JP5919579B2 - Algal culture apparatus and culture method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an algal culture apparatus and culture method.

  Conventionally, apparatuses for culturing algae such as Haematococcus are known.

Special Table 2000-523938

  With conventional devices, production capacity and the like greatly change due to fluctuations in the weather and the like. This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and it aims at providing the algae culture apparatus and method which are hard to receive to the influence of a weather.

  The algae culture device according to the present invention is arranged in a building having a transparent pipe arranged from the building to the outside of the building, a pump for circulating the culture solution in the circulation line, and the building in the transparent pipe. A light source for irradiating the part with light.

  According to the present invention, sunlight is irradiated to algae that passes through a portion (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as an outdoor transparent tube) of a transparent tube, and the efficiency is achieved using natural energy. It is possible to culture algae well. In addition, when the outdoor illuminance is insufficient, such as when it is cloudy, rainy, or in the morning or evening, light is applied to the algae by the light source at the part of the transparent tube (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the indoor transparent tube). Can be supplemented, easy to manage production. Further, since the light source is disposed indoors, the light source can be easily protected from wind and rain and dust.

  Here, it is preferable that the algae culture apparatus further includes a light sensor that acquires the brightness of the building outdoor and a control unit that controls the intensity of light emitted by the light source based on the brightness of the building outdoor. . Thereby, driving | operation becomes easy.

  Further, it is preferable that the control unit turns off the light source when the outdoor brightness is larger than a predetermined threshold, and turns on the light source when the outdoor brightness is lower than the predetermined threshold. In addition, when the light source is turned on, the control unit may change the intensity of light emitted from the light source so that the intensity of the light emitted from the light source increases as the brightness of the building exterior decreases. preferable. As a result, the light intensity can be efficiently compensated according to the shortage of the amount of light given to the culture solution outside the building.

  Moreover, it is preferable that an algae culture apparatus is further provided with the cooling part which is arrange | positioned in a building and cools the culture solution in the said circulation line.

  Moreover, it is preferable that an algae culture apparatus further has a gas-liquid contact part which is arrange | positioned in the said building and makes gas contact the culture solution in the said circulation line.

  Moreover, it is preferable that an algal culture apparatus is further provided with the extraction port which is arrange | positioned in the said building and draws out a culture solution from the said circulation line.

  The algae culture method according to the present invention includes a step of circulating a culture solution in a circulation line having a transparent tube arranged from a building to the outside of the building, and light on a portion of the transparent tube arranged in the building. The process of irradiating.

  Here, it is preferable that the method further includes a control step of controlling the intensity of the light based on the brightness of the building.

  Further, in the above method, the control step does not irradiate the light when the outdoor brightness is larger than a predetermined threshold, and irradiates the light when the outdoor brightness is lower than the predetermined threshold. It is preferable to make it.

  Moreover, the said control process can change the intensity | strength of light so that the intensity of the said light may become so strong that the brightness of the said building exterior is low at the time of the said light irradiation.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said method further comprises the process which makes a gas contact the said culture solution in the part arrange | positioned in the said building in the said circulation line.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said method further comprises the process of extracting a culture solution from the part arrange | positioned in the said building in the said circulation line.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the algae culture apparatus and method which are hard to receive to the influence of a weather are provided.

It is a front view of the algae culture apparatus concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the algae culture apparatus of FIG. It is a top view of the algae culture apparatus of FIG. It is a graph explaining an example of the behavior of control of the light intensity from the light source by a control part. It is a front view of the algae culture apparatus concerning other embodiments.

  Subsequently, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of an algae culture apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The algae culture apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment mainly includes a building 50, a circulation line C, a pump 5, a light source 20, a light sensor 60, and a control unit 65.

  The building 50 has a roof and a wall, and protects an object provided inside from an outdoor environment (for example, sunlight, rain, wind, dust, etc.).

  The circulation line C includes a line 3a, a header 2a, a plurality of transparent tubes 1, a header 2b, a plurality of transparent tubes 1, a header 2c, a plurality of transparent tubes 1, a header 2d, a plurality of transparent tubes 1, a header 2e, a line 3b, It is comprised by the gas-liquid contact tower 40 and the line 3c. The header 2a distributes the culture solution flowing in from the line 3a to the plurality of transparent tubes 1. Each of the headers 2b, 2c, and 2d mixes the culture solution flowing in from the plurality of transparent tubes 1, and then distributes them again to the plurality of transparent tubes 1. The header 2e supplies the culture solution flowing from the plurality of transparent tubes 1 to the line 3b.

  The transparent tube 1 is, in order from the upstream side, an indoor transparent tube (a portion of the transparent tube disposed in the building 50) 1a, an outdoor transparent tube (a portion of the transparent tube disposed outside the building 50) 1b, and an indoor A transparent tube (a portion of the transparent tube disposed in the building 50) 1a is included. The indoor transparent tube 1a is not exposed to direct sunlight, whereas the outdoor transparent tube 1b is exposed to direct sunlight.

In the circulation line C, the ratio of the total length of the indoor transparent tube 1a to the total length of the indoor transparent tube 1a and the total length of the outdoor transparent tube 1b is preferably 10 to 25%.
The total length of the indoor transparent tube 1a and the outdoor transparent tube 1b in the circulation line C is preferably 10 to 70 m.

  Moreover, as for the internal diameter of the indoor transparent tube 1a and the outdoor transparent tube 1b, 40-80 mm is preferable. The material of these transparent tubes is not particularly limited as long as it is transparent to visible light, and examples thereof include glass and acrylic resin.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each indoor transparent tube 1a extends in the horizontal direction. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, the outdoor transparent tube 1b has a U-shape when viewed from above, and both end portions other than the central round portion extend in the horizontal direction. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, the some transparent tube 1 connected to one header is located in a line with the up-down direction in parallel. Furthermore, headers 2c and 2e are disposed on the header 2a, and a header 2d is disposed on the header 2b. As shown in FIG. 3, a row of indoor transparent tubes 1a and indoor transparent tubes are provided in the building 50. A gap V is formed between the row 1a. The transparent tube 1 is supported by a gantry 10.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the building 50, the indoor transparent pipe 1 a and the headers 2 a to 2 e are arranged in an air temperature control chamber 70 provided in the building 50. The temperature control chamber 70 has an air conditioner 76, and adjusts the temperature in the temperature control chamber 70 to an appropriate temperature, for example, 0 to 20 ° C.

The gas-liquid contact tower (gas-liquid contact part) 40 is a tank for storing a part of the culture solution, and includes a gas distributor 12 inside. The gas distributor 12 is connected to an air pump 71 and a carbon dioxide supply source 72 via a line 75. The amount of air can be adjusted by a valve 73 connected to the line 75, and the amount of carbon dioxide can be adjusted by a valve 74 connected to the line 75. An example of the carbon dioxide source 72 is a liquid CO ₂ cylinder. In the gas-liquid contact tower 40, carbon dioxide can be supplied to the culture solution by gas-liquid contact by the gas distributor 12. In addition, a detachable lid 40b is provided on the upper part of the gas-liquid contact tower 40 so that the culture medium can be exchanged.

  The gas-liquid contact tower 40 is disposed in a clean room 80 further provided in the building 50, and contamination of the culture medium when the lid 40b is released is suppressed. The clean room 80 has a filter such as a hepa filter, preferably has an air purifier 82 for introducing clean outside air into the room, and preferably has an ultraviolet sterilization lamp 84 for sterilizing the room.

  The pump 5 is provided between the line 3 c and the line 3 a and circulates the culture solution in the circulation line C. The circulation flow rate can be about 0.1 to 1 m / s.

  The light source 20 is provided in the above-mentioned gap V in the building 50, and irradiates light to the indoor transparent tube 1a. The light source 20 is not particularly limited as long as it is an artificial light source that can irradiate light having a wavelength necessary for growth of algae. As such a light source 20, LED is mentioned, for example. Among these, a blue LED having a wavelength range of about 470 nm is preferable. Moreover, it is preferable that it is a light source by which LED is arrange | positioned in matrix form in order to irradiate light efficiently with respect to the some indoor transparent tube 1a located in a line. It is particularly preferable that the LEDs are arranged in a matrix on both sides of the plate-like member because light can be irradiated on both sides. The form of the light source 20 and the type of LED are not particularly limited.

  The optical sensor 60 is arranged outdoors, and acquires the intensity of sunlight, that is, the brightness of the building outdoors, such as outdoor illuminance, irradiance, and the like. The controller 65 controls the light output of the light source 20 based on the outdoor brightness acquired by the optical sensor 60.

  Thereby, the amount of photons given to the culture solution can be supplemented when the intensity of sunlight is insufficient compared to that in fine weather, such as in cloudy weather and rainy weather. In addition, photons can be supplemented in the same manner when the intensity of sunlight is insufficient compared to before and after noon even in fine weather, such as in the morning and evening. Furthermore, the amount of photons can be compensated so that the conditions are the same as those in summer, etc., even in the winter, when the intensity of sunlight is insufficient at noon or even before and after fine weather.

  Specifically, for example, when the outdoor brightness is below a predetermined threshold (illuminance, photon flux density, etc.), the control unit (computer) 65 drives the light source 20 from the non-driven state, that is, the lighting state. You can switch to Moreover, the control part 65 can switch the light source 20 from a drive state to a non-drive state, ie, a light extinction state, when the outdoor brightness exceeds a predetermined threshold (illuminance, photon flux density, etc.).

  Further, the control unit 65 changes the intensity of light emitted from the light source 20 so that the intensity of light emitted from the light source 20 increases as the outdoor brightness decreases in the driving (lighted) state of the light source 20. Can be made. For example, when the intensity of outdoor sunlight falls below a predetermined first threshold (illuminance, photon flux density, etc.), the light source 20 is driven so as to have a predetermined output, and the intensity of sunlight is determined in advance. A plurality of threshold values are set so that the output of the light source 20 is further increased when it falls below a predetermined second threshold value (<first threshold value), and the light source 20 emits light as the threshold value decreases. The light source 20 can also be driven stepwise so that the light is strong. Similarly, the intensity of light can be changed according to a function such as the number of hours or a quadratic function using outdoor brightness as a variable.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the culture solution is given according to the amount of fluctuation due to the inclination of the morning and evening modes or the lack of sunlight intensity (around 13:00 in the figure) due to clouds or the like. It is also possible to drive the light source 20 so that the amount of photons generated is constant.

  Note that the controller 65 can provide a dark period at night without driving the light source 20.

  Then, the algae culture method using the algae culture apparatus concerning the said embodiment is demonstrated.

  First, the culture solution is supplied into the circulation line C. The culture solution contains algae as seeds and medium components necessary for the growth of the algae.

  The algae is not particularly limited as long as it is an algae that grows by photosynthesis, but a hematococcus tank is particularly preferable. The hematococcus algae belong to the genus Hematococcus and are preferably algal bodies that produce astaxanthin. Specifically, Haematococcus pluvialis (Haematococcus pluvialis), Haematococcus Rakyusutorisu (Haematococcus lacustris), Haematococcus capensis (Haematococcus capensis), Haematococcus Doroebakenshisu (Haematococcus droebakensis), Haematococcus gimbals Bien cis (Haematococcus zimbabwiensis More specifically, hematococcus pluvialis NIES144, hematococcus lacustris ATTC 30402, ATCC 30453, IAMC296, IAM 392, IAM 393, IAM 394, IAM 399, Hematococcus capen Cis UTEX 1023, Haematococcus droebakensis UTEX 55, Hematococcus zimbabiensis UTEX 1758, and the like.

  The medium component only needs to be able to grow algae, and may be appropriately set according to the type of algae.

  Such a culture solution is supplied into the circulation line C from the lid 40b (extraction outlet) of the gas-liquid contact tower 40 in the clean room 80. Since the gas-liquid contact 40 is in the building 50, contamination of the culture solution is suppressed. In particular, contamination in the clean room 80 can be further suppressed.

  Subsequently, the pump 5 is driven to circulate the culture solution in the circulation line C. Sunlight is given to the culture solution passing through the outdoor transparent tube 1b, and algae grow by photosynthesis. When the outdoor brightness is insufficient due to cloudy weather, rainy weather, or the like, the sensor 60 detects this, and the control unit 65 drives the light source 20 so as to compensate for the lack of light.

  As a result, algae can be stably grown using solar light without being influenced by short-term weather fluctuations or seasonal fluctuations such as the rainy season / dry season.

  Further, since the light source 20 is disposed indoors, the light source 20 can be easily protected from the external environment such as sunlight, rain, and wind, and the life of the light source 20 can be extended.

  Although the culture temperature of a preferable culture solution changes also with the green algae to be used, it is 5-50 degreeC normally, Preferably it is 10-37 degreeC, More preferably, it is 15-30 degreeC. By controlling the air temperature in the temperature control chamber 70, the temperature of the culture solution flowing in the indoor transparent tube 1a can be suitably reduced, and the temperature control of the culture solution is facilitated.

  After passing through the growth process of Haematococcus algae in the culture solution, astaxanthin production and accumulation processes are performed to obtain cyst cells. This step is performed by controlling the environmental stress conditions so as to be in an environment where stress is applied to suppress cell growth. That is, vegetative cells can be rapidly transformed into dormant cyst cells by adding environmental stress such as nutrient source depletion, salt addition, and light irradiation alone or in combination. The astaxanthin synthesis system is induced by depletion of nutrient sources and light irradiation, and a large amount of astaxanthin is accumulated in cyst cells. The cyst cells can be easily collected from the lid 40b of the gas-liquid contact tower 40, a valve provided in the gas-liquid contact tower 40, or the like.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the circulation line C has a header and is branched to the plurality of transparent tubes 1 in the middle. Further, even when the circulation line C branches, a configuration in which the plurality of branched transparent tubes 1 are not arranged vertically may be employed, for example, a mode in which they are arranged horizontally. The form of the circulation line C is not particularly limited.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the temperature of a culture solution is controlled when the air conditioner 76 adjusts the air temperature in the air temperature control chamber 70, another form may be sufficient. For example, instead of the air conditioner 76 or in addition to the air conditioner 76, a water cooling part (shower ring or the like) 77 for spraying cooling water to the outdoor transparent tube 1b may be adopted. Further, instead of the air conditioner, a water cooling unit 99 may be provided as shown in FIG. The water cooling unit 99 includes a water jacket 90 disposed around the gas-liquid contact tower 40, a water jacket 91 disposed around the headers 2a to 2e, a water chiller 92, a circulation line 99c, and a pump 93. The circulation line 99 c forms a circulation channel between the water chiller 92 and the water jackets 91 and 92. The pump 93 circulates cold water in the circulation line 99. The water cooling unit 99 may have only one of the water jacket 90 and the water jacket 91. Further, a shower ring 77 or the like may be added to the configuration of FIG. Further, the cooling water may not be circulated, and for example, the cooling water may be discharged to the drainage channel after passing through the water jacket. Further, a throw-in type water chiller may be disposed in the water jackets 90 and 91. Depending on the outside air temperature, cooling may not be necessary.

  Further, the shape and arrangement of the light source 20 are not particularly limited to the above-described embodiment, and for example, the light source 20 may be arranged so as to surround each indoor transparent tube 1a.

  Further, the form of the gas-liquid contact tower 40 of the circulation line C is not particularly limited as long as the gas-liquid can be exchanged.

  Further, the form of the outlet is not limited to the above-described lid 40b, and may be provided separately from the gas-liquid contact tower 40. For example, a harvesting valve 40V (see FIG. 1) may be provided in the lower part of the gas-liquid contact tower 40, and the culture solution may be extracted through this valve 40V.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it has the optical sensor 60 and the control part 65, it is also possible for a person to judge the brightness of a building outdoor, and for a person to control the intensity of light.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 ... Building, 1 ... Transparent tube, 1a ... Indoor transparent tube, 1b ... Outdoor transparent tube, C ... Circulation line, 5 ... Pump, 20 ... Light source, 60 ... Light sensor, 65 ... Control part, 76 ... Air conditioner, 77 ... Water-cooling part, 40 ... Gas-liquid contact tower (gas-liquid contact part), 40b ... Lid (extraction opening), 100 ... Algae culture apparatus.

Claims (12)

A circulation line having transparent tubes arranged from inside the building to outside the building,
A pump for circulating the culture solution in the circulation line; and
A light source for irradiating light to a portion of the transparent tube disposed in the building;
Algae culture apparatus comprising: An optical sensor for obtaining the brightness of the building, and
The algae culture apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls intensity of light emitted by the light source based on brightness of the building.   3. The algae according to claim 2, wherein the control unit turns off the light source when the brightness of the outdoor building is larger than a predetermined threshold, and turns on the light source when the brightness of the outdoor building is lower than a predetermined threshold. Culture device.   The said control part changes the intensity | strength of the light which the said light source irradiates so that the intensity | strength of the light which the said light source irradiates becomes strong, so that the brightness of the said building exterior is low at the time of lighting of the said light source. The algae culture apparatus described.   The algae culture apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a gas-liquid contact portion that is disposed in a building and makes gas contact with the culture solution in the circulation line.   The algae culture apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an outlet that is disposed in a building and extracts a culture solution from the circulation line. A step of circulating a culture solution in a circulation line having a transparent tube arranged from the building to the building, and
An algae culture method comprising a step of irradiating light on a portion of the transparent tube arranged in the building.   The algae culture method according to claim 7, further comprising a control step of controlling the light intensity based on the brightness of the building.   The said control process does not irradiate the said light when the brightness of the said building outdoor is larger than a predetermined threshold value, and irradiates the said light when the brightness of the said outdoor building is less than a predetermined threshold value. Algal culture method.   The algae culture method according to claim 9, wherein the control step changes the light intensity so that the light intensity increases as the brightness of the outdoor building decreases as the light is irradiated.   The algae culture method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, further comprising a step of bringing a gas into contact with the culture solution at a portion arranged in the building in the circulation line.   The algae culture method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, further comprising a step of extracting a culture solution from a portion arranged in the building in the circulation line.

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