KR101385940B1 - Photobioreactor with lihgt blocking pattern or heat converting pattern and cultivation methods using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an aspect of the present invention, an optical bioreactor floating in seawater or freshwater and capable of culturing microalgae, comprising: an outer wall including a light blocking region for blocking an optical wavelength introduced from a light source, and an inner space defined by the outer wall. It is provided with a photobiological reactor comprising a reaction chamber that can accommodate the microalgae.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an optical bioreactor suspended in seawater or freshwater and capable of culturing microalgae, the outer wall including a heat conversion region for absorbing light wavelengths input from a light source and converting the light into heat is defined by the outer wall. As an internal space, a photobiological reactor including a reaction chamber capable of accommodating the microalgae is provided.

Description

Photobioreactor with lihgt blocking pattern or heat converting pattern and cultivation methods using the same}

The present invention relates to a photobioreactor which is supported by seawater or freshwater, and can cultivate a large amount of marine microalgae, and more particularly, appropriately blocks the light intensity (or light quantity) of light introduced or absorbs the light injected. It relates to a photobioreactor having a means for converting to heat and a microalgae culture method using the same.

Microalgae, which are photosynthetic single cell microorganisms, can produce various organic materials such as proteins, carbohydrates, and fats through photosynthesis. In recent years, not only the production of high value products such as functional polysaccharides, carotenoids, vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids, but also the main cause of global warming has been evaluated as an optimum organism for the purpose of removing carbon dioxide. The main reason is that the doubling time for the effective removal of carbon dioxide, a major culprit of global warming in terms of quantity, is shorter than that of land plants, and shows high growth potential even in a harsh environment, and direct combustion gas from a power plant or plant. Because it can be used as.

In connection with the removal of carbon dioxide, it is receiving great interest in the production of biological energy to replace fossil fuels, which are finite energy sources. This is due to the ability of microalgae to store carbon dioxide and accumulate lipids in living organisms. Much research has been conducted on the production of biodiesel using the accumulated lipids.

However, in order to mass-produce useful products such as the removal of carbon dioxide using microalgae or the production of bioenergy, microalgae cultivation must be carried out at a large scale and at a high concentration. Therefore, the technology related to the construction of large-scale cultivation facilities is essential.

Conventionally, various types of photogeneration reactors installed indoors have been used as a culture facility for culturing microalgae. Most of the conventional photobioreactors were made of glass such as expensive pyrex or a material using the same, and had to have artificial lighting means. Therefore, a large amount of capital must be invested for production, and a lot of money is required for maintenance and operation even after production.

In addition, it is not easy to scale up or manufacture a unit reactor on land, and it is impossible to scale up infinitely due to the reduction of light energy due to the pigment of microalgae.

Therefore, for commercial mass cultivation, securing economic feasibility is the most important prerequisite, and therefore, it is urgently required to develop a cultivation technology that is capable of cultivating a high concentration at low cost and easy to scale up.

The present invention is an optical bioreactor for culturing microalgae by floating in seawater or fresh water, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical bioreactor capable of controlling the amount of light input from a light source.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical bioreactor having a means capable of converting thermal energy into an optical bioreactor for culturing microalgae by floating in seawater or fresh water.

The object of the present invention is not limited to those mentioned above, and other objects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to one aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems, in the flotation type optical bioreactor comprising a culture vessel made of a light-transmitting material and a support means fixed thereto, a light blocking region for blocking the light wavelength input from the light source As an inner space defined by the outer wall and the outer wall, comprising a reaction chamber that can accommodate the microalgae, there is provided a photobiological reactor.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in the flotation type optical bioreactor consisting of a culture vessel made of a light-transmissive material and a support means fixed thereto, an outer wall including a heat conversion region for absorbing light wavelengths input from a light source and converting them into heat And an inner space defined by the outer wall, the reaction chamber capable of accommodating the microalgae.

In this case, the light blocking area or the heat conversion area may be a pattern having a predetermined shape.

In addition, the pattern may be designed such that its shape or density is changed corresponding to the injected light energy.

In addition, the light blocking region or the heat conversion region may include a light transmitting film and a light blocking pattern film or a heat conversion pattern film attached to one surface of the light transmitting film.

In this case, the light blocking pattern film or the heat conversion pattern film may be a tape that can be attached to and detached from the light transmitting film.

The outer wall may include a region formed of a semi-permeable membrane.

According to another aspect of the invention, the step of preparing a light-blocking pattern film or a heat conversion pattern film designed the density of the pattern corresponding to the preset light energy and the light energy input to the one surface from the light source to one surface of the photobioreactor Corresponding to the light blocking pattern film or the heat conversion pattern film in response to the microalgae culturing method in the photobiological reactor may be provided.

In this case, the light source may be solar, and the light energy may be solar energy derived from an average amount of insolation during a specific period of time in a specific region.

The present invention can control the light energy input using the light blocking pattern or the heat conversion rate of the light energy using the heat conversion pattern.

Particularly in the case of the photobioreactor floating in the sea and cultivating with sunlight, it is possible to increase the cultivation efficiency by using a light blocking pattern or a heat conversion pattern corresponding to an inconsistent amount of sunshine at each time, thereby increasing the economic efficiency of a large amount of microalgae. Enable cultivation.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

1 to 3 are perspective views of the photobioreactor according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 illustrates a sequence of a light energy control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the following description of the present invention, detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

An optical bioreactor according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a culture vessel made of a light transmissive material and a support means fixed thereto. At this time, the culture vessel includes a light blocking area that can block the light wavelength of a part or all of the outer wall is input from the light source.

This embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 shows a culture vessel 100 having a cylindrical shape. 1, the culture vessel 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can accommodate the microalgae as an inner space defined by the outer wall 101 and the outer wall 101 formed of a membrane having a predetermined thickness. Consisting of a reaction chamber 102. At this time, one surface of the outer wall is formed with a light blocking pattern 101a having a pattern shape in which the light blocking region capable of blocking the light wavelength introduced into the culture vessel 100 has a predetermined shape.

Microalgae to be cultured include Chlorella, Hamatococcus, Boturiococcus, Senedusmus, Nannoclopsis, Nannochloris, Spirulina, Chlamydomonas, Paodaditalium, Dunaliella, Kizokaitrium, Nitsukia can do. At this time, the above microalgae can produce carotenoids, microbial cells, pycobiliproteins, lipids, carbohydrates, unsaturated fatty acids and proteins in a culture container.

In addition, the microalgae may be microalgae for producing biodiesel, which is an important energy source for the industry. Microalgae can also remove carbon dioxide contained in the atmosphere.

The outer wall of the culture vessel 100 may include a semi-permeable membrane in part or all. The semi-permeable membrane enables the inflow and outflow of oxygen, nitrogen or carbon dioxide to the outside air, and the inflow and outflow of water and nutrients with the seawater, but blocks the inflow and outflow of microalgae.

Therefore, when the microalgae contained in the culture vessel consisting of such a semi-permeable membrane is suspended in the sea water, it is possible to naturally receive the material required for cultivation from the external environment in isolation from the external environment.

For example, when the culture vessel 100 is buoyed in seawater or fresh water, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may be introduced into a region in contact with the atmosphere, and the carbon dioxide may be removed by photosynthesis of the microalgae contained in the reaction chamber 102. Can be. In addition, the oxygen formed by the photosynthesis is discharged to the atmosphere through the portion of the outer wall 101 in contact with the atmosphere.

On the other hand, through the area in contact with the sea water or fresh water of the outer wall 101 may be able to flow in and out of the water or nutrients from the outside. In addition, the excreta discharged during the growth of microalgae and metabolites that interfere with the growth is dissolved in water and discharged to the outside can be removed naturally. Therefore, no purification or medium replacement is required.

On the other hand, the outer wall 101 basically has light transmittance. Therefore, when exposed to a light source, for example, the sun, sunlight from the sun is transmitted to the microalgae received in the reaction chamber 102 through the outer wall (101).

At this time, the outer wall 101 includes a light blocking pattern 101a that can reduce a part of the light energy input from the light source. The photobioreactor 100 according to the present invention may adjust the light energy input by using the shape or density of the light blocking pattern 101a formed on the outer wall 101. For example, when a large amount of light energy is input, the pattern shape of the light blocking pattern 101a may be increased or the density may be increased to increase the light energy reduced by the light blocking pattern 101a. If less, you can do the opposite.

Depending on the microalgae, the light energy required for the cultivation may have a different range, or even one microalgae may have different light energies for each step in the culturing process. As an example, the induction production process of astaxanthin in Haematococcus may be performed in two steps. That is, in the first stage of cultivation, astaxanthin is induced with high light intensity in the second stage after sufficient production of cells by supplying relatively low light energy.

In the case of the photobioreactor 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention, by selecting the light blocking pattern 101a on the outer wall 101 exposed to the light source, an optimal light energy condition for culturing microalgae may be realized. Can be.

For example, during the time or season when the high Taekwang energy is high, it is possible to appropriately reduce the solar energy supplied to the reaction chamber by using a light blocking pattern with a high light blocking rate to prevent photoinhibition and to supply appropriate light energy to the cell.

Hin side. On the contrary, it is possible to cultivate microalgae by supplying light energy suitable for microalgae growth by using light blocking pattern with low light blocking rate in the time or season when supply of Taekwang energy is relatively low.

In particular, when the photobiological incubator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is suspended in the sea and exposed to sunlight, the amount of light or light energy of the sunlight that is selectively introduced into the reaction chamber 102 in response to the amount of solar radiation is selected. I can regulate it.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the light blocking pattern 101a may be arranged in parallel with each other in a stripe shape, or may have a lattice arrangement form as shown in FIG. 2. In this case, the light energy blocked by the light blocking pattern 102 may be adjusted by appropriately adjusting the width or number of stripes.

1 and 2 are exemplary, and the light blocking pattern according to the present invention may be any shape as long as it meets the above-described purpose. Although not shown, various shapes such as a circle, a polygon, a spiral, and a zigzag are possible.

As another embodiment of the present invention, a portion (or heat conversion region) for absorbing light wavelengths from a light source and converting them into heat may be formed on part or all of the outer wall of the photobioreactor.

When the culture vessel 100 having such a configuration is suspended in seawater or fresh water, the internal temperature of the culture vessel 100 is increased by absorbing a portion of the light wavelength incident from the light source and converting it to heat during a low temperature or season. The photosynthetic efficiency can be improved. Therefore, the efficiency of photosynthesis of the microalgae may be partially prevented due to the decrease in temperature.

The heat conversion region of the present exemplary embodiment may form all of one surface of the outer wall as shown in FIG. 3, or may be formed in various patterns as in the above-described light blocking pattern.

In the case where the heat conversion region is a heat conversion pattern having a predetermined shape, the culture vessel 100 according to the present invention can adjust the light energy absorbed by using the shape or density of the heat conversion pattern 101a formed on the outer wall 101. have. For example, in order to increase the absorbed light energy, the pattern shape of the heat conversion pattern 101a may be increased or the density may be increased to increase the amount of light energy converted into heat by the heat conversion region 101a.

In this case, the above-described light blocking pattern or the heat conversion pattern may be formed of a material having light blocking or heat switching properties of the corresponding region of the light transmissive film itself constituting the outer wall.

Alternatively, the light blocking pattern film or the heat conversion pattern film may be separately attached to one surface of the light transmitting film. In this case, the light blocking pattern film or the heat conversion pattern film may be a tape that can be attached and detached to the light transmitting film.

On the other hand, the sun is the most important light source in the photobioreactor which is supported in seawater or freshwater and cultures microalgae. At this time, in order to efficiently cultivate the microalgae, it is necessary to effectively apply the microalgae production method in consideration of the brightness according to the position of the sun. Seasons change with the Earth's orbit, and consequently, the extent to which solar energy reaches the earth's surface. In addition, night and day exist according to the rotation of the earth, and during daytime, the degree of solar energy arrival varies according to the rotation cycle of the earth.

When microalgae use light energy from the sun to receive light energy above a certain intensity, photosynthetic mechanisms are destroyed and photosynthesis is no longer possible, or it accumulates secondary metabolites to overcome high light energy. If the purpose is cell production, it may produce unwanted products.

Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the input light energy according to the characteristics of the cultured microalgae.

In addition, even when the sunlight is absorbed and converted to heat, it may have different characteristics depending on the season or time zone. In other words, it is necessary to further increase the heat conversion rate in winter when the sun exposure time is low and the average temperature is low compared to summer when the sun exposure time is long and the average temperature is high.

According to the present invention, the above-described problem can be solved by designing the shape or density of the light blocking pattern or the heat conversion pattern in response to the average amount of sunshine calculated for each period.

In particular, in the case where the light blocking pattern film or the heat conversion pattern film is the above-described tape, since the adhesion and detachment are easy, it is possible to control the light energy or the heat conversion rate from the solar light introduced into the photobioreactor at each time using this property. .

FIG. 4 illustrates a method of controlling the light energy of the sun introduced into the photobioreactor for each time period using a light blocking pattern film in the form of a tape as an example.

Referring to FIG. 4, after dividing the total period of the photobioreactor by floating the photobioreactor by a certain period of time, the average amount of sunshine for each period, that is, the input light energy is calculated (S1).

After designing the shape or density of the light blocking pattern corresponding to the calculated light energy, the designed light blocking pattern film is prepared (S2). Therefore, a plurality of light blocking pattern films are prepared for each period. For example, when the amount of sunshine is too high, the shape or density of the barrier layer pattern is increased, thereby increasing the light energy reduced thereby. On the contrary, when the amount of sunshine is low, the shape or density of such a pattern is reduced to increase the input light energy.

Next, the light blocking pattern film prepared according to the corresponding time is attached to one surface into which sunlight is input in the photobioreactor (S3).

At this time, the light-blocking pattern film prepared for each time period can be attached and detached. Therefore, when the next time comes after a certain time, the light-blocking pattern film conventionally attached to the photobioreactor is removed by removing and removing the light-blocking pattern film. The blocking pattern film is reattached.

According to the present invention, the light energy introduced into the photobioreactor may be appropriately adjusted by time using the light blocking pattern so that the appropriate light energy may be supplied to the microalgae. Particularly in the case of the photobioreactor floating in the sea and cultivating with sunlight, it is possible to economically mass-produce microalgae by increasing the cultivation efficiency by using the light blocking pattern corresponding to the sunshine amount which is not constant at each time. do.

This method can be equally applied to a heat conversion pattern film in the form of a tape.

On the other hand, although the above-described embodiment is related to the use of sunlight, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it can be used in the same manner even when using a general artificial light source, for example, a light emitting diode.

The culture vessel of the photobioreactor according to the present invention is made of a material capable of light transmission, and glass, plastic or polymer material, and a semi-permeable membrane may be used.

On the other hand, the form of the photobioreactor culture vessel can be produced in various forms, it can be selected from the group consisting of a flat plate (cylindrical) flat plate (cylinder) reactor, but in a large space that is easy to expand, such as the ocean Any shape can be used as long as it can be applied to the microalgae growth of solar energy which is infinite and natural energy.

On the other hand, the culture vessel of such a photobioreactor may be supported by itself, in some cases may further include a device for fixing and a fixing device for fixing the floating position in a certain range.

For example, a floating device for floating in seawater may be installed at an upper portion of the photobioreactor, and a fixing device may be installed at a lower portion of the photobioreactor.

In addition, this photobioreactor is suitable for the production of all useful products that can be produced from photosynthetic microorganisms, and especially for the production of bioenergy (biodiesel, bioethanol, hydrogen gas) using microalgae, It is also applicable to carbon dioxide removal. In addition, it can be appropriately applied according to the climate and environment of the installation area of the reactor.

For mass culture, it is possible to connect a plurality of photobioreactors of all the above-described embodiments and install them in the form of a community.

The foregoing description of specific embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Do.

100: culture vessel 101: outer wall
101a: light blocking pattern or heat conversion pattern
102: reaction chamber

Claims (10)

In the flotation type optical bioreactor comprising a culture vessel made of a light-transmitting material and a support means fixed thereto,
An outer wall including a light blocking region for blocking the light wavelength input from the light source or a heat conversion region for absorbing the light wavelength input from the light source and converting the light wavelength into heat; And
An inner space defined by the outer wall, the reaction chamber capable of accommodating microalgae;
Wherein the light blocking region or the heat conversion region is a light blocking pattern film or a heat switching pattern film having a predetermined shape capable of being adhered and detached to one surface of the light transmitting film and the light transmitting film. delete delete The photobioreactor of claim 1, wherein the pattern is designed such that its shape or density is changed in response to the injected light wavelength. delete The optical bioreactor of claim 1, wherein the light blocking pattern film or the heat conversion pattern film is a tape that can be attached to and detached from the light transmitting film. The photobioreactor of claim 1, wherein the outer wall includes a region formed by a semipermeable membrane. Preparing a light blocking pattern film or a heat conversion pattern film that can be bonded and detached with a pattern density corresponding to a preset light energy;
Attaching the light blocking pattern film or the heat conversion pattern film to one surface of the culture vessel of the photobioreactor corresponding to the light energy input from the light source to the one surface;
Injecting the culture medium and microalgae into the culture vessel; And
Sealing the culture vessel and injecting it into the ocean or fresh water
A microalgae culture method in a photobiological reactor comprising a. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the light source is the sun. The method of claim 8, wherein the light energy is solar energy derived from the average amount of insolation during a specific period of time in a particular area.

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