Bioreactors translate biological potential into industrial performance by providing cells and microbes with a predictable home for growth, expression, and product formation. Choosing the right vessel is never one size fits all, because geometry, mixing, gas transfer, and materials interact with the biology, medium, and control strategy. In this guide on Top 10 BioTech Bioreactor Types and Selection Criteria, you will learn what each design does best, where it struggles, and which levers matter most during selection. We keep the explanations clear for learners while staying rigorous for practitioners, so you can map process goals to the most suitable hardware and scale with confidence.
#1 Stirred tank bioreactors
Stirred tank bioreactors dominate because they balance mixing, oxygen transfer, and control across many cell types. Impellers create suspension, baffles limit vortexing, and spargers deliver fine bubbles for efficient gas exchange. Common options are Rushton for high transfer and pitched blade for shear sensitive lines. Selection hinges on kLa targets, power number, and tip speed limits relative to cell tolerance. Sensors for pH, dissolved oxygen, and capacitance enable tight feedback. Scale up often follows constant tip speed or constant power per volume with similar geometry. Consider cleanability, seal design, and contamination risk when choosing for GMP environments.
#2 Airlift bioreactors
Airlift bioreactors circulate liquid using gas driven density differences between riser and downcomer sections, removing moving parts and minimizing shear. They are excellent for delicate mammalian cells, filamentous fungi, and shear sensitive microbes. Gas holdup drives mixing and oxygen transfer, so height to diameter ratio and draft tube design are central. Selection emphasizes achieving target kLa with acceptable bubble residence time while controlling foaming. Capital and maintenance costs are often lower, with simpler sterilization and fewer seals. However, viscosity and high cell density can limit circulation, so evaluate broth rheology early and pilot before scale up.
#3 Packed bed bioreactors
Packed bed bioreactors immobilize cells or enzymes on carriers, enabling high volumetric productivity and long campaigns. They suit adherent cells, immobilized enzymes, and biotransformations where product inhibition is manageable. Selection focuses on carrier chemistry, porosity, and particle size, which govern mass transfer and pressure drop. Flow distribution plates, recirculation, and perfusion loops mitigate channeling and maintain uniformity. Monitoring substrate gradients and temperature rise is essential as reactions intensify. Cleaning and regeneration strategy affects lifecycle cost and turnaround. Packed beds excel when you want stable residence time control, low shear, and simplified product recovery in hybrid upstream designs.
#4 Fluidized bed bioreactors
Fluidized bed bioreactors suspend carriers or particles using upward flow, improving mixing and mass transfer compared with fixed beds. They handle higher cell densities and reduce channeling risk across a wide operating window. Selection examines minimum fluidization velocity, particle density, and slip velocity to keep a stable bed without elutriation. Oxygen transfer can be excellent when combining liquid and gas co current flows. Shear is moderate and tunable through superficial velocities. Instrumentation should track bed expansion, pressure drop, and fines to prevent abrasion. These reactors suit immobilized enzymes, biofilm processes, and wastewater biotechnology where fouling resistance is valuable.
#5 Wave rocking bioreactors
Wave rocking bioreactors provide gentle mixing by rocking a disposable bag on a platform, creating sloshing that aerates and suspends cells. They are popular for seed trains, viral vector production, and early clinical manufacturing where speed is critical. Selection centers on working volume, rocking angle, rocking rate, and headspace gas composition to achieve target oxygen transfer without shear damage. Bags with integrated sensors and sterile weld ports simplify setup and reduce contamination risk. Scale is limited by surface area to volume and foam control, so plan transitions to stirred single use or stainless systems as programs mature.
#6 Hollow fiber bioreactors
Hollow fiber bioreactors separate cells and product using semi permeable fibers that create high surface area and compartmentalization. Cells grow at very high density on one side while medium perfuses through fibers, enabling continuous harvest of secreted product. Selection hinges on fiber material, pore size, and transmembrane pressure to balance nutrient delivery with fouling control. Shear is low, but mass transfer limits across boundary layers require careful flow design and monitoring. These systems favor monoclonal antibodies, exosomes, and cell therapies. Plan for pressure monitoring, periodic backflushing, and validated cleaning or bag replacement to maintain consistent performance across lengthy campaigns.
#7 Perfusion bioreactors
Perfusion bioreactors retain cells while continuously exchanging fresh medium, sustaining peak viability and productivity at steady state. Cell retention can use spin filters, tangential flow devices, acoustic separators, or inclined settlers. Selection focuses on retention efficiency, fouling propensity, and shear at the retention interface. Media cost, waste handling, and utilities drive economics, so dynamic feeding strategies and concentrated feeds help. Perfusion enables steady product quality and high space time yield, which simplifies downstream sizing. It is ideal for unstable products or long campaigns, but control complexity rises, so invest in automation and robust single use connections.
#8 Single use bioreactors
Single use bioreactors use disposable polymeric bags within rigid frames to eliminate cleaning and reduce cross contamination risk. They accelerate changeover and support multiproduct facilities with fast setup. Selection must evaluate film chemistry, extractables and leachables, oxygen permeability, and gamma stability to ensure compatibility. Mixing technologies include magnetically coupled impellers, levitated drives, and rocking platforms. Mechanical limits constrain maximum power input, so match shear and kLa needs to design envelopes and bag geometry. Supply chain continuity and dual sourcing are vital for GMP assurance. Single use is compelling when speed, flexibility, and lower capital expense matter the most.
#9 Photobioreactors
Photobioreactors provide controlled light to grow microalgae and phototrophic bacteria for pigments, proteins, lipids, and specialty chemicals. Designs include flat panels, tubular loops, and internally lit stirred tanks that manage light distribution. Selection revolves around specific light uptake rate, optical path length, and photon flux mapping to prevent dark zones and overheating. Gas exchange must strip oxygen and supply carbon dioxide efficiently while stabilizing pH. Fouling on illuminated surfaces requires cleaning strategies that preserve transparency and uptime. Climate control and inoculum quality determine stability at scale. Photobioreactors excel when light management, contamination control, and water use efficiency are critical for cost effective biomass production.
#10 Continuous stirred tank bioreactors
Continuous stirred tank bioreactors operate at steady state with constant inflow and outflow, enabling consistent quality and high equipment utilization. Modes include chemostat with fixed dilution rate and turbidostat with feedback on cell density for stability. Selection considers residence time distribution, washout risk, and control bandwidth for key variables like dissolved oxygen and pH. Steady conditions simplify analytics and can improve downstream by smoothing variability. However, start up, contamination recovery, and long term stability demand robust sensors, redundancy, and fail safe automation. Continuous operation is attractive for enzymes, catalysts, and fast growing microbes where productivity, uniformity, and footprint efficiency are vital.