Hi Harrison,
first of all, great job on creating this accessible platform, much appreciated!
I have also been curious about the issue of oxygen-supply in the Chi.Bio reactors. Can you explain what you mean by “the top of the reactor is by default open to the atmosphere”? Is the screw-cap not air-tight or do you mean that some of the inlets can be left open (i.e. not connected to any tubing)? How come that the frequent pumping to the waste outflow doesn’t create underpressure?
If air flows in, are you not worried about sterility?
On a related topic: Are you aware of elegant solutions on how to supply a desired atmosphere (e.g. increased CO2 or some (pressurized) gas mix) to the reactor? Glad if you have some ideas or know of successful applications.
