CN102453674B - Photobioreactor system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a photobioreactor system, comprising: a photobioreactor; and a light reflecting device configured to reflect sunlight to the photobioreactor. According to the photobioreactor system of the present invention, the light-receiving area and light-receiving intensity of the photobioreactor can be increased, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of sunlight by photosynthetic organisms in the photobioreactor.

Description

Photobioreactor System

technical field

The invention relates to a photobioreactor system.

Background technique

Photobioreactor refers to a type of device that can be used for the cultivation of photosynthetic microorganisms and photosynthetic tissues or cells. Increasing the light intensity and light receiving area of the photobioreactor can effectively improve the light energy utilization efficiency of photosynthetic microorganisms, realize high-density cultivation of photosynthetic organisms and obtain higher biomass yield per unit area or volume. Algae, especially single-cell microalgae, can effectively use light energy, CO ₂ and inorganic salts to synthesize proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and a variety of high value-added biologically active substances, so photobioreactors are currently widely used in microalgae production. Density culture.

Microalgae is a photoautotrophic organism, and light is one of the main limiting factors affecting its biomass in the process of microalgae autotrophy. Increasing the light-receiving area and light-receiving intensity of the photobioreactor during the microalgae cultivation process can improve the light utilization efficiency of the microalgae, thereby achieving the purpose of increasing the biomass of the microalgae. However, affected by the rising and setting of the sun in the east, the light receiving area and light intensity of the photobioreactor vary greatly in a day, and the utilization efficiency of the sunlight by the microalgae is low.

In addition, microalgae mainly use visible light in sunlight during their growth, while infrared and ultraviolet rays in sunlight cannot be utilized by microalgae. Infrared and ultraviolet rays can cause the temperature of the algae liquid to rise, resulting in the death of microalgae.

Contents of the invention

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems. The present invention provides a photobioreactor system, comprising: a photobioreactor; and a light reflecting device configured to reflect sunlight to the photobioreactor.

The photobioreactor system according to the present invention includes a light reflecting device for reflecting sunlight to the photobioreactor, so the amount of light irradiated to the photobioreactor can be increased, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the photobioreactor for sunlight.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the reflective device includes a thermal insulation film, and the thermal insulation film can reflect visible light in sunlight and absorb infrared rays and ultraviolet rays in sunlight at the same time. Therefore, the reflective device not only increases the amount of light irradiated to the photobioreactor, but also does not cause the temperature of the culture solution inside the photobioreactor to rise, which is beneficial to the cultivation of microalgae.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the photobioreactor is a plate-type photobioreactor having a first side and a second side, and the reflective device is configured to illuminate a part of the light from the side where the first side is located. Light is reflected onto the second side. Therefore, according to the photobioreactor system of this embodiment, it is possible to avoid the phenomenon of insufficient light intensity on one side caused by the rising and setting of the sun when the photobioreactor cultivates biological substances such as microalgae under sunlight, thereby improving the quality of biological substances. Use efficiency of light to achieve the purpose of increasing output.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the photobioreactor system further includes a groove located below the photobioreactor, and the reflective device is arranged in the groove.

The reflective means may be a reflective plate with a semi-elliptical cross-section.

Optionally, the reflective device may be two reflective plates pivotably connected by a pivot, and the pivot is installed at the bottom of the groove.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the opening of the groove is covered with a transparent cover, and the photobioreactor is arranged on the transparent cover.

Optionally, an automatic angle adjustment mechanism is provided on the reflective device for automatically adjusting the angle of each reflective plate.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the reflective device is arranged on one side of the plate-type photobioreactor, and includes a plurality of reflective plates that are pivotally connected.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the photobioreactor is a raceway pool type photobioreactor, the reflective device is arranged on one side of the photobioreactor, and includes a plurality of pivotally connected reflectors plate.

The lowest reflector among the plurality of reflectors may be provided with a rolling device to facilitate the movement of the reflector.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a thermal insulation film is provided on the outer surface of the photobioreactor, and the thermal insulation film can transmit visible light in sunlight while absorbing infrared rays and ultraviolet rays in sunlight.

In order to make the purpose, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

Description of drawings

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a photobioreactor system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a photobioreactor system according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic side view of a photobioreactor system according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is the structural representation of the reflective device in the photobioreactor system shown in Fig. 3; And

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a photobioreactor system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

The specific implementation manners of the present invention are described below only by way of example. The present invention can also be implemented or applied in other different ways, and various adjustments and changes can be made to the details in this specification without departing from the general concept of the present invention. Furthermore, the accompanying drawings only illustrate the basic ideas of the present invention in a schematic manner, so the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and only show parts related to the present invention in the drawings, but obviously the present invention can include other parts according to actual applications . In the following description, like reference numerals denote like components.

first embodiment

Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a photobioreactor system 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , a photobioreactor system 10 includes a photobioreactor 1 and a reflective device 2 . Photobioreactor 1 is a plate-type photobioreactor, such as a flat plate container with a length of 6m, a height of 0.8-1.0m, and a width of 3-5cm, which contains a culture solution, and biological substances to be cultivated, such as microalgae, are suspended in the culture medium. in the liquid. The reflective device 2 shown in FIG. 1 is a reflective plate with a semi-elliptical cross-section. Correspondingly, a longitudinal groove 3 with a semi-elliptical cross section is provided under the plate-type photobioreactor 1 for accommodating the reflective device 2 . The trench 3 can be, for example, a longitudinal trench dug along the north-south direction under the ground, and its cross section is semi-elliptical. The opening of the groove 3 is covered with a transparent cover plate 4 , and the photobioreactor 1 is arranged on the transparent cover plate 4 , placed along the north-south direction, and roughly located at the center of the groove 3 in the east-west direction. Those skilled in the art can understand that the size of the groove 3 and the reflective device 2 can be appropriately set according to the size of the plate-type photobioreactor, so as to achieve the best light reflection effect. Moreover, the cross section of the trench 3 may also be set in other shapes, such as a rectangle.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the photobioreactor 1 is placed in a north-south direction. When the sun rises from the east in the morning, side A of the photobioreactor is the light-receiving surface, and side B is the backlight surface. At this time, a part of the sunlight R1 irradiated from the side A is irradiated on the semi-elliptical reflective device 2, and after being reflected by the reflective device 2, it is irradiated on the B side of the photobioreactor. Thereby, the light intensity of the side B where the amount of light is insufficient is increased, and the microalgal cells near the side B are promoted to fully absorb light.

On the contrary, when the sun is westward in the afternoon, side B of the photobioreactor is the light-receiving surface, and side A is the backlight surface. At this time, a part of the sunlight irradiated from the side where the B side is irradiated on the semi-elliptical reflector 2, after being reflected by the reflector 2, irradiates on the A side of the photobioreactor. Thereby, the illumination of the side A with a weaker light intensity is increased, and the microalgal cells near the side A are encouraged to fully absorb the light.

Therefore, due to the installation of the reflective device 2, the A side and the B side of the photobioreactor 1 can always receive sunlight in a day, thereby improving the illuminated area and light intensity of the plate-type photobioreactor, and avoiding the impact caused by the sun. The photosynthetic organisms in the photobioreactor caused by the movement will affect the efficiency of light energy utilization due to insufficient light.

In addition, in order to avoid the adverse effects of infrared rays and ultraviolet rays in sunlight on the cultivation of microalgae, a layer of heat insulation film can be arranged on the reflective surface of reflector 2, and the heat insulation film can reflect visible light in sunlight and absorb Infrared and ultraviolet rays in sunlight. Therefore, the reflective device 2 with heat insulating film not only increases the amount of light irradiated to the photobioreactor 1, but also does not cause the temperature of the culture solution inside the photobioreactor 1 to rise, which is beneficial to the cultivation of microalgae. The heat insulation film can use commonly used film materials that can absorb ultraviolet and infrared rays and reflect visible light.

In addition, a thermal insulation film can be arranged on the outer surface of the photobioreactor 1. This thermal insulation film can transmit visible light in sunlight while absorbing infrared rays and ultraviolet rays in sunlight, thereby avoiding infrared rays and ultraviolet rays from causing glare. The temperature of the algae liquid in the bioreactor rises, resulting in the death of the microalgae.

second embodiment

Fig. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a photobioreactor system 20 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The photobioreactor system of the second embodiment is substantially similar to the first embodiment. Therefore, the following will mainly describe the parts different from the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the photobioreactor system 20 includes a photobioreactor 1 and a reflective device 2 . Photobioreactor 1 is a plate-type photobioreactor similar to that shown in FIG. 1 . However, in the embodiment of FIG. 2 , the reflective device 2 is two reflective panels 21 and 22 pivotably connected by a pivot 5 . In addition, the groove 3 shown in FIG. 2 has a rectangular cross section. The pivot 5 is fixed at the approximate center of the bottom of the rectangular groove 3 . The photobioreactor 1 is arranged on the transparent cover plate 4 as in the embodiment of FIG. 1 . Similarly, heat insulation films may be provided on the reflective surfaces of the reflective plates 21 and 22 to absorb infrared rays and ultraviolet rays while reflecting visible light.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the photobioreactor 1 is placed in a north-south direction. When the sun rises from the east in the morning, side A of the photobioreactor is the light-receiving surface, and side B is the backlight surface. At this time, a part of the light R1 irradiated from the side A is irradiated on the reflector 22, and after being reflected by the reflector 22, it irradiates on the B side of the photobioreactor. Thereby, the illumination of side B with weaker light intensity is increased, and the microalgal cells near side B are encouraged to fully absorb light.

On the contrary, when the sun is westward in the afternoon, side B of the photobioreactor is the light-receiving surface, and side A is the backlight surface. At this time, part of the sunlight irradiated from the side where the B side is located is irradiated on the reflector 21, and after being reflected by the reflector 21, it is irradiated on the A side of the photobioreactor. Thereby, the illumination of the side A with a weaker light intensity is increased, and the microalgal cells near the side A are encouraged to fully absorb the light.

Therefore, the second embodiment can obtain advantageous effects similar to those of the first embodiment.

In addition, according to the second embodiment, since the angles or orientations of the reflectors 21 and 22 are adjustable, it is possible to adjust the reflectors 21 or 22 or to adjust both reflectors 21 and 22 at the same time as the angle of the sun's rays varies during the day. The angle of the reflector can be properly reflected to the backlight surface of the photobioreactor to obtain the best reflection effect.

The angle adjustment of the reflectors 21 and 22 can be carried out manually, and the angle of the reflectors can also be adjusted by setting an automatic angle adjustment mechanism in the reflector. For example, a light intensity measuring instrument can be respectively installed at the central positions of the two reflectors 21 and 22 in the lateral direction, and the light intensity measuring instrument is used to measure the light intensity in each direction within the range of 360 degrees in the area to find the best acceptance. The angle of illumination; in addition, a control part can be set in the reflective device, which is used to drive the pivot 5 between the reflectors 21 and 22 according to the signal output by the light intensity meter, so as to adjust the reflector 21 or 22 and the photobiological reaction The angle between the side A or the side B of the reflector, so that as the sun rises or falls, the light reflected by the reflector 21 or 22 to the side A or side B is the strongest.

third embodiment

Fig. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a photobioreactor system 30 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a schematic structural view of the reflective device in the photobioreactor system shown in Fig. 3 .

As shown in FIGS. 3-4 , the photobioreactor system 30 includes a photobioreactor 1 and a reflective device 2 . The photobioreactor 1 is a plate-type photobioreactor similar to the first embodiment and the second embodiment. However, in the third embodiment, the reflective device 2 is arranged on one side of the plate-type photobioreactor 1 and includes a plurality of reflective plates pivotally connected by pivots 6 . In FIGS. 3 and 4 three pivotally connected reflector panels L1 , L2 and L3 are shown. Among them, the bottom reflector L3 is mainly used for supporting and fixing, and the angles of the upper two reflectors L1 and L2 are adjustable. Similar to the second embodiment, the angle adjustment of the reflectors L1 and L2 can be performed manually, or by setting an automatic angle adjustment mechanism in the reflector. In addition, similar to the first and second embodiments, heat insulating films are provided on the reflective surfaces of the reflectors L1, L2 and L3 to absorb infrared rays and ultraviolet rays while reflecting visible light. Of course, those skilled in the art can understand that the length and height of the reflectors L1 , L2 and L3 can be adjusted according to the length and height of the photobioreactor 1 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the photobioreactor 1 is placed in a north-south direction. When the sun rises from the east in the morning, side A of the photobioreactor is the light-receiving surface, and side B is the backlight surface. At this time, part of the light R1 irradiated from the side where the A side is located is irradiated on the reflectors L1 and L2, and after being reflected, it is irradiated on the B side of the photobioreactor. Thereby, the illumination of side B with weaker light intensity is increased, and the microalgal cells near side B are encouraged to fully absorb light.

On the contrary, when the sun is westward in the afternoon, side B of the photobioreactor is the light-receiving surface, and side A is the backlight surface. At this time, since the sun is irradiating from the west, in order to increase the amount of light received on the backlight surface, that is, the A side, the reflective device 2 is moved to the side where the A side of the photobioreactor is located, that is, it is opposite to the reflective device 2 shown in Figure 3 side, so that the light irradiated from side B can be reflected to side A, the amount of light received by side A can be increased, and the microalgae cells near side A can fully absorb light.

Therefore, the third embodiment can obtain advantageous effects similar to those of the first embodiment.

In addition, according to the third embodiment, since the angles of the reflectors L1 and L2 are adjustable, it is possible to adjust the angles of the reflectors L1 or L2 or simultaneously adjust the angles of the reflectors L1 and L2 as the angle of the sun’s rays changes during the day. The angle of the first embodiment, therefore, the beneficial effect similar to that of the second embodiment can be obtained. And, because the reflective device 2 is arranged on the side of the photobioreactor 1, it is convenient to move the position of the reflective device 2, thereby helping to change the distance of the reflective device 2 from the photobioreactor 1 according to the variation of the sun irradiation angle, so as to Get the best reflections. At this point, in order to facilitate the movement of the reflective device 2, a rolling device 7 may be provided on the lowest reflective plate L3 among the plurality of reflective plates, as shown in FIG. 4 . The rolling device 7 can be a universal roller and is provided with a fixing device, so as to move on the ground and be fixed on the ground.

Fourth embodiment

Fig. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a photobioreactor system 40 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the photobioreactor system 40 includes a photobioreactor 1 and a reflective device 2 . The reflective device 2 is similar to the reflective device of the third embodiment, so the detailed description of the reflective device will not be given below.

The difference is that in the fourth embodiment, the photobioreactor is the raceway pool photobioreactor 1 . The racetrack pool type photobioreactor 1 is a container including a racetrack-shaped accommodation part in which a culture solution containing biological substances is accommodated; and, a stirring device such as a propeller is provided in the racetrack-shaped accommodation part for It is used to agitate the culture medium, so that the biological substances suspended in the culture medium often move their positions, so that the biological substances in different positions can receive light evenly, so as to achieve better cultivation effect. As shown in Figure 5, the reflective device 2 is arranged on the side of the raceway pool type photobioreactor 1, and is used to reflect light to the photobioreactor 1, so as to increase the amount of light irradiated to the photobioreactor, thereby improving the performance of the photobioreactor. The efficiency of using sunlight.

Because the reflective device 2 of the fourth embodiment is similar to the reflective device of the third embodiment. Therefore, advantageous effects similar to those of the light reflecting device of the third embodiment can be obtained.

The above descriptions are only exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that without departing from the essence of the present invention, any modification made to the present invention is within the scope of the present invention. within the scope of the invention.

Claims (11)

1. A photobioreactor system comprising: Photobioreactors; and A reflective device, the reflective device is configured to reflect sunlight to the photobioreactor, wherein the reflective device includes a thermal insulation film, and the thermal insulation film can reflect visible light in sunlight while absorbing sunlight in sunlight infrared and ultraviolet light; The photobioreactor is a plate-type photobioreactor having a first side and a second side, and the reflective device is configured to reflect a part of the light irradiated from the side where the first side is located to the second side above; the photobioreactor system further includes a groove located below the photobioreactor, the reflective device is arranged in the groove, and the opening of the groove is covered with a transparent cover plate, the The photobioreactor is arranged on the transparent cover plate. 2. The photobioreactor system according to claim 1, wherein the light reflecting means is a light reflecting plate having a semi-elliptical cross-section. 3. The photobioreactor system according to claim 1, wherein the reflective device is two reflective plates pivotally connected by a pivot, and the pivot is installed at the bottom of the groove. 4. The photobioreactor system according to claim 3, wherein an automatic angle adjustment mechanism is provided on the reflective device for automatically adjusting the angle of each reflective plate. 5. The photobioreactor system according to claim 1, wherein a thermal insulation film is arranged on the outer surface of the photobioreactor, and the thermal insulation film can transmit visible light in sunlight, while Absorbs infrared and ultraviolet rays from sunlight. 6. A photobioreactor system comprising: Photobioreactors; and A reflective device, the reflective device is configured to reflect sunlight to the photobioreactor, wherein the reflective device includes a thermal insulation film, and the thermal insulation film can reflect visible light in sunlight while absorbing sunlight in sunlight infrared and ultraviolet light; The photobioreactor is a plate-type photobioreactor having a first side and a second side, and the reflective device is configured to reflect a part of the light irradiated from the side where the first side is located to the second side Above; the reflective device is arranged on one side of the plate-type photobioreactor, and includes a plurality of reflective plates that are pivotably connected. 7. The photobioreactor system according to claim 6, wherein a rolling device is provided on the lowest reflector among the plurality of reflectors. 8. The photobioreactor system according to claim 6, wherein a thermal insulation film is arranged on the outer surface of the photobioreactor, and the thermal insulation film can transmit visible light in sunlight, while Absorbs infrared and ultraviolet rays from sunlight. 9. A photobioreactor system comprising: Photobioreactors; and A reflective device, the reflective device is configured to reflect sunlight to the photobioreactor, wherein the reflective device includes a thermal insulation film, and the thermal insulation film can reflect visible light in sunlight while absorbing sunlight in sunlight infrared and ultraviolet light; The photobioreactor is a racetrack pool type photobioreactor, and the reflective device is arranged on one side of the photobioreactor and includes a plurality of reflective plates that are pivotally connected. 10. The photobioreactor system according to claim 9, wherein a rolling device is provided on the lowest reflector among the plurality of reflectors. 11. The photobioreactor system according to claim 9, wherein a thermal insulation film is arranged on the outer surface of the photobioreactor, and the thermal insulation film can transmit visible light in sunlight, while Absorbs infrared and ultraviolet rays from sunlight.