TW201404296A - Microalgae cultivation module including circular tube-shaped cultivation bag - Google Patents

Abstract

A microalgae cultivation module includes a supporting structure, at least one circular tube-shaped cultivation bag, a medium and a gas input equipment. The supporting structure has a plurality of positioning portions on its two sides, respectively, and two ends of the circular tube-shaped cultivation bag are respectively fixed on the positioning portions of the two sides in the supporting structure. The medium fills the circular tube-shaped cultivation bag, and contains a microalgae species. The gas input equipment is connected to the circular tube-shaped cultivation bag to input gas to the circular tube-shaped cultivation bag. When the circular tube-shaped cultivation bag is disposed on the supporting structure, the inner part of which is wholly connected, and the cross-section in the longitudinal direction of the circular tube-shaped cultivation bag is arc shaped.

Description

Microalgae breeding module containing round tubular culture bag

The invention relates to a microalgae cultivation device, and in particular to a microalgae culture module which can be used for carbon reduction and biomass production.

As global warming and climate anomalies become more and more obvious, how to reduce the impact of the greenhouse effect on the environment and ecology has become a global topic. In recent years, in order to solve the excessive carbon dioxide generated by people's livelihood and industrial development, advanced countries have also invested heavily in research and development of various carbon sequestration technologies.

Among them, the use of microalgae farming technology to reduce carbon dioxide is one of the most efficient biological carbon sequestration methods. Due to the high efficiency and rapid growth of photosynthesis, the algae itself can be used as a food or nutrient additive or as a raw material for biomass energy, and has a wide range of uses.

However, although the carbon sequestration efficiency of microalgae is quite high, when it is actually cultured in an outdoor environment, it is often difficult to regulate due to environmental conditions, and the efficiency of the photoreactor is not good, resulting in the growth of the algae strain is not as expected. In addition, in the outdoor microalgae culture system, most of the materials used in the photobioreactor are still made of glass or poly(methyl)methacrylate (PMMA), which is expensive and difficult to maintain. It is impossible to mass-produce, so it is impossible to meet the needs of industrialization. Moreover, at present, the key technologies for applying other materials to microalgae cultivation are still in the process, so it is necessary to develop a microalgae breeding system that is cheaper, easier to mass-produce, and has better carbon-fixing efficiency in order to meet the utilization of microalgae. The need for biological carbon sequestration and biomass energy development.

In view of this, the present invention provides a microalgae culture system, which has low equipment and maintenance cost, is easy to mass-produce, and has good carbon fixation efficiency, and can improve the economic benefit of microalgae cultivation.

The invention provides a microalgae culture module comprising a support structure, at least one round tube culture bag, a culture medium and an air intake device. The two sides of the support structure respectively have a plurality of positioning portions, and two ends of the round tubular culture bag are respectively fixed on the positioning portions on both sides of the support structure. The medium is filled in a round tubular culture bag and contains a microalgae strain. The air intake device is connected to the round tubular culture bag to pass the gas into the round tubular culture bag. Wherein, when the round tubular culture bag is disposed in the support structure, the interior thereof is integrally connected, and the cross section in the longitudinal direction of the circular tubular culture bag is curved.

In an embodiment of the invention, the air intake device includes at least one aeration tube and a pneumatic device. The aeration tubes are respectively disposed in the respective tubular shaped culture bags, and the air pressure device is connected to the aeration tubes.

In an embodiment of the invention, the material of the round tubular culture bag comprises polyethylene (PE).

In an embodiment of the invention, the gas comprises carbon dioxide.

In one embodiment of the present invention, when the plurality of round tubular culture bags are two or more, each of the circular tubular culture bags is disposed in parallel with the support structure.

In an embodiment of the invention, the round tube shaped culture bag has an inner diameter/length ratio of 1/10 to 1/50.

In an embodiment of the invention, the inner diameter of the above-mentioned round tubular culture bag It is 5 cm~25 cm.

In an embodiment of the invention, the round tubular culture bag has a length of 100 cm to 500 cm.

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the circular tubular culture bag is disposed in the support structure, a straight line passing through both end portions of the round tubular culture bag is 30° to 90° in a direction in which the sun travels.

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the tubular shaped culture bag is disposed in the support structure, a straight line passing through both end portions of the round tubular culture bag is substantially 90° from a direction in which the sun travels.

Based on the above, the microalgae breeding module proposed by the invention can realize low-cost, large-scale microalgae cultivation, which can rapidly and rapidly proliferate microalgae, control growth conditions are easy, pollution is not easy, and microalgae production is stable, which is in line with industrial development. Demand.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

1 is a perspective view and a partially enlarged schematic view of a microalgae culture module according to an embodiment of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the microalgae culture module 100 of the present invention includes a support structure 110, at least one tubular culture bag 130, a culture medium 140, and an air intake device 160.

In this embodiment, the support structure 110 includes a bracket portion 110a and a base portion 110b, and has multiple positioning positions on both sides of the support structure 110. Part 120. In addition, the positioning portion 120 has a hollow cylindrical structure 120a and a receiving portion 120b, and the receiving portion 120b is fixed to the bracket portion 110a of the supporting structure 110 by, for example, a plurality of bolts (not shown), but the present invention is not limited thereto. The positioning portion 120 may also be integrally formed on the support structure 110. The material of the bracket portion 110a, the base portion 110b, and the positioning portion 120 is, for example, a combination of iron, stainless steel, or other metal materials. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

The two ends of the tubular culture bag 130 are respectively fixed on the positioning portions 120 on both sides of the support structure 110, and the circular tubular culture bags 130 are disposed on the support structure 110 in a side by side manner. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 , each of the tubular shaped culture bags 130 is arranged in parallel, for example, substantially parallel to the y direction in FIG. 1 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

Further, when the tubular culture bag 130 is disposed on the support structure 110, the inside of the tubular culture bag 130 is entirely communicated, and the cross section in the longitudinal direction of each of the tubular culture bags 130 is curved. It should be noted that "internal internal communication" as used herein means that fluid can be continuously and uninterruptedly distributed in the tubular culture bag 130 when a sufficient amount of fluid is filled into the tubular culture bag 130. Further, the pattern of "the cross section in the longitudinal direction is curved" is as shown in Fig. 1, and the straight line (A-A) is formed by the end portion A and the end portion A' of the circular tube-shaped culture bag 130. '), the circular tubular culture bag 130 is cut in the longitudinal direction thereof (the direction parallel to the y direction in FIG. 1), and the entire cross section is observed as an arc in the x direction in FIG. shape.

Actually, the manner of fixing the circular tubular culture bag 130 is not particularly limited. For example, the two ends of the circular tubular culture bag 130 may be respectively passed. The hollow cylindrical structure 120a on the positioning portion 120 on both sides of the support structure 110, and then the two end pockets of the circular tubular culture bag 130 are folded back outward, thereby partially covering the hollow cylindrical structure 120a, and then respectively using the fixing member 136 The portion of the circular tubular culture bag 130 that is folded back to cover the hollow cylindrical structure 120a is fixed.

The material of the tubular shaped culture bag 130 is, for example, polyethylene, and the fixing member 136 is, for example, a metal buckle, but is not limited thereto. The ratio of the inner diameter R to the length of the round tubular culture bag 130 is, for example, 1/10 to 1/50. More specifically, the inner diameter R of the round tubular culture bag is, for example, 5 cm to 25 cm, and the length thereof is, for example, 100 cm to 500 cm, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

It should be noted that the size of the support structure 110 can be appropriately adjusted according to the parameters such as the number, material, weight and size of the tubular culture bag 130 to be installed, and is not particularly limited, and thus is also advantageous for implementation. Mass production of scale.

In addition, a cap member (not shown) may be further disposed on both ends of the tubular culture bag 130 as needed, thereby covering or sealing the opening at both ends of the tubular culture bag 130 to satisfy Avoid leakage when transporting the culture module, or avoid the need for contamination during microalgae cultivation.

The medium 140 is filled in the round tubular culture bag 130 and contains the microalgae strain 150. 150 strains of microalgae strains of the genus Chlorella, for example, (Chlorella), Nannochloropsis sp (Nannochloropsis), Spirulina (Spirulina), Isochrysis sp (Isochrysis), Synechococcus (of Synechococcus) or Haematococcus Haematococcus , etc., but is not limited to this. The medium 140 is, for example, f/2_ medium. However, it should be understood that the composition and material of the medium 140 can be determined by those having ordinary knowledge in the art depending on the type of microalgae strain to be cultured, temperature, humidity, and the like.

The intake device 160 is connected to the tubular culture bag 130 to pass gas into the respective tubular culture bags 130. In the present embodiment, the air intake device 160 includes at least one aeration tube 160a and an air pressure device 160b. As shown in Fig. 1, the aeration tubes 160a are respectively disposed in the respective tubular shaped culture bags 130, and the air pressure device 160b is connected to the respective aeration tubes 160a.

The material of the aeration tube 160a is, for example, high-density polyethylene, and the aeration tube 160a is, for example, a T-shaped tube having two air outlets 170 at the ends, and is inserted from one end of each of the tubular culture bags 130, and It is disposed at the bottom of each of the circular tubular shaped culture bags 130, whereby only one end of each of the circular tubular culture bags 130 is placed in the aeration tube, and the gas is transmitted through the gas outlet 170 to be respectively formed by a circular tube shape. The bottom of the culture bag 130 is supplied with gas to both sides. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and an aeration tube 160a of another material or type may be used as long as gas can be introduced into each of the tubular culture bags 130 through the gas pipe 160a. The air compressor 160b is, for example, one or more air compressors, and the above gas is, for example, carbon dioxide or other carbon dioxide-containing gas.

The illumination source of the microalgae culture module 100 of the present invention is, for example, sunlight or an artificial light source (such as a light-emitting diode or the like). In one embodiment, the microalgae culture module 100 of the present invention can be configured such that when the circular tubular culture bag 130 is disposed on the support structure 110, the straight line passing through the two ends of the round tubular culture bag and the sun The direction of travel is 30°~90°. Specifically, the straight line passing through both end portions of the above-described round tubular culture bag and the direction in which the sun travels are, for example, substantially 90 degrees. Please refer to FIG. 1 , for example, in the case of chalk, in the micro of the present invention. The place where the algae culture module 100 is installed, the sun is operated from the +x direction (east) to the -x direction (west), as shown in Fig. 1, the end portion A of each round tubular culture bag 130 can be passed. The microalgae culture module 100 is disposed such that the straight line (A-A') connected to the end portion A' is substantially parallel to the y direction in FIG. That is, in general, the microalgae culture module 100 can be disposed substantially in a north-south direction. Thereby, the light receiving area of the whole round tubular culture bag 130 can be maximized, and the carbon fixation efficiency of the microalgae culture module 100 can be further improved.

Experimental examples will be set forth below to explain the embodiments of the present invention in more detail. It is to be noted that the results of the following experimental examples are merely illustrative of the embodiments of the invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Experimental Example 1: Growth and carbon sequestration efficiency of microalgae strains

The microalgae culture module of the above embodiment was used to carry out continuous culture of the microalgae strain. In this experimental example, the microalgae strain used was a temperature-resistant, CO ₂ -tolerant Chlorella sp., and its culture environment was about three times the concentration of f/2 medium per liter of seawater. (marine enrichment medium f/2), while the initial cultured algae strain has a concentration of about OD ₆₈₂ = 2 (about 0.5 gram microalgae per liter of culture broth) and aeration of 0.1 vvm (ie, in liters per liter of culture medium, 0.1 liters of gas per minute).

In this experimental example, 15 polyethylene culture bags arranged side by side on a support structure were used, and these round tubular culture bags have an inner diameter of about 8 cm and a length of about 400 cm. In addition, an aeration tube made of high-density polyethylene and an air pressure device (brand type: Fusheng; VA-80) are used, and the round tube culture bag is passed through the tubular culture bag when it is disposed in the support structure. Straight at both ends The line is approximately 90° from the direction of the sun. It should be noted that the above experimental conditions can be adjusted according to the experimental operating environment, such as the ambient temperature, the temperature of the culture solution, the light, and the like, and the daily growth of the algal strain.

During the experiment, environmental conditions such as ambient temperature, culture solution temperature, pH of the culture solution, and illumination were recorded daily, and the growth of microalgae was measured based on the absorbance (OD) at 682 nm. After 37 days of continuous culture and three microalgae recovery, the environmental conditions during the culture were recorded as follows, and the growth line diagram is shown in Fig. 2. The microalgae recovery method is that about one-half of the algae liquid in the round tubular culture bag is extracted by using the siphon principle.

Recording days: 37 days average ambient temperature: 30 ° C average broth temperature: 33 ° C light: 1,000 ~ 2,000 μmol m ^-2 s ^-1 CO ₂ concentration: 2% (for a mixture of air and CO ₂ , daylight Only when it is given, only air is introduced at night)

From the growth line graph in Fig. 2, it can be calculated that the average biomass production capacity of the microalgae culture module of the present embodiment is about 150 g/metric ton culture volume/day, and the optimal biomass productivity (ie, microalgae growth in logarithm) The production capacity of the phase (log phase) is about 200 g / metric ton of culture volume / day, and its optimal carbon fixation efficiency is about 360 gram / metric ton culture volume / day. The optimum carbon sequestration efficiency is estimated by generating about 1.8 grams of carbon dioxide per 1 gram of microalgal biomass. Based on the numerical estimates obtained in this example, if the land area is calculated, the production potential of chlorella in outdoor culture is about 20 g/m ^ 2 / day. Therefore, it is estimated that the area of land per hectare can produce 60 metric tons of microalgae biomass per year, and the carbon reduction can reach about 110 metric tons.

Experimental Example 2: Effect of nighttime LED illumination on the growth of microalgae strains

The microalgae culture module of the above example was used to carry out continuous culture of the microalgae strain, and the effect of nighttime application of LED illumination on the growth of the microalgae was compared. In this experimental example, the microalgae strain used was also Chlorella sp., and the culture environment was about three times the concentration of f/2 medium per liter of seawater, and the initial cultured microalgae concentration was about OD=2 ( About 0.5 g / liter of culture medium), the ventilation is 0.1 vvm or more.

During the experiment, ambient conditions such as ambient temperature, culture temperature, pH of the culture solution, and light, and the growth of the microalgae were recorded daily. After 7 days of continuous culture, the environmental conditions during the culture were recorded as follows, and the growth line chart is shown in Fig. 3.

Recording days: 7 days average ambient temperature: 31 ° C during the day, 27 ° C during the night: daylight sun light 1,000 ~ 2,000 μmol m ^-2 s ^-1 , night LED illumination 100 μmol m ^-2 s ^-1 CO ₂ concentration: 2% ( In the no LED lighting group, air is introduced at night)

From the growth line graph in Fig. 3, the microalgae culture module of the present embodiment can be calculated, and the average biomass production capacity of the nighttime LED lighting group is about 240 g/metric ton culture volume/day, which is a nighttime no-light group. The average biomass production capacity is 160 g / metric ton culture volume / 1.5 times the day. From the above experimental results It is known that the microalgae culture module provided by the invention can rapidly proliferate microalgae and has good carbon fixation efficiency. In addition, if the illumination is provided at night, the biomass production capacity of the microalgae culture module can be further improved.

In summary, in the microalgae culture module provided by the present invention, since the arrangement method is simple and easy, and the culture bag which is inexpensive and easy to replace can be used, the equipment cost can be greatly reduced. Moreover, the number of culture bags, the size of the support frame, the orientation of the support, and the culture conditions of the microalgae strain can be flexibly adjusted according to actual needs, thereby rapidly and efficiently proliferating the microalgae, and the growth conditions are easy to control and less likely to be contaminated. Moreover, the production of microalgae is stable, so it is easy to implement large-scale mass production, which is very beneficial to industrial use. In addition, the culture bags used can be replaced at any time according to the culture condition of the microalgae in each culture bag, and the maintenance process does not require a large amount of equipment or manpower for maintenance, so the maintenance cost is also low.

The microalgae culture module provided by the invention can be applied to the production and production of biomass energy in addition to the carbon dioxide emission reduction and reuse in various people's livelihood, animal husbandry and industry (such as Biodiesel industry, etc., biotechnology industry (such as biological bait, health food, nutritional supplements, etc.), fully implement the sustainable use of resources.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100‧‧‧Microalgae culture module

110‧‧‧Support structure

110a‧‧‧ bracket

110b‧‧‧Base section

120‧‧‧ Positioning Department

120a‧‧‧ hollow cylindrical structure

120b‧‧‧Receiving Department

130‧‧‧round tube culture bag

136‧‧‧Fixed components

140‧‧‧ medium

150‧‧‧Microalgae strain

160‧‧‧Air intake equipment

160a‧‧‧Aeration tube

160b‧‧‧air pressure device

170‧‧‧ outlet

R‧‧‧Inner diameter

A, A'‧‧‧ end

x, y, z‧‧ direction

1 is a perspective view and a partially enlarged schematic view of a microalgae culture module according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a graph showing the growth line of the microalgae strain obtained by the microalgae culture module according to an embodiment of the present invention. The arrows indicate the collection of half of the culture volume of the microalgae and the addition of fresh microalgae culture.

Fig. 3 is a growth line diagram showing the effect of nighttime application of LED illumination on the growth of microalgae using a microalgae culture module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

100‧‧‧Microalgae culture module

110‧‧‧Support structure

110a‧‧‧ bracket

110b‧‧‧Base section

120‧‧‧ Positioning Department

120a‧‧‧ hollow cylindrical structure

120b‧‧‧Receiving Department

130‧‧‧round tube culture bag

136‧‧‧Fixed components

140‧‧‧ medium

150‧‧‧Microalgae strain

160‧‧‧Air intake equipment

160a‧‧‧Aeration tube

160b‧‧‧air pressure device

170‧‧‧ outlet

R‧‧‧Inner diameter

A, A'‧‧‧ end

x, y, z‧‧ direction

Claims (10)

A microalgae culture module comprises: a support structure having a plurality of positioning portions on each side thereof; at least one circular tube-shaped culture bag, the two ends of which are respectively fixed on the positioning portions on both sides of the support structure; a medium filled in the tubular culture bag, and the medium contains a microalgae strain; an air inlet device is connected to the tubular culture bag to pass a gas into the tubular culture bag; When the circular tubular culture bag is disposed in the support structure, the interior thereof is integrally connected, and the cross section in the longitudinal direction of the circular tubular culture bag has an arc shape. The microalgae culture module of claim 1, wherein the air intake device comprises: at least one aeration tube respectively disposed in each of the tubular culture bags; and an air pressure device connected to the Aeration tube. The microalgae culture module according to claim 1, wherein the material of the round tubular culture bag comprises polyethylene. The microalgae culture module of claim 1, wherein the gas comprises carbon dioxide. The microalgae culture module according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein when the round tube culture bags are two or more, each of the round tube culture bags is disposed on the support structure in a side by side manner. The microalgae culture module as described in claim 1 of the patent application, wherein The round tube culture bag has an inner diameter/length ratio of 1/10 to 1/50. The microalgae culture module according to claim 1, wherein the round tube culture bag has an inner diameter of 5 cm to 25 cm. The microalgae culture module according to claim 1, wherein the tubular culture bag has a length of 100 cm to 500 cm. The microalgae culture module according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the circular tube culture bag is disposed in the support structure, and the straight line passing through the two ends of the round tube culture bag and the direction in which the sun travels It is 30°~90°. The microalgae culture module according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the circular tube culture bag is disposed in the support structure, and the straight line passing through the two ends of the round tube culture bag and the direction in which the sun travels It is substantially 90°.