Growth of biomass

Claim 1

A process for promoting the growth of biomass from a supply of suitable nutrient material, comprising the steps of providing a vessel in which is contained a biomass support medium in the form of a plurality of movable bodies each having a substantially uniform recticular structure defining an internal voidage consisting of a multiplicity of interconnected pores such as to provide throughout the voidage of each body a protective environment which will permit biomass growth therewithin and thus support and sustain active biomass as a substantially integral mass retained by said recticular structure, the average pore size of said bodies lying in the range of 0.3 mm to 1 mm in diameter, said protective environment thereby allowing each body to fill with biomass over a period of time, there being an extensive area of access by way of a multiplicity of openings defined by said reticular structure at the external surface of each said body to the whole of the voidage therein, the overall shape and reticular structure of each body being sufficiently plain as to enable the bodies to move relative to each other with a rubbing or knocking action without interlocking or packing together as a solid unit; causing the nutrient and any additional substances required for the process to flow through the vessel thus to contact and enter the bodies within the vessel; and causing relative movement of the bodies within the vessel during the growth process sufficiently for restricting accumulation of biomass outwardly from the outer surface of each said body and thus preventing overfill of biomass onto the external surface of each said body.