liquid media for the cultivation process. A variety of crops such as banana, pineapple, stevia, kacip Patimah and vegetables were cultured using this system and has succeeded in mass producing healthy seedlings in a short period of time. (author)