KR20240018780A - Photo-bioreactor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention includes a culture unit in which a culture medium containing photosynthetic organisms is accommodated in an internal space, a light irradiation unit that can irradiate light so that the photosynthetic organisms photosynthesize, the light irradiation unit is inserted therein, and is formed of a light-transmissive material. It is possible to provide a photobioreactor characterized by including an insertion coupling part that is detachably inserted and coupled to the outside of the culture unit so that the light irradiated from the light irradiation unit is transmitted and irradiated to the outside, and the light irradiation unit is located in the internal space. According to the above, it is formed to directly irradiate light from the inside of the pipe through which the culture medium circulates, thereby maximizing the cultivation effect of photosynthetic organisms, and the light source part can be detached from the culture part through an insertion coupling part to make maintenance more convenient. You can.

Description

Photobioreactor {Photo-bioreactor}

The present invention relates to a photobioreactor, and more specifically, to a photobioreactor that can improve the cultivation effect of photosynthetic organisms by directly irradiating light into the culture medium.

Photosynthetic microorganisms in general, and microalgae in particular, use carbon dioxide in the air as an energy source and are utilized as a valuable resource for various biologically active substances such as proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, antibiotics, unsaturated fatty acids, polysaccharides, and colorants. Microalgae species are known to produce hydrocarbons and are promising for application in the field of renewable energy, so the development and utilization of these microalgae resources shows great significance and economic prospects.

On the other hand, a typical production process of such microalgae may include cultivating commercial-sized bulk microalgae and manipulating the bulk under stress conditions to induce production of the desired molecule/product, and this technique can be used to perform photosynthesis. There are photo-bioreactors that allow microorganisms to be cultured in a controllable manner.

First of all, a bio reactor is a system that artificially reproduces biochemical reaction processes such as decomposition, synthesis, and chemical transformation of substances that occur in the body of a living organism. An example of this technology is Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-2193943. A microalgae photoculture device including a piping section through which a culture medium circulates and a light irradiation section that irradiates a light source has been disclosed.

However, since these conventional bioreactors are configured to irradiate light indirectly to the outside of the pipe through which the culture medium containing photosynthetic organisms circulates, there is a problem in that the effect of cultivating photosynthetic organisms is reduced.

Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-2193943 Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0094622

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a photobioreactor that can improve the culture effect of photosynthetic organisms by directly irradiating light in a culture medium containing photosynthetic organisms.

The present invention includes a culture unit in which a culture medium containing photosynthetic organisms is accommodated in an internal space; a light irradiation unit capable of irradiating light so that the photosynthetic organisms photosynthesize; The light irradiation unit is inserted inside, and is formed of a light-transmissive material so that the light irradiated from the light irradiation unit is transmitted and irradiated to the outside, and the light irradiation unit is inserted and detachably inserted from the outside of the culture unit so that it is located within the internal space. It is possible to provide a photobioreactor characterized in that it includes an insertion coupling portion.

Here, the culture unit may include culture tubes in which the culture fluid is received and flows in the inner space in a tubular shape, and connectors that connect the culture tubes in communication with each other and to which the insertion coupling portion is detachably coupled. .

In addition, the insertion coupling portion is made of a light-transmitting material and has a set length corresponding to the length of the culture tube, and an accommodating space in which the light irradiation portion is accommodated is formed therein, and an insertion port is opened on one side to communicate with the accommodating space. It may include a formed insertion body and a detachable coupling portion that is respectively coupled to the insertion body and the culture portion to detachably couple the insertion body to the culture portion.

The detachable coupling portion includes a coupling member on one side of which is coupled to the culture unit and into which the insertion body is inserted to penetrate, and a coupling member on which the insertion body is inserted through and one side of which is detachably coupled to the other inner peripheral surface of the coupling member. May include absences.

In addition, the insertion coupling part may further include a guide part that is detachably inserted into the receiving space of the insertion body and is coupled to the light irradiating part to guide the position of the light irradiating part within the receiving space.

Here, the guide part has a support member on the outside of which the light irradiation unit is coupled and supports the light irradiation unit, and an inner side is coupled to the support member and an outer surface is slidably in contact with the inner surface of the insertion body, and the light irradiation unit is coupled to the support member to support the light irradiation unit. It may include a guide member that guides the irradiation unit to be positioned spaced apart from the inner surface of the insertion body.

The photobioreactor according to the present invention is formed to directly irradiate light inside the pipe through which the culture medium circulates, thereby maximizing the cultivation effect of photosynthetic organisms, and the light irradiation unit is detachably coupled to the culture unit through an insert coupling unit. It can provide the effect of making replacement and repair of the light irradiation unit more convenient.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a photobioreactor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the coupling structure of the culture part and the insertion coupling part in the photobioreactor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the coupling structure of the culture part and the insertion coupling part in the photobioreactor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an insertion coupling portion in a photobioreactor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment in which an insertion coupling portion is coupled to a U-shaped connector in a photobioreactor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a guide portion inserted and coupled into an insert body in a photobioreactor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a guide part in a photobioreactor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment will be described with reference to the attached drawings so that the present invention can be understood in more detail.

Since the present invention can make various changes and have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

Terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, a first component may be named a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be named a first component without departing from the scope of the present invention. The term and/or includes any of a plurality of related stated items or a combination of a plurality of related stated items.

When a component is said to be "connected" or "connected" to another component, it is understood that it may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, but that other components may exist in between. It should be. On the other hand, when it is mentioned that a component is “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

The terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense unless explicitly defined in the present application. No.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. In order to facilitate overall understanding when describing the present invention, the same reference numerals are used for the same components in the drawings, and duplicate descriptions for the same components are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 1, a photobioreactor according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured to include a culture unit 100, a light irradiation unit 200, and an insertion coupling unit 300.

First, the culture unit 100 has an internal space 111 so that a culture medium containing photosynthetic organisms can be accommodated. Here, the photosynthetic organisms may include known photosynthetic algae, etc.

Meanwhile, the culture unit 100 is a part that accommodates the culture medium and allows photosynthetic organisms in the culture medium to photosynthesize, and can take various forms such as a culture tank or a culture tube.

In the present invention, the culture unit 100 includes culture tubes 110 and connection pipes 120a and 120b, as shown, so that the culture liquid flows through the culture tube 110 and connection pipes 120a and 120b. It may be composed of a structure that flows circularly.

First, the culture tube 110 has a circular tube shape, and the culture medium can flow in and out of the inner space 111 of the tube.

As shown, a plurality of culture tubes 110 are arranged in a vertical direction so that the culture medium flows zigzagly along the up and down directions. However, in one embodiment, a plurality of culture tubes 110 are arranged in a horizontal direction or arranged in rows and columns. It can be arranged and configured to flow.

Meanwhile, the photobioreactor of the present invention has a structure in which the light irradiation unit 200 is located within the culture tube 110 and can receive light directly from the inside of the culture tube 110, making it effective for photosynthetic organisms. Can induce photosynthesis.

The culture tube 110 is preferably made of a transparent or translucent material so that the degree of growth of photosynthetic organisms can be confirmed from the outside and light irradiated from the outside can be transmitted.

However, since the light irradiation unit 200 of the present invention is located and irradiated within the culture tube 110, it can also be formed of an opaque material. Here, the culture tube 110 may be a known durable quartz tube, but is not limited thereto.

The connection tubes 120a and 120b connect the culture tubes 110 in a tube shape to allow culture fluid to flow between the culture tubes 110, and are bent in the shape of a curved tube to allow the culture fluid to flow in a zigzag manner. Space utilization can be improved by allowing movement.

The connection pipes 120a and 120b may have various shapes, such as a U-shaped pipe or an L-shaped elbow pipe, as shown.

Meanwhile, as described above, in the present invention, the light irradiation unit 200 is a structure that is detachably inserted into the interior of the culture unit 100. For this purpose, an insertion coupling portion 300 is inserted into the connection pipes 120a and 120b. Can be detachably coupled.

Accordingly, the connection pipes 120a and 120b may be formed on the outside to communicate with the internal space 111 and pass through a coupler 121 to which a detachable coupler 320, which will be described later, is coupled.

The coupler 121, as shown, is formed through the culture tube 110 in a horizontal direction so that the light irradiation unit 200 can be located in the center parallel to the culture tube 110, and the insertion body ( It is formed in a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of 310, so that the insertion body 310 can be slidably inserted.

The light irradiation unit 200 serves to irradiate light so that photosynthetic organisms can photosynthesize. The light irradiation unit 200 may be of various configurations such as known LED, optical cable, UV, etc. In the present invention, a case where a tape-type LED is used as the light irradiation unit 200 is used as an embodiment, and a description of this will be provided later.

The insertion and coupling portion 300 has the light irradiation portion 200 inserted therein, and is detachably inserted and coupled from the outside of the culture portion 100 into the internal space 111, so that the light irradiation portion 200 Maintenance of the light irradiation unit 200 is performed so that it can be stably positioned within the internal space 111 of the culture tube 110, and the light irradiation unit 200 is easily detachably coupled from the culture unit 100. Make it more convenient.

Referring to Figure 2, the insertion coupling part 300 may be configured to include an insertion body 310, a detachable coupling part 320, and a guide part 330.

The insertion body 310 may be formed of a light-transmissive material so that the light irradiated from the light irradiation unit 200 can be transmitted and irradiated into an external culture medium. The insertion body 310 can secure durability and can be made of a quartz tube, which is a light-transmitting material, but is not limited thereto.

The insertion body 310 has a set length corresponding to the length of the culture tube 110, and a receiving space 312 in which the light irradiation unit 200 is accommodated is formed inside the receiving space 312. An open insertion hole 311 through which the light irradiation unit 200 is inserted may be formed on one side.

The insertion body 310 may be formed in the shape of a circular tube as shown. When it penetrates the connection tubes 120a and 120b on both sides of the culture tube 110, it may be formed in the shape of a circular tube with both sides open. Alternatively, in some cases, when the culture tube 110 is inserted through only one side of the connection pipe 120a, various designs are possible, such as forming a structure in which one side is open and the other side is shielded to prevent the culture medium from entering. do.

The detachable coupling portion 320 is coupled to the insertion body 310 and the culture unit 100, respectively, and serves to detachably couple the insertion body 310 to the culture unit 100.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the detachable coupling portion 320 may include a coupling member 321 and a detachable member 322.

One side of the coupling member 321 is coupled to the connection tubes 120a and 120b of the culture unit 100, the insertion body 310 is inserted into the interior, and a threaded portion 321a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the other side. You can. Here, the coupling member 321 may be formed integrally with the connecting pipes 120a and 120b.

The detachable member 322 has a cylindrical tube shape and is inserted through the insertion body 310 to support the insertion body 310, and one side is detachably coupled to the inner peripheral surface of the other side of the coupling member 321. You can.

Here, the detachable coupling portion 320 indicates that the coupling member 321 and the detachable member 322 are screwed together as shown, but this is a preferred embodiment for securing fastening force and airtightness and is not limited thereto. It is detachably coupled, and various coupling methods are applicable as long as confidentiality can be secured.

Meanwhile, the detachable coupling portion 320 may include an airtight member 323 interposed between the coupling member 321 and the detachable member to maintain airtightness.

As shown, the airtight member 323 can be kept airtight by inserting an O-ring into the coupling member 321 and then coupling the detachable member 322 with it.

Alternatively, the airtight member 323, although not shown, includes a protrusion formed to protrude along the insertion end of the detachable member 322, and when the detachable member 322 is coupled to the coupling member 321, the The protrusion can be in close contact with the upper side of the coupling member 321 to maintain airtightness.

Figure 5 is a view showing an embodiment in which the insertion coupling portion 300 is coupled to the U-shaped connector 120b. As shown, the insertion coupling portion 300 corresponds to various shapes of the connector 120b. It can be configured as follows.

Meanwhile, the culture tube 110 and the insertion body 310 are relatively long, and the length of the light irradiation unit 200 inserted into the insertion body 310 is also sufficient to distribute light evenly throughout the culture tube 110. It can have a long shape for irradiation.

In this case, the light irradiation unit 200 may be bent or sagging within the insertion body 310, making it difficult to evenly irradiate light within the culture tube 110, and the light irradiation unit 200 from the insertion body 310 may become difficult. Separation may be inconvenient or may cause damage to the light irradiation unit 200 and the insertion body 310.

Therefore, the insertion and coupling portion 300 may include a guide portion 330 that guides the position of the light irradiation portion 200.

The guide portion 330 is detachably inserted into the receiving space 312 of the insertion body 310 and is coupled to the light irradiating portion 200 to provide the light irradiating portion 200 within the receiving space 312. It serves as a location guide.

Referring to Figure 6, first of all, the light irradiation unit 200 is applied with LED tape. Based on this, looking at the configuration of the guide unit 330, a plurality of guide units 330 may be positioned spaced apart along the longitudinal direction of the light irradiation unit 200 and coupled to the light irradiation unit 200.

In the drawing, four guide parts 330 are combined along the longitudinal direction of the light irradiation part 200. However, this is an example, and the number may vary depending on the length and degree of bending of the light irradiation unit 200.

Looking at the guide part 330 in detail with reference to FIG. 7 below, the guide part 330 may be configured to include a support member 331 and a guide member 332.

First, the support member 331 is formed to support the light irradiation unit 200 by combining the light irradiation unit 200 on the outside, and as shown, is in the form of a hollow tube that can reduce weight. can be formed.

Meanwhile, considering that the light irradiation unit 200 is in the form of a tape, the support member 331 is formed in the shape of a polygonal pillar with a set length and a plurality of outer surfaces, and the light is placed on the outer surface of the pillar. A coupling surface (A) to which the irradiation unit 200 is coupled may be formed.

Here, the coupling surface (A) may be formed in various ways depending on the shape of the light irradiation unit 200, and as shown, one side of the light irradiation unit 200 may be formed in a groove shape so that it can be seated and fitted. You can.

Furthermore, the coupling surface (A) is slidably and detachably fitted to the light irradiation unit 200, and the inner surface of the groove is inclined to become narrower toward the outside so that the light irradiation unit 200 is not separated after being fitted. may be formed, and in this case, the light irradiation unit 200 may be fitted outside the end of the support member 331.

In the drawing, the support member 331 is formed in the shape of a triangular pillar tube with three outer surfaces to which the three light irradiation units 200 are coupled. However, this is an example, and the support member 331 may be formed in various shapes such as a square pillar tube.

The guide member 332 has its inner side coupled to the support member 331 and its outer side in sliding contact with the inner side of the insertion body 310, so that the light irradiation unit 200 is connected to the insertion body 310. ) can be guided to be located in the center away from the inner surface of the.

A plurality of the guide members 332 are radially coupled to the outer surface of the support member 331 and serve as a spacer between the light irradiation unit 200 and the insertion body 310. In the drawing, the support member ( 331) is connected to the three corners.

In the drawing, the guide member 332 has a set length and has a support piece whose inner end is coupled to the support member 331, and the inner side is coupled to the support piece and the outer side is inside the insertion body 310. It may be configured to include a contact piece in contact with the side.

In the drawing, the guide member 332 has a pair of support pieces radially coupled to the corners of the support member 331, and the contact pieces are formed in a round shape and have a cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 7. It may be formed in a fan-shaped shape.

The guide unit 330 includes a support member 331 to which the side of the light irradiation unit 200 is coupled corresponding to the tape shape of the light irradiation unit 200, and a guide member 332 for aligning the position. However, it can be modified in various ways depending on the shape of the light irradiation unit 200.

The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, but these are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. Therefore, the true scope of technical protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the attached patent claims.

100: culture unit 110: culture tube
111: Internal space 120a, 120b: Connector
121: Coupler 200: Light irradiation unit
300: insertion coupling part 310: insertion body
311: insertion port 312: receiving space
320: detachable coupling part 321: coupling member
321a, 322a: threaded portion 322: detachable member
323: airtight member 330: guide part
331: support member 332: guide member
A: Mating surface

Claims (6)

a culture unit containing a culture medium containing photosynthetic organisms in an internal space;
a light irradiation unit capable of irradiating light so that the photosynthetic organisms photosynthesize;
The light irradiation unit is inserted inside, and is formed of a light-transmissive material so that the light irradiated from the light irradiation unit is transmitted and irradiated to the outside, and the light irradiation unit is inserted and detachably inserted from the outside of the culture unit so that it is located within the internal space. A photobioreactor comprising an insertion coupling portion.
According to claim 1,
The culture department,
Culture tubes in which the culture solution is received and flows in the inner space in a tubular shape,
A photobioreactor comprising connecting tubes that connect the culture tubes in communication with each other and the insertion coupling portion is detachably coupled.
According to claim 2,
The insertion coupling part,
An insertion body made of a light-transmissive material and having a set length corresponding to the length of the culture tube, inside which an accommodating space for accommodating the light irradiation unit is formed and an insertion port open on one side to communicate with the accommodating space;
A photobioreactor comprising a detachable coupling portion that is coupled to the insertion body and the culture portion to detachably couple the insertion body to the culture portion.
According to claim 3,
The detachable coupling part,
A coupling member on one side of which is coupled to the culture part and into which the insertion body is inserted to penetrate;
A photobioreactor comprising a detachable member that is inserted through the insertion body and one side of which is detachably coupled to the inner peripheral surface of the other side of the coupling member.
According to claim 3,
The insertion coupling part,
A photobioreactor further comprising a guide part that is detachably inserted into the receiving space of the insertion body and coupled to the light irradiating part to guide the position of the light irradiating part within the receiving space.
According to claim 5,
The guide part,
A support member coupled to the light irradiation unit on the outside to support the light irradiation unit,
The inner side is coupled to the support member and the outer side is slidably in contact with the inner side of the insertion body, and the light irradiation portion is positioned to be spaced apart from the inner side of the insertion body. Characterized in that it includes a guide member that guides the position. Photobioreactor.

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