KR20220098641A - Integrated Mineral Extraction System Using Micro-organism, And Method for Extracting Mineral - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an integrated biomineral precipitation device and method, which can prevent contamination due to external contact in a series of processes such as supply of a medium, preparation of a medium composition, injection of a medium composition, introduction of microorganisms and culture, and when the concentration of precipitating microorganisms exceeds a certain level, effectively separates and recovers microorganisms to which minerals are adsorbed and microorganisms to which minerals are not adsorbed through centrifugal separation. The integrated biomineral precipitation device comprises: a microorganism culture module; a rotating unit; a rotation driving unit rotating the rotating unit; and a control unit controlling an operation of the rotation driving unit. The microorganism culture module includes: a medium production unit for producing a medium mixture solution by receiving a medium for culturing microorganisms; a biomineral forming unit installed to be connected to the medium production unit, receiving the medium mixture solution from the medium production unit and receiving and culturing microorganisms that produce minerals by a biological reaction in the medium mixture solution; and a mineral discharge unit installed in communication with a lower part of the biomineral forming unit and discharging the precipitated mineral precipitation microorganisms, precipitated by minerals generated on a surface of the biomineral forming unit, to the outside. The rotating unit is rotatably installed around an axis perpendicular to the ground and is connected to the microorganism culture module to generate centrifugal force in the microorganism culture module by rotation so that the centrifugal separation of mineral precipitation microorganisms and microorganisms in which minerals are not precipitated occurs in the biomineral forming unit.

Description

Integrated Mineral Extraction System Using Micro-organism, And Method for Extracting Mineral

The present invention relates to an apparatus for culturing microorganisms, and more particularly, a medium manufacturing unit for preparing a medium mixture required for culturing microorganisms, and a biomineral forming unit for culturing microorganisms by introducing microorganisms into the prepared medium mixture An integrated biomineral precipitation device capable of effectively recovering by centrifugation of a mineral precipitating microorganism that is integrated and adsorbed on the surface of a biomineral such as calcium carbonate (CaCO ₃ ) in the microbial culture solution of the biomineral forming unit, and a method for culturing microorganisms using the same it's about

In general, microorganisms are used not only to purify water, but also to prevent oxidation of metals such as iron or food, and to decompose and purify pollutants such as livestock manure, domestic sewage, and various wastes.

In addition, a technology for forming self-healing concrete or self-healing repair materials that can self-heal cracks in concrete by adding microorganisms that precipitate carbonates to cement is being studied.

As such, the demand for microorganisms has been rapidly increasing in recent years, and microorganisms are artificially produced by using a microbial culture apparatus to meet this demand.

In order to continuously cultivate microorganisms in a microorganism culture apparatus, a medium supply for nutrient supply is required. In the related art, the medium prepared in a separate medium production apparatus is injected into the culture tank of the microorganism culture apparatus to culture the microorganisms. Therefore, in the process of supplying the medium into the culture tank, contamination of the culture medium may occur due to contact with the outside.

In addition, for effective culturing of microorganisms, overall control and consideration of temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc. are required. In order to use the prepared microorganisms, a series of processes such as composition of the microbial medium, injection of the medium, culture of microorganisms, and discharge of microorganisms are essential. There is a problem that contamination tends to occur due to external contact between each process.

Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-2000200 (Registered on Jul. 9, 2019) Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1770418 (registered on August 16, 2017) Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-0773341 (registered on October 30, 2007) Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1025339 (Registered on March 21, 2011)

The present invention is to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to prevent contamination due to external contact in a series of processes such as supply of a medium, preparation of a medium composition, injection of a medium composition, introduction of microorganisms and culture. In the process of culturing microorganisms, when the concentration of supersaturated mineral-precipitating microorganisms is higher than a certain level due to the adsorption of biological minerals, it is possible to effectively separate and recover microorganisms adsorbed with minerals and microorganisms without minerals through centrifugation. To provide a mineral precipitation apparatus and method.

The integrated biomineral precipitation apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a medium production unit for preparing a medium mixture by receiving a medium for culturing microorganisms, and is installed to be connected to the medium production unit and receives a medium from the medium production unit A bio-mineral forming part that receives and cultivates microorganisms that generate minerals by biological reaction in the medium mixture as well as receiving the mixed solution, and is installed in communication with the lower part of the bio-mineral forming part to generate minerals on the surface in the bio-mineral forming part a microorganism culture module comprising a mineral discharge unit for discharging the precipitated mineral-precipitating microorganisms to the outside; It is installed rotatably about an axis perpendicular to the ground, and is connected to the microorganism culturing module to generate centrifugal force in the microbial culturing module by rotational motion, so that the mineral precipitation microorganisms and minerals are not precipitated in the biomineral forming part Rotating part to cause the centrifugation of microorganisms that are not; a rotation driving unit for rotating the rotating unit; and a control unit for controlling the operation of the rotation driving unit.

The microorganism culturing module is rotatably connected in the vertical direction about a hinge axis horizontal to the ground in the rotating part, so that when the rotating part rotates, the microorganism culturing module rotates at a predetermined angle upward around the hinge axis. It can rotate around the rotating part in the state.

A plurality of the microbial culture modules may be arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating part.

The microbial culture module may further include a medium supply unit installed on one side of the medium manufacturing unit to supply a sterilized medium to the medium manufacturing unit.

The mineral discharging part may be in the form of a barrel with an open upper surface, and may be detachably installed at the lower end of the biomineral forming part.

The integrated bio-mineral precipitation apparatus of the present invention includes a culture solution return pipe having a lower end connected to the bio-mineral forming unit and an upper end connected to the medium manufacturing unit, and a microbial culture solution of the bio-mineral forming unit through the culture solution return pipe. It may further include a recovery pump for supplying and recovering to the unit, and a microbial filter installed on the inlet side of the culture solution recovery pipe to filter out mineral depositing microorganisms.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the biomineral forming unit includes: a culture vessel in which a culture chamber for accommodating the medium mixture supplied from the medium manufacturing unit is formed; a microorganism inlet formed in communication with the inside of the culture chamber on one side of the culture vessel; a culture medium stirring member installed inside the culture chamber to mix the medium mixture and the culture medium in which the microorganisms are mixed; a culture solution heating member for heating the culture solution in which the medium mixture and microorganisms are mixed; a gas supply unit for supplying a gas for culturing microorganisms into the culture chamber; and a concentration measuring sensor that measures the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganisms inside the culture chamber and transmits a detection signal to the control unit.

The control unit calculates the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganisms based on the detection signal transmitted from the concentration measurement sensor, and rotates at a time point after entering a section where the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganisms gradually increases and becomes constant. The driving unit can be operated at a predetermined rotational speed.

The control unit may control the rotational speed of the rotating unit by the rotating driving unit according to the calculated concentration of the mineral precipitating microorganism.

As described above, the mineral precipitation method using the integrated biomineral precipitation device according to the present invention,

(S1) supplying a sterilized medium to the medium preparation unit, heating and stirring to prepare a medium mixture;

(S2) supplying the medium mixture from the medium production unit to the biomineral forming unit;

(S3) culturing by injecting microorganisms into the biomineral forming part;

(S4) rotating the rotating part to centrifuge the mineral-precipitating microorganisms generated in the biomineral forming part with the culture solution to precipitate the mineral-discharging part; and,

(S5) discharging the culture solution in the biomineral forming unit to the outside after the rotational motion of the rotating unit is stopped, and discharging the mineral precipitating microorganisms deposited in the mineral discharging unit to the outside;

may include.

In the step (S5), the culture solution in the biomineral forming unit may be supplied to the medium manufacturing unit and recovered.

The step (S3) is,

(S3-1) measuring the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganism in the culture solution of the biomineral forming unit with a concentration measuring sensor and transmitting a detection signal to the control unit;

(S3-2) calculating, by the control unit, the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganisms based on the detection signal transmitted from the concentration measuring sensor; and,

(S3-3) step of the controller operating the rotary drive unit at a predetermined rotation speed at a time when a predetermined time has elapsed after entering a section in which the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganisms gradually increases and becomes constant;

may include.

In the step (S3-3), the control unit may control the rotation speed of the rotating unit by the rotating driving unit according to the calculated concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganism.

According to the present invention, a configuration for precipitating biominerals on the surface of microorganisms through supply of a medium for culturing microorganisms and culturing microorganisms is integrated into one microbial culture module. Therefore, since a series of processes such as supply of the medium, preparation of the medium mixture, injection of the medium mixture, input and culture of microorganisms, and discharge of the microbial culture are all performed in a closed state, there is an effect of preventing contamination due to external contact.

In addition, the microbial culture module is connected to the rotating part and rotates around the rotating part to generate a centrifugal force in the microbial culturing module, so that the mineral precipitating microorganisms supersaturated with minerals and microorganisms not supersaturated with minerals are centrifuged in the microbial culturing module.

In particular, the present invention can obtain the optimal centrifugation effect by measuring the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganisms in the microbial culture module in real time and controlling the operation and rotation speed of the rotating part according to the concentration.

And, by centrifuging the mineral-precipitating microorganisms supersaturated with minerals and microorganisms not supersaturated with minerals by rotation control of the rotating part and the microorganism culturing module, the culture medium in which the microorganisms are not supersaturated with minerals are suspended is transferred to the medium manufacturing unit of the microbial culturing module. Since it can be reused after being stored, there is an effect that the waste of materials can be prevented, and the efficient mineral precipitation process can be continued continuously.

1 is a cross-sectional view viewed from the front of an integrated biomineral precipitation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the integrated biomineral precipitation apparatus shown in FIG. 1 .
3 is a cross-sectional view of a microorganism culture module constituting the integrated biomineral precipitation apparatus shown in FIG. 1 .
4 is a view schematically showing the biomineral production action of microorganisms generated in the integrated biomineral precipitation apparatus of the present invention.
5 is a graph showing the change in the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganisms proceeding in the integrated bio-mineral precipitation apparatus of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating an integrated biomineral precipitation method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The configuration shown in the embodiments and drawings described in this specification is only a preferred example of the disclosed invention, and there may be various modifications that can replace the embodiments and drawings of the present specification at the time of filing of the present application.

Hereinafter, an integrated biomineral precipitation apparatus and method using the biomineral forming action of microorganisms will be described in detail according to the embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2, the integrated bio-mineral precipitation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a microorganism culture for preparing a culture solution by introducing a microorganism that generates minerals by a biological reaction in a medium mixture for culturing microorganisms. The module 10 and the rotating part 20 that transmits a rotational force to the microbial culture module 10 to cause centrifugal separation of the mineral-precipitating microorganism (M) and the mineral-free microorganism in the microorganism culturing module (10), the above It includes a rotation driving unit for rotating the rotating unit 20, and a control unit 30 for controlling the operation of the rotating driving unit.

The microbial culture module 10 is arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction at a location separated from the rotating part 20 by a plurality (four in this embodiment). Each microorganism culturing module 10 is connected to the end of the connecting frame 22 provided in the rotating part 20 so as to be rotatably rotatable in the vertical direction about the hinge shaft 23 horizontal to the ground. do. Therefore, when the rotating part 20 rotates, centrifugal force is applied to the microorganism culturing module 10, and the microbial culturing module 10 rotates upward at a predetermined angle about the hinge shaft 23. 20) will be rotated.

The rotating part 20 is installed so that the center rotates about the axis 21 perpendicular to the ground. The rotating part 20 is made in the form of a square plate, and a plurality of connecting frames 22 for connecting the microorganism culture module 10 are provided on each side.

The rotary driving unit is electrically connected to the control unit 30 and receives a control signal from the control unit 30 to rotate the rotating unit 20 at a predetermined rotational speed about the axis 21 perpendicular to the ground. Although not shown in the drawing, it may be configured by applying a motor and a rotation driving device including a gear transmitting the rotational force of the motor to the rotating unit 20, or a power transmission device such as a pulley and a belt. Alternatively, it may be configured by applying a direct-coupled motor that is directly connected to the central axis of the rotating unit 20 and transmits the rotational force to the rotating unit 20 .

When the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganism (M) generated in the microorganism culture module 10 reaches a certain level, the control unit 30 transmits a control signal to the rotary drive unit and rotates the rotating unit 20 to rotate at a predetermined rotation speed. Controls the operation of the drive unit. More specifically, the control unit 30 calculates the concentration of the mineral precipitating microorganism (M) based on the detection signal transmitted from the concentration measuring sensor 610 (see FIG. 3) provided in the microorganism culture module 10, and the mineral After entering a section in which the concentration of the precipitated microorganism (M) gradually increases and becomes constant, the rotary drive unit is operated at a predetermined rotational speed when a predetermined time has elapsed. At this time, the control unit 30 controls the rotational speed of the rotating unit 20 by the rotating driving unit according to the calculated concentration of the mineral precipitating microorganism (M). This will be described in more detail in the following description of the mineral precipitation method.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the microorganism culture module 10 includes a medium supply unit 100 having a plurality of medium supply chambers 111 in which the medium C1 is accommodated, and the medium supply of the medium supply unit 100 . The medium production unit 200 for receiving the sterilized medium from the chamber 111 to prepare the medium mixture (C2), the medium mixture (C2) supplied from the medium production unit 200 and the microorganisms introduced from the outside by mixing the microorganisms It is installed in communication with the lower part of the biomineral forming unit 300 for culturing, the medium mixture supply pipe 340 connecting the medium manufacturing unit 200 and the biomineral forming unit 300, and the biomineral forming unit 300. A mineral discharging unit 400 for discharging mineral precipitating microorganisms (M) that are formed on the surface of the biomineral forming unit 300 and deposited to the outside, and the medium supply unit 100 and the medium manufacturing unit 200 and and a module controller 500 for controlling the operation of components constituting the biomineral forming unit 300 .

The medium supply unit 100 , the medium manufacturing unit 200 , the biomineral forming unit 300 , and the mineral discharging unit 400 are vertically stacked and connected integrally.

The medium supply unit 100 includes a supply main body 110 having a plurality of medium supply chambers 111 in which the medium is accommodated, and a medium supply pipe for guiding the medium supplied from the supply main body 110 into the medium manufacturing unit 200 . and a connecting stopper 130 for airtightly connecting the lower end of the medium supply pipe 120 to the medium production unit 200 .

A plurality of medium supply chambers 111 are arranged side by side in the supply body 110 . The medium supply chamber 111 may be integrally formed with the supply main body 110 , but alternatively, it is made separately from the supply main body 110 in a cartridge-like structure to be detachably configured to the supply main body 110 . have. When the medium supply chamber 111 has a cartridge shape, medium cartridges containing different types of medium are easily mounted on the supply main body 110 to supply the medium, and when the medium supply is completed, it is replaced with another medium cartridge for medium discharge. can supply

The lower end of the medium supply chamber 111 is formed to be open so that the medium can be discharged by dropping downward. A sterilization filter 112 for removing bacteria from the medium falling from the lower end of the medium supply chamber 111 is disposed in the lower portion of the medium supply chamber 111, and the sterilization filter 112 is disposed on the lower portion of the sterilization filter 112. A plurality of buffer chambers 113 for temporarily storing the medium passing through are arranged in communication. The sterilization filter 112 may be applied with a filter paper that filters impurities and bacteria from the medium.

The buffer chamber 113 has a lower end in the form of a funnel so that the medium can flow naturally downward. A perforated plate (not shown) on which the sterilizing filter 112 is placed may be fixedly installed on the upper end of the buffer chamber 113 .

The medium supply pipe 120 has an upper end individually connected to the lower end of each buffer chamber 113 and a lower end airtightly connected to the upper portion of the medium manufacturing unit 200 to supply the medium in the buffer chamber 113 to the medium manufacturing unit. (200) guide me. The medium supply pipe 120 includes a medium supply control valve 140 for supplying and blocking the medium, and the medium supply control valve 140 is electrically connected to the module controller 500 to control a solenoid valve applied. can do.

The lower portion of the medium supply pipe 120 is airtightly connected to the medium production unit 200 by the connecting stopper 130 . The connecting stopper 130 is formed so that the number of tube connection holes (not shown) corresponding to the number of the medium supply tube 120 are vertically penetrated, and the medium supply tube 120 is airtightly inserted and connected through the tube connection hole. do.

The connection stopper 130 is detachably coupled to the medium inlet 212 that is formed to be open at the top of the medium production container 210 of the medium production unit 200 and opens and closes the medium inlet at the top of the medium production unit 200 . do. To this end, a male thread may be formed on the outer surface of the medium inlet, and a female thread that is helically coupled to the male thread may be formed on the inner circumferential surface of the connection stopper 130 .

The medium production unit 200 is a medium production container 210 having a medium production chamber 211 in which the medium supplied from the medium supply unit 100 is stored, and is rotatably installed in the medium production chamber 211 . and a medium stirring member 220 for mixing the medium, and a medium heating member 230 for heating the medium in the medium production chamber 211 . A water level sensor for measuring the level of the medium and a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the medium may be installed in the medium production vessel 210 . The water level sensor and the temperature sensor are electrically connected to the module controller 500 to transmit a detection signal to the module controller 500 .

In addition, a vacuum generating means for making the medium production chamber 211 in the medium production unit 200 in a vacuum state may be additionally configured. The vacuum generating means may be configured by applying a vacuum pump connected to one side of the medium production chamber 211 .

The medium stirring member 220 is installed to rotate by the first stirring motor 221 at the lower end of the medium production chamber 211 serves to stir the medium. The first stirring motor 221 is electrically connected to the module controller 500 to control its operation.

The medium heating member 230 is made of a heating plate or heating wire installed in the lower portion of the medium production chamber 211, and is electrically connected to the module controller 500 to control its operation.

The module controller 500 is electrically connected to the medium supply control valve 140 of the medium supply unit 100, the medium stirring member 220, the medium heating member 230, and the vacuum generating means, and is connected to the water level sensor (not shown). Controls the supply of the medium from the medium supply unit 100 to the medium production vessel 210 and the operation of the medium stirring member 220 according to the level of the medium measured by the temperature sensor (not shown). The operation of the medium heating member 230 and the operation of the vacuum generating means are controlled according to the temperature.

The biomineral forming unit 300 is installed inside the culture vessel 310 and the culture chamber 311 in which the culture chamber 311 for storing the medium mixture is formed, and the culture medium (C3) in which the medium mixture and microorganisms are mixed A gas for culturing microorganisms into the culture medium stirring member 320 for mixing, the culture medium heating member (calcium ions contained in the medium mixture) for heating the culture medium (C3) in which the medium mixture solution and the microorganisms are mixed, and the culture chamber 311 It includes a gas supply unit for supplying. The operation of the culture solution stirring member 320 , the culture solution heating member 330 , and the gas supply unit may be controlled by the module controller 500 .

The culture chamber 311 of the culture vessel 310 receives the medium mixture from the medium production chamber 211 of the medium production unit 200 through the medium mixture supply pipe 340 . The medium mixture supply pipe 340 has one end connected to the lower end of the medium production chamber 211, and the other end connected to the upper end of the culture chamber 311 to supply the medium mixture of the medium production chamber 211 to the culture chamber 311. supplied internally. A supply pipe controller 341 is installed in the medium mixture supply pipe 340 , which is electrically connected to the module controller 500 and controls the supply of the medium mixture through the medium mixture supply pipe 340 .

In the upper portion of one side of the culture vessel 310, a microorganism inlet 312 for injecting microorganisms with a tool such as a syringe is formed to communicate with the inside of the culture chamber 311. The microorganism inlet 312 is kept closed by a stopper such as a known butyl rubber stopper. The butyl rubber stopper is a part widely used as a stopper for a container containing an injection solution. As it is closed again after being perforated by the hole, the perforated hole is filled and the airtight state can be maintained.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the microorganism injected through the microorganism inlet 312 may be a urea-degrading microorganism that generates carbonate ions (CO ₃ ^2- ) on the surface through decomposition of urea in the medium mixture. Urea-degrading microorganisms combine with calcium ions (Ca ²⁺ ) contained in the medium mixture to produce biominerals such as calcium carbonate (CaCO ₃ ) on the surface. As the urea-degrading microorganism, Sporosarcina pasteurii, Bacillus pseudofirmus, Bacillus pasteurii, and the like can be used.

Alternatively, carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) is used to generate carbonate ions (CO ₃ ^2- ), and by combining with calcium ions (Ca ²⁺ ) in the medium mixture, biominerals such as calcium carbonate (CaCO ₃ ) can be produced on the surface. It is also possible to use microorganisms with carbonic anhydrase present. As the microorganism having carbonic anhydrase, Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus cohnii, Bacillus subtilis, and the like can be used.

A water level sensor (not shown) for detecting the level of the culture solution (C3) inside the culture chamber 311, a temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature of the culture solution, a dissolved gas sensor for detecting the concentration of dissolved gas in the culture solution ( (not shown) may be additionally installed, and the water level sensor, the temperature sensor, and the dissolved gas sensor are electrically connected to the module controller 500 to transmit the measured values.

In addition, the culture vessel 310 has a concentration measuring sensor 610 that measures the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganism (M) in the culture solution (C3) inside the culture chamber 311 and transmits a detection signal to the control unit 30 is installed. . The density measuring sensor 610 may be configured by applying a known optical density sensor or turbidity sensor for measuring the density, and transmits the measurement result to the control unit 30 in real time by wire or wirelessly.

The culture medium stirring member 320 is installed at the lower end of the culture chamber 311 to be rotated by the second stirring motor 321 to agitate the medium. The second stirring motor 321 is electrically connected to the module controller 500 to control its operation.

The culture medium heating member 330 is spirally wound around a plurality of gas injection tubes 354 constituting the gas supply unit, and is made of a material in which carbon nanotubes and polymers are mixed. Power applied from the module controller 500 It consists of a hot wire that heats up by As such, the culture medium heating member 330 made of a material in which carbon nanotubes and polymers are mixed has advantages in corrosion resistance and chemical resistance compared to conventional heating wires or electric heaters made of a conductive metal material.

In addition, when the culture medium heating member 330 is spirally wound around the gas injection pipe 354 of the gas supply unit, heat is uniformly transferred throughout the culture solution, and the contact area with the culture solution is increased, so that heat can be transferred quickly and effectively. there is an advantage

The gas supply unit supplies a gas necessary for the growth of microorganisms and precipitation of biominerals and/or a gas for creating a culture environment, for example, oxygen (O ₂ ) is supplied to create an aerobic environment, and an anaerobic environment. Nitrogen (N ₂ ) may be supplied. In addition, when a microorganism having carbonic anhydrase is used as a microorganism for biomineral precipitation, carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) gas may be supplied for biomineral precipitation.

In this embodiment, the gas supply unit is installed on the outer surface of the culture vessel 310 and is connected to a gas supply source 351 for supplying gas, the gas supply source 351 , and passes through the culture vessel 310 to the culture chamber 311 . ) A gas supply pipe 353 for guiding the gas to the inside of the lower end, is connected to the gas supply pipe 353 inside the culture chamber 311 and extends upward from the lower part of the culture chamber 311 to the inside of the culture chamber 311 It includes a plurality of gas injection pipes 354 for discharging gas, and a gas supply controller 352 for controlling gas supply from the gas supply source 351 . A plurality of the gas injection pipes 354 are arranged at regular intervals along the circumferential direction to discharge gas through the outlet at the top. In addition, the gas injection pipe 354 also serves as a support on which the culture medium heating member 330 made of a composite of carbon nanotubes and a polymer is wound as described above.

The mineral discharge unit 400 has an open top surface and is detachably installed at the lower end of the culture vessel 310 of the biomineral forming unit 300 . In order to allow the mineral discharge unit 400 to be easily detached from the lower end of the culture vessel 310, between the upper end of the mineral discharge unit 400 and the lower end of the culture vessel 310, a male screw part and a female screw part are spirally coupled. A threaded portion 410 is formed. Therefore, if you want to recover the mineral precipitating microorganism (M) deposited in the mineral discharging unit 400, rotate the mineral discharging unit 400 with respect to the culture vessel 310 to remove the mineral discharging unit 400 from the culture vessel 310. The separation and recovery of the mineral precipitating microorganisms (M) from which biominerals are precipitated are recovered, and the mineral discharging unit 400 is cultured by rotating the mineral discharging unit 400 to the lower end of the culture vessel 310 in the opposite direction to the previous one. It can be used in combination with the lower end of the container (310).

On the other hand, in order to recover the mineral-precipitating microorganism (M) through the mineral discharge unit 400, the culture solution (C3) inside the culture vessel 310 is discharged to the outside to make the culture vessel 310 empty inside. Accordingly, a culture medium recovery means for transferring the culture solution C3 of the biomineral forming unit 300 to the medium manufacturing unit 200 is configured between the biomineral forming unit 300 and the medium manufacturing unit 200 .

In this embodiment, the culture solution recovery means includes a culture solution recovery pipe 621 having a lower end connected to the lower end of the culture vessel 310 of the biomineral forming unit 300 and an upper end connected to the medium producing unit 200, and the A recovery pump 622 for supplying and recovering the microbial culture solution (C3) of the biomineral forming unit 300 to the medium manufacturing unit 200 through the culture solution recovery pipe 621, and the inlet of the culture solution recovery pipe 621 It is installed on the side and includes a microbial filter 623 for filtering the mineral precipitation microorganisms (M).

The module controller 500 is designed to control the operation of various components of the microbial culture module 10, and is connected to the control unit 30 through an electric wire to transmit and receive control signals, or to transmit and receive control signals through a wireless network. have.

A method of precipitating microbial biominerals using an integrated biomineral precipitation device having such a configuration will be described as follows.

First, at least one medium for preparing a medium mixture is stored in the medium supply chamber 111 of the medium supply unit 100 . When a plurality of mediums are stored in the medium supply chamber 111 , each medium may be of a different type, but all of the medium may be the same or only partly the same and the rest may be all different types. The medium stored in the medium supply chamber 111 falls to the lower sterilization filter 112 , impurities and bacteria are filtered in the sterilization filter 112 , and then falls into the buffer chamber 113 .

When the medium supply control valve 140 is opened by the module controller 500 for the sterilized medium falling into the buffer chamber 113, the medium production chamber 211 of the medium production unit 200 through the medium supply pipe 120. supplied internally.

When the medium supplied into the medium production chamber 211 rises to a water level sensor (not shown), the module controller 500 closes the medium supply control valve 140 so that the medium is no longer supplied. And the module controller 500 rotates the medium stirring member 220 to stir the medium, and operates the medium heating member 230 to maintain the temperature of the medium in a certain range.

The medium mixture prepared in the medium production chamber 211 through this process is supplied into the culture chamber 311 of the biomineral forming unit 300 through the medium mixture supply pipe 340 . The medium mixture may contain calcium ions (Ca ²⁺ ) for biomineral formation of microorganisms.

Then, the microorganism to be cultured is introduced through the microorganism inlet 312 formed in the culture vessel 310 . At this time, the microorganism may be injected through a syringe.

When the medium mixture and microorganisms are introduced into the culture chamber 311 and the culture solution C3 is made, the module controller 500 rotates the culture solution stirring member 320 to agitate the culture solution, and the culture solution heating member 330 is operated. to maintain the temperature within a temperature range suitable for microbial growth. Then, a gas such as oxygen or carbon dioxide is supplied into the culture solution C3 through the gas supply source 351 .

In the process of culturing microorganisms in the culture chamber 311 , the microorganisms generate carbonate ions (CO ₃ ^2- ) through decomposition of urea or carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) supplied through the gas supply source 351 . _Carbonate ^ions ₍ CO ₃ ^2- ) are generated ^using this is created

The concentration measuring sensor 610 measures the concentration of the mineral precipitating microorganism (M) inside the culture chamber 311 and transmits a detection signal for the measured value to the control unit 30 .

Figure 5 shows the change in the concentration of the mineral precipitating microorganism (M) measured by the concentration measuring sensor 610, the concentration increases over time, and when it reaches a certain point in time, the concentration is maintained constant with little or no change in concentration.

The control unit 30 applies a control signal to the rotary drive unit at a time when a predetermined time has elapsed after entering a section in which the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganism (M) gradually increases and becomes constant, thereby operating the rotary drive unit (20) rotates at the specified rotational speed.

At this time, the control unit 30 controls the rotational speed of the rotating unit 20 by the rotating driving unit according to the calculated concentration of the mineral precipitating microorganism (M). That is, when the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganism (M) is high, the rotational speed of the rotating part 20 is controlled to be high to increase the amount of sedimentation caused by centrifugation, and when the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganism (M) is lowered, the rotating part 20 accordingly ) to reduce the rotation speed. That is, the control unit 30 controls the rotational speed of the rotating unit 20 in proportion to the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganism (M).

As described above, the concentration of the mineral precipitating microorganism (M) measured by the concentration measuring sensor 610 reaches a certain level, and the control unit 30 operates the rotational driving unit to rotate the rotating unit 20 at a predetermined rotational speed. When done, the microorganism culture module 10 connected to the rotating unit 20 rotates around the rotating unit 20 in a state in which the microorganism culture module 10 is rotated upward about the hinge shaft 23 by centrifugal force, and the microorganism culture module 10 ) of the mineral precipitation microorganism (M) supersaturated by adsorbing biominerals in the culture solution (C3) of become rich in

Mineral precipitation microorganisms (M) (microorganisms supersaturated by adsorbing biological minerals) by the rotation of the rotating unit 20 and microorganisms that do not adsorb minerals or have a very small mineral adsorption amount are centrifuged, and the rotating unit 20 stops, Separation and recovery of the mineral precipitating microorganism (M) and the culture solution (C3) deposited in the mineral discharge unit 400 is performed.

First, the recovery pump 622 is operated to supply the culture solution C3 of the biomineral forming unit 300 to the medium manufacturing unit 200 through the culture solution recovery pipe 621 . At this time, the microorganisms supersaturated with the biominerals are filtered by the microbial filter 623, and the microorganisms not supersaturated by the minerals are transferred to and stored in the medium production unit 200 together with the culture solution C3, and then reused thereafter.

All of the culture solution C3 of the biomineral forming unit 300 is transferred to the medium manufacturing unit 200, and the mineral discharging unit 400 is separated from the bottom of the culture vessel 310 of the biomineral forming unit 300. After recovering the mineral precipitating microorganism (M), the mineral discharging unit 400 is again coupled to the bottom of the culture vessel 310 and the culture solution of the medium manufacturing unit 200 is re-supplied to the culture vessel 310 as described above. In the same way, the biomineral precipitation process by microorganisms is carried out.

In the above, the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, but those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various substitutions, additions and modifications within the scope not departing from the technical spirit described above. Of course, it should be understood that such modified embodiments also fall within the protection scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims below.

C1: Medium C2: Medium Mixture
C3: Culture medium M: Mineral-precipitating microorganisms
10: microorganism culture module 20: rotating part
22: connecting frame 23: hinge shaft
30: control unit 100: medium supply unit
110: supply body 111: medium supply chamber
112: sterilization filter 113: buffer chamber
120: medium supply pipe 130: connecting stopper
140: medium supply control valve 200: medium production unit
210: medium production container 211: medium production chamber
220: medium stirring member 230: medium heating member
300: biomineral forming part 310: culture vessel
311: culture chamber 312: microorganism inlet
320: culture solution stirring member 330: culture solution heating member
340: medium mixture supply pipe 341: supply pipe controller
351: gas supply source 352: gas supply controller
353: gas supply pipe 354: gas injection pipe
400: mineral discharge part 410: screw thread part
500: module controller 610: concentration measuring sensor
621: culture solution return pipe 622: recovery pump
623: microorganism filter

Claims (13)

A medium production unit that receives a medium for culturing microorganisms and prepares a medium mixture, which is installed to be connected to the medium production unit to receive a medium mixture from the medium production unit and to generate minerals by a biological reaction in the medium mixture Microbial culture comprising a biomineral forming unit for receiving and culturing microorganisms, and a mineral discharging unit installed in communication with the lower part of the biomineral forming unit to discharge the mineral-precipitating microorganisms that are precipitated by the formation of minerals on the surface in the biomineral forming unit module;
It is installed rotatably about an axis perpendicular to the ground, and is connected to the microorganism culture module to generate a centrifugal force in the microorganism culture module by rotational motion, so that the mineral precipitation microorganisms and minerals are not precipitated in the biomineral forming part Rotating part to cause the centrifugation of microorganisms that are not;
a rotation driving unit for rotating the rotating unit; and,
a control unit for controlling the operation of the rotary driving unit;
An integrated biomineral precipitation device comprising a. According to claim 1, wherein the microorganism culture module is rotatably connected in the vertical direction with respect to the hinge shaft horizontal to the ground to the rotating part, so that when the rotating part rotates, the microorganism culturing module is upwardly centered on the hinge shaft. An integrated biomineral precipitation device configured to rotate around a rotating part in a state rotated at a predetermined angle. According to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the microorganism culture module is an integrated bio-mineral precipitation device arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating part. The integrated bio-mineral precipitation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the microbial culture module further comprises a medium supply unit installed on one side of the medium manufacturing unit to supply a sterilized medium to the medium manufacturing unit. The integrated biomineral precipitation device according to claim 1, wherein the mineral discharging part has an open top surface and is detachably installed at the lower end of the biomineral forming part. The method according to claim 1, wherein the lower end is connected to the biomineral forming unit and the upper end is connected to the medium manufacturing unit, and a culture solution recovery pipe connected to the culture solution recovery pipe through the culture solution of the biomineral forming section to supply the microorganism culture to the medium production unit to recover An integrated biomineral precipitation device further comprising a recovery pump and a microbial filter installed on the inlet side of the culture solution recovery pipe to filter out mineral precipitating microorganisms. According to claim 1, wherein the biomineral forming unit,
a culture vessel in which a culture chamber for accommodating the medium mixture supplied from the medium production unit is formed;
a microorganism inlet formed in communication with the inside of the culture chamber on one side of the culture vessel;
a culture medium stirring member installed inside the culture chamber to mix the medium mixture and the culture medium in which the microorganisms are mixed;
a culture solution heating member for heating the culture solution in which the medium mixture and microorganisms are mixed;
a gas supply unit supplying a gas for culturing microorganisms into the culture chamber; and,
a concentration measuring sensor that measures the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganisms inside the culture chamber and transmits a detection signal to the control unit;
An integrated biomineral precipitation device comprising a. The method according to claim 7, wherein the control unit calculates the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganisms based on the detection signal transmitted from the concentration measuring sensor, and enters a section in which the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganisms gradually increases and becomes constant for a certain period of time. An all-in-one biomineral precipitation device that operates the rotational driving unit at a predetermined rotational speed at the time when this has elapsed. The integrated biomineral precipitation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls the rotational speed of the rotating unit by the rotating driving unit according to the calculated concentration of the mineral precipitating microorganisms. As a mineral precipitation method using the integrated biomineral precipitation device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
(S1) supplying a sterilized medium to the medium preparation unit, heating and stirring to prepare a medium mixture;
(S2) supplying the medium mixture from the medium production unit to the biomineral forming unit;
(S3) culturing by injecting microorganisms into the biomineral forming part;
(S4) rotating the rotating part to centrifuge the mineral-precipitating microorganisms generated in the biomineral forming part from the culture solution to precipitate the mineral-discharging part; and,
(S5) discharging the culture solution in the biomineral forming unit to the outside after the rotational motion of the rotating unit is stopped, and discharging the mineral precipitating microorganisms deposited in the mineral discharging unit to the outside;
Mineral precipitation method comprising a. The method of claim 10, wherein in step (S5), the culture solution in the biomineral forming unit is supplied to the medium manufacturing unit and recovered. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step (S3),
(S3-1) measuring the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganism in the culture solution of the biomineral forming unit with a concentration measuring sensor and transmitting a detection signal to the control unit;
(S3-2) calculating, by the control unit, the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganisms based on the detection signal transmitted from the concentration measuring sensor; and,
(S3-3) the control unit is a step of operating the rotary drive unit at a predetermined rotation speed when a predetermined time has elapsed after entering a section in which the concentration of the mineral-precipitating microorganisms gradually increases and becomes constant;
An integrated biomineral precipitation method comprising a. The integrated biomineral precipitation method according to claim 12, wherein in the step (S3-3), the control unit controls the rotational speed of the rotating unit by the rotating driving unit according to the calculated concentration of the mineral precipitating microorganism.

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