JP2012010605A - Method for culturing algae and algae culture device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for culturing algae which promotes the ingredient production of the algae.SOLUTION: The method includes: a step of producing fine bubbles of a gas including carbon dioxide; and a step of supplying the generated fine bubbles to a solution in a water tank 30 where the algae exists.

Description

  The present invention relates to an algae culture method and an algae culture apparatus that promote the production of algae components.

  Algae produce various components by photosynthesis. There are many useful components among the components produced by algae, and useful components may be recovered and used. In order to recover useful components from algae, it is first necessary to grow algae containing these components. At this time, if the algae component generation amount can be increased, more components can be recovered. As a method for increasing the amount of algae components produced, it has been studied to apply stress to algae using light manipulation, temperature manipulation, ultrasonic irradiation, or the like (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  Apart from this, reduction of carbon dioxide by immobilizing carbon dioxide using algae is being studied. In order to fix carbon dioxide in algae, it is necessary to supply carbon dioxide into a culture solution containing algae. For example, there is a method of culturing algae in a culture solution in which carbon dioxide is dissolved. In addition, if carbon dioxide can be efficiently supplied in the process of algae culture, the amount of algae-generated components can be improved.

International Publication No. 2007/029627 JP-A-8-193986

  As described above, when stress is applied to algae by light operation, temperature operation, ultrasonic irradiation, or the like, a stress supply means is necessary.

  Further, the target of carbon dioxide reduction is exhaust gas from factories and power plants, but the carbon dioxide content of general exhaust gas is about 10%. On the other hand, when an exhaust gas having a carbon dioxide concentration of about 10% is dissolved in an algae culture solution, supplying a sufficient amount of carbon dioxide into the culture solution for reducing carbon dioxide and increasing the amount of algae components produced Have difficulty.

  In view of the said subject, this invention aims at promoting the component production | generation of algae.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is an algae culture method for culturing algae by supplying carbon dioxide to a water tank in which algae are present. And a step of supplying the generated fine bubbles into the liquid in the water tank.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the step of generating the fine bubbles, the fine bubbles are generated using the exhaust gas containing carbon dioxide.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the step of supplying fine bubbles, the fine bubbles are supplied from near the bottom of the water tank.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the step of supplying fine bubbles, the fine bubbles are supplied together with a water flow into the liquid in the water tank.

  The invention according to claim 5 is a microtubule that is formed in a culture tank and a water tank in which algae to be cultured in the culture liquid are present, and is arranged in the water tank, and generates fine bubbles of gas containing carbon dioxide. Bubble generating means for supplying bubbles into the culture solution.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the culture method of the algae which accelerates | stimulates the component production | generation of algae is realizable.

It is the schematic explaining the culture method of the algae based on embodiment of this invention.

  In the algae culture method according to the embodiment of the present invention, the algae 10 grown in the culture solution 20 in the water tank 30 is cultured in the algae culture apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. The water tank 30 of the algae culture apparatus 1 includes a bubble supply device 31 that generates the fine bubbles 21 and supplies the fine bubbles 21 generated in the culture solution 20 in the water tank 30.

  Specifically, the fine bubble 21 of the gas containing a carbon dioxide is produced | generated by the bubble supply apparatus 31, and the produced | generated fine bubble 21 is supplied in the culture solution 20 in the water tank 30 in which the algae 10 exists. In the culture solution 20, by causing the microbubbles 21 to collide with the algae 10, stress is applied to the algae 10 to promote the amount of components produced by the algae 10. For example, when an algae of the genus Haematococcus, which is a microalga, is used as the algae, the component produced is a carotenoid.

  Here, as the bubble supply device 31, a facility that has conventionally supplied a gas such as air into the culture solution in the water tank for growing algae is used. In the method for culturing algae according to the present invention, it is not necessary to add a new configuration if processing is performed so that the size of bubbles to be supplied becomes fine with respect to the bubble supply device that has been conventionally used.

  The size of the fine bubbles supplied by the bubble supply device 31 is determined according to the size of the water tank 30 and the type and amount of the algae 10 present in the culture solution 20. At this time, if the size of the fine bubbles 21 is too large compared to the algae 10, the fine bubbles 21 cannot effectively stress the algae 10. Therefore, the fine bubbles 21 are preferably bubbles that are somewhat smaller than algae such as microbubbles and nanobubbles.

  The amount of fine bubbles supplied by the bubble supply device 31 is also determined according to the size of the water tank 30 and the type and amount of algae present in the culture solution 20. For example, the bubble supply device 31 supplies fine bubbles having a size of about 0.1 nm to 60 μm so that the air flow rate is about 0.1 to 1.5 vvm.

  Moreover, when the bubble supply apparatus 31 produces | generates the fine bubble 21, it can contribute to the reduction | restoration of a carbon dioxide with the culture | cultivation of the algae 10 by utilizing the waste gas of a factory or a power plant. Even if the carbon dioxide content of the exhaust gas is about 10%, in the bubble supply device 31 used in the method for culturing algae according to the embodiment of the present invention, the exhaust gas is treated as micro-bubbles or nano-units nanobubbles. Use fine air bubbles.

  The smaller the bubble size, the smaller the rising speed, so that it exists in the liquid for a long time and easily dissolves in the liquid. Therefore, rather than supplying microbubbles to the culture solution 20, the carbon dioxide in the exhaust gas is easily dissolved in the culture solution 20 by supplying the microbubbles 21 in the micro units or nano units to the culture solution 20. As a result, carbon dioxide can be immobilized efficiently, and the amount of components produced by the algae 10 can be promoted.

  In addition, the bubble supply device 31 moves the wide range in the water tank 30 when the fine bubbles 21 are supplied from the lower side of the water tank 30 at or near the bottom surface of the water tank 30. It is preferable because it easily collides with the algae 10.

  At this time, it is preferable that the bubble supply device 31 does not simply supply the fine bubbles 21 but supplies the fine bubbles 21 together with the water flow. By supplying the fine bubbles 21 together with the water flow in this manner, the fine bubbles 21 can be vigorously brought into contact with the algae 10, and stress can be effectively applied to the algae 10.

  According to the algae culture method and the algae culture apparatus according to the present invention described above, the algae can be stressed by making the bubbles that have been conventionally supplied for culturing algae into fine bubbles. Accordingly, the generation of algae components can be promoted without providing stress supply means such as light operation and temperature operation in addition to the bubble supply device 31, and as a result, the amount of recovered components can be increased.

  Moreover, by supplying exhaust gas as fine bubbles to the culture solution of algae, carbon dioxide can be easily dissolved in the culture solution, and the consumption of carbon dioxide by the algae can be increased to promote component generation. , Can help to reduce carbon dioxide.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Algae culture apparatus 10 ... Algae 20 ... Culture solution 21 ... Fine bubble 30 ... Water tank 31 ... Bubble supply apparatus

Claims (5)

A method for culturing algae by culturing algae by supplying carbon dioxide to a water tank containing algae,
Generating fine bubbles of gas containing carbon dioxide;
Supplying the generated fine bubbles into the liquid in the water tank;
A method for culturing algae, comprising:   The method for culturing algae according to claim 1, wherein in the step of generating fine bubbles, the microbubbles are generated using an exhaust gas containing carbon dioxide.   The method for culturing algae according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the step of supplying fine bubbles, the microbubbles are supplied from near the bottom of the water tank.   The method for culturing algae according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the step of supplying fine bubbles, the fine bubbles are supplied together with a water flow into the liquid in the water tank. A water tank in which a culture solution and algae cultured in the culture solution exist,
A bubble generating means disposed in the water tank, generating fine bubbles of gas containing carbon dioxide, and supplying the generated fine bubbles into the culture solution;
An algae culture apparatus comprising:

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