Biofuel Systems

Turnkey Bioreactor & Control Systems for Biofuel Process Development

Designed, developed, and tested to meet the needs of the biofuel & biochemical industries

ILS Automation has the technology and engineering expertise to give you precise control over long-running, anaerobic biofuel processes from lab to pilot scale applications.

Since 2004, ILS has worked closely with energy research scientists and engineers to build custom and semi-custom bioreactor controllers and control software that helps them test, optimize, and translate R&D and pilot scale activities into production.

Biofuel Systems – Single & Dual Controller Systems

Dual Jacketed Reactors with Low Flow Controller (0.05 ml/hr)

Dual Unjacketed Reactors with Standard Flow Controller

Flexible Biofuel Fermentation Packages:

Choose 2, 3, 5, 7, or 15 Liter Glass Bioreactors
- Affordably priced and sourced from US-based vendors for quick delivery (Broadley-James, Chemglass)
- Bioreactor options include microspargers, low-shear impellers, extra blind-nuts, etc.
- Bioreactors are available as jacketed or unjacketed with a cooling finger
Choose from various heating and cooling options
Choose the gases and MFC supplier
- Add up to 6 gas flow controllers/meters per vessel
- Specify your own specific gas mixture with Alicat and Brooks MFCs
Choose digital probes, analog probes, or both
- ORP (Oxygen Reduction Probe) compatible

Built-In Intelligently Integrated Instrumentation
- Digital probe control (dCO₂, dCO₂ PID)
- Analog probe control
- Digital scales for low fed batch
- Digital gas flow controllers
- Digital servo motors
- Level control for perfusion
Accurate Control – Optimize your culture’s growing environment with accurate pH control, temperature control with minimal overshoot, and low-flow fed batch control.
- Robust Watson-Marlow pumps ensure consistent quality throughout long-running, multi-step processes
- 0.1 degree temperature control with blanket or jacket
- Precise pH control (base and acid) with pumps or CO₂. Includes Setpoint and Integral Deadband.
- Easy-to-use DO Cascade with Air, O₂ and RPM, if desired
- dCO₂ control with CO₂ and/or Air/N₂
- Accurate and precise low-flow fed batch with variable speed pumps in combination with scales
- Multi-point calibration curves for low-flow variable speed pumps, accurate control at less than 2 revolutions per hour (approx. 1 gram per hour)
- Mass charge with pumps/scales/calibration curve
- Vessel level control for continuous/perfusion systems utilizing vessel on scale or load cell
- Setpoint profiles for all control elements and control loops including gas flow controllers and pump flow
Software Options – Combine with your existing SCADA or LIMS systems through ILS’s non-proprietary, affordable Batch Expert+ (BE+) software platform, or choose a Kepware Modbus OPC Server. BE+ can integrate a variety of equipment from vendors including Sartorius, Applikon, Eppendorf, Allen-Bradley, etc.
Field Upgradeable & Maintainable System – Whether making changes on-site or through your VPN, ILS can continue to update & customize your platform so that it grows along with your changing needs.
- Controllers and software can be adapted to work outside of the normal batch glass reactor to applications such as bubble columns, distillation columns, recycle loops, etc.
- Menus and operator screens can be customized and updated
- Open software includes code and documentation
- Hardware is off-the-shelf industrial grade components, wiring diagrams included
- This means the user interface to a 10 year-old controller and a new controller will always be the same
Outstanding Customer Support – Our customers know us personally and rave about our support, availability, and commitment to their success. We encourage you to ask them.

Biofuels photo by Steve Jurvetson/CC BY

Biofuel and Biochemical Process Development