TWI721617B - A continuous and automatic bioreactor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a continuous automated bioreactor, and its main concept comes from the idea of a bioreactor or fermentation tank. It is mainly divided into three parts. The first part: the tower-type rearing tank, which is divided into different levels with partitions, which can separate the organisms of different growth days and achieve the optimal use of the space; the second part: automatic feeding The system reduces the manpower for feeding and can achieve a small number of feedings, reducing the temperature in the feeding tank due to feed fermentation; the third part: using the principle of vacuum extraction to allow the air in the tank to flow, in addition to supplying feeding organisms In addition to the required oxygen, the exhaust gas produced by the organism is also drawn away, and can achieve the effect of cooling and dehumidification. In the present invention, harvesting organisms and inoculating organisms are carried out simultaneously. Take the breeding of Heishui Fly as an example, inoculating early-instar larvae every day, and harvesting mature larvae and insect dung, so that the system can continue to operate, achieve optimal breeding, and save a lot of manpower and space.

Description

A continuous automated bioreactor

The present invention relates to an automatic production management equipment. It consists of three parts. The first part: a tower-type breeding tank, which can achieve optimal use of space; and the second part: an automatic feeding system, which reduces the manpower for feeding, and can reach a small number of times. The third part: using the principle of vacuum extraction to let the air flow in the tank, in addition to supplying the oxygen required by the breeding organisms such as the black horsefly, it also exhausts the waste gas generated by the breeding organisms. It is separated, and can achieve the effect of cooling and dehumidification.

Automatic insect body production and management equipment adopts funnel-type breeding, with monitoring and conveyor belt settings to collect larvae. However, a lot of space is required to place equipment to feed the insects, and a lot of manpower is required to supplement feed. This patented batch breeding must be re-raised after each harvest.

The Black Soldier Fly Biowaste Processing-A Step-by-Step Guide was written and published with funding from the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency (SDC) and the Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO) of the Swiss Federal Ministry of Economics, Education and R&D. The main purpose is to use Heishui Fly to treat a large amount of biological wastes such as kitchen waste and food residues. It adopts a box breeding method, which requires a lot of manpower, space and material input to raise the worms.

When raising, it will produce heat and a lot of feces and exhaust gas, so it can only be used for solid The container is fixed, and the thin layer (5-10 cm) is used for breeding to facilitate heat dissipation and gas exchange.

Thin-layer breeding without aeration equipment. Exhaust gas from the growth of organisms accumulates in the rearing box. Not only is it unfavorable to the growth of the organism, but there is also insufficient oxygen, which hinders the growth of the organism, and the feeding medium in the rearing box must be constantly stirred. In addition, the rearing container usually has no cooling equipment, and the heat generated by the growth of the larvae and the fermentation of the feed accumulates in the container, making the temperature too high, and it is also harmful to the growth of organisms. Regardless of the box type, box type, pool type, funnel type, etc., a lot of space is needed to stack or place the rearing container.

The whole batch of feeding is adopted, and a new feeding process needs to be re-established after harvest. In this way, it takes a lot of manpower to re-establish different batches of production.

Batch feeding, when the volume of the organisms at the first age is very small, they still occupy the same feeding space, resulting in a waste of feeding space, and can only be harvested once in a certain period (10-15 days). The organisms cannot be produced every day and the supply cannot be stabilized. Therefore, it prevents it from being used as feed for other poultry, livestock, or aquaculture.

Except for microbial feeding (such as alcohol fermentation), most multicellular organisms, such as Heishui Fly, do not have an automated feeding system. If a small amount of feeding is not available for multiple feedings, it is easy to cause the feed to ferment in the feeding box, which will increase the temperature, which is unfavorable. Larvae grow.

Traditional bioreactors or fermentation tanks are mostly used for winemaking, microbial fermentation, or cell line culture. Because of the high nutrient content of the culture medium and the rapid growth of microorganisms, it is easy to contaminate and must be controlled under strict environmental conditions to operate normally.

The present invention starts from the concept of fermentation tank and bioreactor, and designs a continuous automated bioreactor by taking into account the biological characteristics of organisms such as black horsefly.

As a star species in the current circular economy and environmental protection, Heishui Fly has the ability to digest organic biomass wastes, such as kitchen waste, fruit and vegetable market food residues, animal dung, human feces, sludge, bean dregs, distiller’s grains, and waste from food factories. Raw materials, slaughterhouse waste, etc., have been surging in countries all over the world in recent years, raising a large number of black flies and processing organic waste. In addition, due to the rich nutritional value of the larvae of Heishui Fly, it can be used as feed to raise various poultry, livestock, aquaculture, etc.; it can also replace the function of fish meal and be used as a feed additive to reduce the pressure of overfishing of marine fish. Therefore, regardless of the European Union or the United States, government agencies encourage large-scale breeding of Heishui Fly.

Looking at the characteristics of fermentation tanks and bioreactors in the past, they are providing economic benefits for large-scale breeding. Carefully observe the living habits of breeding organisms (such as black water horsefly larvae), and therefore inspired the present invention. Aiming at the conditions required for black water horsefly breeding, the fermentation tank or bioreactor was improved. After countless experiments and research and development, the invention finally succeeded in inventing the similar The feeding system of the fermentation tank or bioreactor can continuously and automatically feed the black water fly and apply it to other organisms, such as other insects, earthworms, aquaculture or feed organisms.

In the present invention, the thin-layer and plane rearing is changed to three-dimensional rearing, which can greatly reduce the area required for rearing by more than 10 times.

The invention adopts continuous automatic feeding instead of traditional batch production, greatly reduces labor costs by more than 10 times, and makes the overall feeding economic benefit more than 10 times that of traditional feeding.

The breeding organisms referred to in the present invention include insects and their larvae (such as black water fly, fly maggot, breadworm, cricket, Spodoptera litura, silkworm, etc.), earthworms, aquaculture organisms and other feed organisms.

Erection of feeding trough

The size of the rearing tank can be based on the amount of biomass waste to be processed or the amount to be reared The number of organisms, such as Heishui Fly, is currently 0.8x0.8x2.4 meters (length x width x height), 2x2x2 meters (length x width x height), and 2.4x2.4x2.4 Three different specifications including meters (length x width x height).

In addition, you can also refer to the space that can be placed in the breeding place, and tailor-made square or round breeding tanks or make parallel placement.

Basically, the larger the feeding tank, the higher the strength of the tank iron required. Because the rearing trough adopts three-dimensional rearing, the volume that can be reared in the same space (take black water fly larvae as an example) is about 100 times that of thin-layer rearing containers.

Taking a 0.8 x 0.8 x 2.4 meter (length x width x height) feeding trough as an example, in a space of 0.64 square meters, the feedable volume is 1.5 cubic meters. The traditional thin-layer box breeding container has a volume of 0.6x0.4x0.1 meters (length x width x height), and the cultivable volume is about 0.024 cubic meters.

The feeding capacity of a 0.8 x 0.8 x 2.4 m (length x width x height) breeding tank is about 62 thin-layer box breeding containers (1.5/0.024=62).

In terms of feeding capacity per unit area, 62 thin-layer feeding boxes occupy an area of 0.6×0.4×62 (pieces)=14.9 square meters, while the feeding trough of the present invention occupies an area of 0.8×0.8 width=0.64 square meters, so In other words, the efficiency per unit area of the breeding tank of the present invention is 23 times that of the thin-layer breeding tank.

A number of internal partitions are arranged inside the tank body of the present invention, and the internal partitions are staggered up and down, and the internal partitions are inclined downward.

When the material is discharged from the lower discharge port, the organisms on the inner partitions of each layer will sequentially move down. Because the inner partitions are inclined, a triangular gap will be formed under the inner partitions as a space for adding feed. , It also makes the organisms (such as Heishui Fly) distributed in this layer gather in the feed Feeding around, will not swim around, creating the realization of hierarchical and continuous feeding.

Establishment of ventilation system

The invention uses a fermentation tank or a bioreactor to raise the tank, and the obstacles that need to be overcome are ventilation, temperature reduction, and humidity reduction. In order to overcome these three obstacles, we adopt a vacuum exhaust ventilation system.

The main construction of the ventilation system is a set of powerful blowers, with an additional exhaust pipe, which draws air from above the rearing trough, and opens two air inlets below the rearing trough.

When the blower blows the air, a vacuum condition is generated. Fresh air from the outside flows in from the air inlet at the bottom of the breeding tank, passes through the breeding medium in the tank, and is drawn from the suction opening at the top, so that the gas flows and can provide fresh oxygen to the breeding tank. Organisms (such as black water horsefly) breathe and pump out waste gas (such as ammonia and methane) produced by the organism's metabolism.

In addition, the heat generated by organism metabolism and feed fermentation in the breeding tank can be discharged by gas flow to achieve a cooling effect, and at the same time, the moisture content of the feed in the breeding tank is reduced due to air drying.

Structure of feed mixing and automatic feeding unit

The invention uses a feed mixing and feeding unit, which is a screw conveying device or a pneumatic diaphragm mercury method, to feed the feed into the tank, and it is distinguished according to whether the feed is solid or liquid nutrient.

Traditional batches of thin-layer breeding of Heishui flies are fed about three times during the breeding period, usually a certain amount of feed is given on the first, fifth, and eighth days, which is easy to cause the feed to ferment in the feeding box, and generate a lot of heat and humidity. Gas, causing the growth of larvae to be hindered.

The invention is equipped with feed mixing and automatic feeding station, according to the nature of different feed sources Qualitative differences, the best feeding formula can be adjusted, for example: cooked kitchen waste is too greasy and too salty, raw kitchen waste (peel or vegetable stubble) can be adjusted; poultry manure can be equipped with coarse chaff or chaff due to high adhesion Wheat bran.

The formulated feed is fully mixed evenly in the mixer, and transported from the conveying pipe to the feed inlets through the automatic control system.

Taking the breeding of Heishui Fly as an example, 100 grams of Heishui Fly eggs are taken and placed in a thin-layer breeding box, and one kilogram of 70% water content chicken feed is placed in the box. Place a 10 cm high hatching rack on it, and place the eggs on the hatching rack. The larvae after the eggs hatch are dropped into the chicken feed from the hatching rack to feed on. At the 5th day of age, take out the first-instar larvae and weigh them, and count the number of larvae

The water content of the feed of the present invention is 40% to 90%.

The water content of the feed of the invention is 50% to 80%.

The water content of the feed of the invention is 60% to 70%.

The invention uses an automatic control mode to put in different amounts of body feed according to the age of different organisms in the breeding tank.

The invention can feed the feed once per hour and avoid the fermented feed in the breeding tank to produce heat.

1‧‧‧Feeding tank

2‧‧‧Inner partition

3‧‧‧Harvesting insect body discharge port

4‧‧‧Harvest Barrel

5‧‧‧Feed mixing and automatic feeding unit

6‧‧‧Feed conveying pipe

7‧‧‧Feed input port

8‧‧‧Blower

9‧‧‧Exhaust pipe

10‧‧‧Exhaust vent

11‧‧‧Air inlet

12‧‧‧Injection of first-instar larvae

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the breeding tank of Heishui Fly of the present invention

Prepare materials

(1) The feeding tank is 0.8x0.8x2.4 meters

(2) The feed is soybean dregs with a water content of about 70%.

(3) Feeding organism source: Heishui fly, the larvae collected in the bean dregs storage bucket of the farm, and reared for multiple generations after emergence.

(4) Thin-layer breeding box 0.6x0.4x0.1 meter plastic bucket

First instar larvae

Take 100 grams of black water horsefly eggs and place them in a thin-layer feeding box. In the box, place one kilogram of 70% water content chicken feed, and then place a 10 cm high incubator rack on it, and place the eggs on the incubator rack. After the eggs hatch, the larvae fall into the chicken feed from the hatching rack to feed on. When the 5th day of age is reached, the first-instar larvae are weighed and the number of larvae is counted.

Inoculate larvae

Put all the first-instar larvae into the mouth from the first-instar larva above the rearing tank and put them into the rearing tank for rearing. Each batch of worms is composed of larvae hatched from 100 grams of eggs and inoculated into the breeding tank in batches.

Feed input

In the early stage of feeding, after the first batch of insects were inoculated, feed was replenished every day, and feed was put in from the feed inlet. This feeding trough has 10 feed inlets from top to bottom, and from top to bottom, it is the first day, the second day...the tenth day and so on. The feed input is controlled by an automated control system, and different feed amounts are input from different input ports.

Feed input control

The feed input is controlled by an automated control system, and different feed amounts are input from different input ports. According to different days, 70% water-containing soybean dregs of different weights were administered. In the early stage of feeding, the feed amount of each input is distributed as follows: 0.5 kg on the first day, 1 kg on the second day, 2 kg on the third day, 8 kg on the fourth day, 16 kg on the fifth day, and 32 kg on the sixth day. 32 kg on the 7th day, 16 kg on the 8th day, 8 kg on the 9th day, no feeding on the 10th day.

Inoculation of first-instar larvae in batches

Inoculate a batch of first-instar larvae hatched with 100 grams of eggs every day and feed them according to the amount of feed. On the 10th day, the worms were harvested every day. Such a cycle can reach the goal of continuous automatic feeding.

Harvest worms

When harvesting, open the harvesting outlet under the rearing trough, and harvest about 230 kg of insect body and insect feces mixture each time.

Post-harvest treatment

The harvested insect body and insect dung mixture is put into a drying bucket and dried with hot air from the air outlet of the blower. After about 4 hours, the dried mixture is taken out and the insect dung is filtered with a screen. The obtained insect body can be used as feed for poultry and livestock , Or further dried into dried insect preservation.

The tower-type rearing tank (1) can be customized in different sizes according to needs, and different internal partitions (2) are arranged in the rearing tank, so that larvae of different instars can be separated to achieve continuous feeding by age.

At the bottom of the rearing tank is a harvesting insect body discharge port (3), which grows up mature larvae, falls from the discharge port and is harvested.

The mature larvae falling from the discharge port are transported to the harvesting bucket (4) by a conveyor.

Feed mixing and automatic feeding unit (5), mixes different types of feeds and mixes them evenly. The prepared feed is delivered to each feed inlet (7) through the feed delivery pipe (6) with automatic equipment, and the ventilation in the feeding tank The system is mainly driven by a blower (8). The blower draws air from the suction port (10) on the top of the tank through the suction pipe (9) to form a negative pressure vacuum.

There are two air inlets (11) at the bottom of the feeding tank. Due to the negative pressure of the tank body, the outside Fresh gas flows in, and there is a first-instar larvae input port (12) on the top of the breeding tank, and about 5-day-old larvae are injected every day.

Based on the description of the above embodiments, when one can fully understand the operation and use of the present invention and the effects of the present invention, but the above embodiments are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the implementation of the present invention cannot be limited by this. The scope, that is, simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the scope of the patent application of the present invention and the content of the description of the invention, are all within the scope of the present invention.

1‧‧‧Feeding tank

2‧‧‧Inner partition

3‧‧‧Harvesting insect body discharge port

4‧‧‧Harvest Barrel

5‧‧‧Feed mixing and automatic feeding unit

6‧‧‧Feed conveying pipe

7‧‧‧Feed input port

8‧‧‧Blower

9‧‧‧Exhaust pipe

10‧‧‧Exhaust vent

11‧‧‧Air inlet

12‧‧‧Injection of first-instar larvae

Claims (10)

A continuous automated bioreactor, which contains: A tank body, the tank body is provided with a plurality of inner partitions, and the inner partitions are inclined downward; A discharging port, the discharging port is set under the tank body for harvesting insect bodies; A feed mixing and feeding unit is arranged on one side of the tank body, and is connected to the middle of the tank body by a conveying pipe, and feeds a feed into at least one feed inlet in the tank body through the conveying pipe; and A ventilation system, the ventilation system includes an exhaust pipe, an exhaust hole, an exhaust device and at least one air inlet, the ventilating device and the tank are connected by an exhaust pipe, and the exhaust pipe is connected with an exhaust port, A negative pressure is formed inside the tank. The reactor described in item 1 of the scope of patent application further includes a harvesting bucket for collecting mature larvae. In the reactor described in item 1 of the scope of the patent application, the plurality of inner partitions are staggered up and down and inclined downward. For the reactor described in item 1 of the scope of the patent application, the exhaust device is a driven blower for ventilating the inside of the breeding tank. For example, the reactor described in item 1 of the scope of patent application further includes an inlet for feeding the breeding organisms to be cultivated. The reactor described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the feed is bean dregs, kitchen waste or livestock manure. Such as the reactor described in item 1 or 6 of the scope of patent application, wherein the water content of the feed is 40% to 90%. In the reactor described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the feed mixing and feeding unit is a screw conveying device. For the reactor described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the feed mixing and feeding unit is a pneumatic diaphragm mercury device. The reactor described in item 5 of the scope of patent application, wherein the feeding organism system includes insects, earthworms, aquaculture organisms and other feed organisms.

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