JPH01291783A - Closed algae culture device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simultaneously and continuously obtain algae and oxygen under any outer environments, by continuously culturing algae in closed system. CONSTITUTION:Electromagnetic valves 50 and 72 are each opened in the directions of B C and A B. Then light from light source 18 is given through a optical fiber bundle 20 to a culture tank 10 and simultaneously a pump 14 is actuated and culture product containing an alga body is circulated to the arrow a direction in the culture tank 10 and line 12 to propagate the alga body and oxygen separated with an oxygen separator 24 is recovered through a gas pump 32, oxygen flowmeter 34, CO2 flowmeter 36 and vapor flowmeter 38 to a cylinder 40. Then the propagation of the alga body is detected with a turbidity meter 28 and when it attains definite value, the valves 50 and 72 are each opened in the directions of A C and A C and simultaneously pumps 52 and 60 are actuated and cultured product is allowed to flow to the arrow b direction of branched tube 48 and fed through a valve 50 and pump 52 into an alga body recovering vessel 54 and the alga body is recovered with a cylindrical filter 56, stored in a container 58 and used culture medium is discharged through a pump 60 into a tank 62.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an apparatus for continuously culturing algae in a closed system.

[Background Art] Space exploration is being carried out using space shuttles and the like, but in this case, securing food and oxygen for the crew becomes a problem. If edible algae, such as spirulina, could be cultivated in the space shuttle or space station, it would be very convenient because food and oxygen could be obtained at the same time.

When culturing 7Ms in space, the culture will be carried out under zero gravity, so it will be necessary to culture in a closed system. In addition, it is preferable to use a product that can be cultured continuously over a long period of time.When culturing algae continuously over a long period of time in a closed system, it is necessary to adjust the algae concentration, collect the algae, add a medium, and change the culture solution. There are various problems that do not occur in an open batch system, such as pH adjustment, addition of carbon dioxide to the culture solution, recovery of generated oxygen, and pressure adjustment.

Conventionally, there are many batch-type culturing apparatuses for microalgae such as chlorella, and among them, there are apparatuses with special features in light supply methods and carbon dioxide supply methods. Also, devices have been devised that allow them to be controlled by a computer. However, for the purpose of long-term continuous culture.

There is no closed culture system that has algae collection, medium addition equipment, and can separate oxygen.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a closed algae culturing device that can continuously culture algae in a closed system over a long period of time and continuously collect algae bodies and oxygen. It is to provide.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a closed culture system consisting of a culture medium a4PI and a closed pipeline via the culture tank, a means for circulating the culture within the closed culture system, A means for measuring the pressure within the closed culture system, a means for measuring the amount of carbon dioxide within the closed culture system, and 4 stages for measuring the density of algae cultured within the closed culture system; A means for collecting algal bodies from the closed culture system, a means for supplying a medium to the closed culture system, a means for supplying carbon dioxide to the closed culture system, and a means for recovering oxygen from the closed culture system. Provided is a closed algae culture device comprising:

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, a closed algae culturing device is provided which is capable of continuously culturing algae in a closed system over a long period of time and continuously collecting algae bodies and oxygen. By using the device of the present invention, algae and oxygen can be obtained simultaneously and continuously under any external environment. Therefore, by using the apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to cultivate algae that can be used for food on a space shuttle or space station, and to simultaneously obtain algae bodies and oxygen that can be used as food for the crew in a continuous manner. Extremely advantageous.

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The culture apparatus of the present invention includes a closed culture system consisting of a culture tank and a closed pipeline through the culture tank. Dimensions of culture tank,
The shape, structure, etc. are not limited in any way and can be appropriately selected depending on the culture scale, external environment, and other conditions. In order to ensure that the culture tank can be made of transparent +51 material and that algae can be cultured using sunlight, the culture tank must be made of a transparent material to ensure that algae can be cultured under any conditions Preferably, a light source is provided. Any light source may be used, but for cultivation, the east end of the optical fiber is inserted into the culture tank, and the light from the light source outside the culture tank is guided to the optical fiber so that the algae can enjoy the light. It is preferable because it does not apply unnecessary heat to the tank and ultraviolet rays can be easily blocked using a filter. Further, it is preferable that the culture tank has a means for stirring the culture in the tank.
The stirring means may be something like a stirring plate, or it is preferable that there is nothing inside the culture tank from the viewpoint of light supply, so it is preferable to branch into multiple pipes that enter the culture tank, and A structure in which the culture in the culture tank is agitated by the flow of the culture itself flowing into the culture tank is preferable.

The closed culture system consisting of the culture tank and the pipe line is provided with means for circulating the culture within the closed culture system. The means for circulating the culture may be, for example, a pump inserted in series in the conduit.

The closed culture system described in L is provided with means for measuring the pressure within the system. An example of such a means is, for example, a pressure gauge installed in a culture tank.

The closed culture system is further provided with means for measuring the density of algae cultured within the closed culture system. As a means for measuring the density of algal bodies, for example, a turbidity meter inserted in series in a pipe can be used.

The closed culture system is also provided with means for collecting algae from the culture system. As a means for collecting alga bodies, a branch pipe branched from the above-mentioned pipe line may be provided, and a cylindrical filter and a pump, for example, may be provided in series with this branch pipe.

The closed culture system is further provided with means for supplying a medium to the culture system. As a means of supplying the culture medium,
For example, a branch pipe branched from the above-mentioned pipe line is provided, and a culture medium tank and a pump are provided in series with this branch pipe.

Further, the closed culture system is provided with means for supplying carbon dioxide to the closed culture system. As a means for supplying carbon dioxide, for example, a bundle of fibers (hereinafter referred to as "hollow fibers") having a large number of holes that allow gas to pass through but not liquid to pass therethrough is inserted in series into a pipe, and
In order to supply carbon dioxide to the hollow fiber, a carbon dioxide cylinder may be connected through a valve and a flow meter. Note that commercially available hollow fibers can be used as the hollow fibers used here.

Furthermore, the bipedal closed culture system is provided with means for recovering oxygen from the culture system. As a means for recovering oxygen, a hollow fiber is inserted in series in the above-mentioned pipe line, and a gas pump and an oxygen storage cylinder are connected in series to the hollow fiber. In this case, it is preferable to insert an oxygen flow meter, a carbon dioxide flow meter, and a gas flow meter in series, since this allows the amount of recovered oxygen and its carbon dioxide content to be known.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the closed culture system is provided with a temperature controller for regulating its temperature.

Next, we will explain how to operate the above device. 6. During normal culture, a means for circulating the culture within the closed culture system, such as a pump, is operated while exposing the culture tank to the medium and the closed culture system. Circulate the culture containing the algae. At this time, the density, pressure, and amount of carbon dioxide of each individual in the closed culture system are constantly monitored. Further, the oxygen recovery means is constantly operated to constantly recover oxygen generated within the culture system. That is, if the oxygen recovery means is one in which a hollow fiber is inserted in series in the above-mentioned pipe line, and a gas pump and an oxygen storage cylinder are connected in series to the hollow fiber, the gas pump is constantly used and the hollow fiber is used. performs gas-liquid separation,
The algae photosynthesize and proliferate in the culture tank.

As a result of algae growth, if the density of algae is more than a certain value, for example, 30% higher than the initial culture value, as shown by means of measuring the density of algae, such as a turbidity meter, the algae should be recovered. At the same time, add the medium. That is, the algae body collection means is provided with a branch pipe branched from the pipe line, and for example, a cylindrical filter and a pump are provided in series on this branch pipe, and the medium supply means is provided with a branch pipe branched from the pipe line. If a pipe is provided, and a culture medium tank and a pump are provided in series in this branch pipe, the pump of the algae collection means is operated to filter out the culture through the filter, and at the same time, the culture medium supply means is turned on. The pump is operated to supply the medium from the medium tank to the closed culture system. The used medium separated from the algal bodies by the filter can be stored in a tank and disposed of, or if desired, can be recycled into the closed culture system.

When the means for measuring the pressure within the closed culture system indicates that the pressure within the culture system has exceeded a certain value, the algae body collection means is activated to collect only the algae bodies. Further, when it is shown that the pressure within the culture system has become below a certain value, the medium supply means is operated to supply only the medium to the culture system.

Furthermore, when the carbon dioxide measuring means, for example a pH meter, indicates that the carbon dioxide concentration in the culture system is insufficient (the pH has risen above a certain value), carbon dioxide is supplied from the carbon dioxide supplying means. be done.

In this way, oxygen is recovered from the culture system, and when the density of algae reaches a certain value or higher, the algae are collected and a medium is supplied, and when the pressure exceeds a certain value, only the algae are collected. When the pressure drops below a certain level, only the medium is supplied, and the inside of the closed culture system is always kept within a certain range of conditions.
Cultivation of algae and collection of oxygen and algae are carried out continuously.

Although the above operations can be performed manually, it is preferable to perform them under automatic control using a computer in order to reduce labor. That is, each measuring means (pressure, algae density, carbon dioxide flow rate, oxygen concentration,
All measured values (oxygen flow rate, carbon dioxide flow rate, and temperature) are entered online into a computer, the current run status is displayed on a CRT screen, and changes over time are expressed as a line graph. It is preferable that automatic control is performed by a computer by interlocking the carbon dioxide supply means, the algae density measuring means, the algae body collection means, and the medium supply means, and the pressure measurement means, the algae body collection means, and the medium supply means. In this way, the cultivation of algae bodies, the collection of algae bodies, the recovery of oxygen, the supply of culture medium, and the supply of carbon dioxide can be carried out fully automatically and continuously.

The algae to be cultured by the apparatus of the present invention are not particularly limited, and any algae can be cultured. However, the composition of the medium and culture temperature are determined as appropriate depending on the algae to be cultured.

[Examples] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on Examples. It is clear that the apparatus of the present invention can be modified in various ways in addition to the embodiments described below, and is not limited to the following embodiments.

The accompanying drawing shows a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention.6 The device shown comprises a closed culture consisting of a culture tank IO and a closed line 12 through the culture medium O, into which line 12 a pump 14 is inserted. The culture in the culture tank 10 and the conduit 12 is circulated in the direction of arrow a. A pressure gauge 16 is installed in the culture tank.The pipe line 12 that enters the culture tank branches into three parts, and the culture in the culture tank is agitated by the flow of the culture itself flowing into the culture tank. . A bundle of optical fibers 20 extending from a light source I8 is inserted into the culture tank IO, and the light from the light source 18 passes through the bundle of optical fibers 20 to the culture tank 1.
Given within 0.

A pH meter 22, an oxygen separator 24 made of hollow fibers, a carbon dioxide supply device 26 made of hollow fibers, a turbidity meter 28, and a temperature regulator 30 are inserted in series in the pipe line 12, respectively. The oxygen separator 24 includes a gas pump 32, an oxygen flow meter 34, a carbon dioxide flow meter 36,
A gas flow meter 38 and an oxygen storage cylinder 40 are arranged in series. A carbon dioxide cylinder 42, a valve 44, and a gas flow meter 46 are connected in series to the carbon dioxide supply device 26.

A first branch pipe 48 branches off from the pipe line 12, and a pump 52 and an algae collector 54 are arranged in series in this branch pipe 48 via a solenoid valve 50. The solenoid valve 50 is A- shown in the figure.
A passage is opened to either IC or B-C. An air storage 1351 is connected to B of the solenoid valve 50. The one-body collector 54 includes a cylindrical filter 56.
The alga bodies collected by the single body collector 54 are stored in the alga body storage container 58. A pump 60 is installed on the outlet side of the algal body collector 54.
and a waste tank 62 are connected in series, and a water tank 64, a pump 66 and a valve 68 are connected in series on the entrance side of the algae body collector 54.

Further, a second branch pipe 70 branches off from the pipe line 12, and a solenoid valve 72 is connected to the branch pipe 70. The solenoid valve 72 opens a passage to either A-B or A-IC. A conduit 70a is connected to A of the solenoid valve 72, and the conduit 70a is connected to B of the solenoid valve 72 via the pump 52 and medium tank 74.

Pressure gauge 16. pH meter 22, turbidity meter 28, oxygen flow meter 34. All measured values from the carbon dioxide flow meter 36 and gas flow meter 38 are entered into the computer online and displayed on the CRT screen.6 Also, changes in each measured value are
It is displayed on the CR7 screen as a line graph.

Furthermore, a turbidity meter 28, a pump 52, 60 and a solenoid valve 5
0 and 72: pH meter 22 and valve 44: Pressure gauge 1
6, a pump 52, 60, and a solenoid valve 50, 72 are electrically connected via a computer, respectively.

Next, we will explain how to operate the above device.1 During normal culture, the pump 14 is operated while supplying light from the light source 18 to the culture tank IO through the optical fiber bundle 20.
0 and the culture containing the algae and culture medium in the pipe 12 as shown by the arrow a
Circulate in the direction of. At this time, the solenoid valve 50 is B-40,
Solenoid valve 72 is open to A-H and pumps 52 and 60
Since the branch pipes 48 and 70 are stopped, the culture medium does not flow into the branch pipes 48 and 70. During cultivation, pressure gauge 16, pH meter 22
The turbidity meter 28 is always in operation, and the measured values are manually entered online into a computer as described above. The temperature of the culture system is maintained at a desired temperature by a temperature controller 30. Further, the gas pump 32 is operating, oxygen is separated by the oxygen separator 24, and the oxygen storage cylinder 40 is separated.
is accumulated in

As a result of the culture, when the turbidity meter 28 indicates that the algae have proliferated and the density of the algae has increased to a certain value, for example, 30% of the initial density, the turbidity meter is connected to the turbidity meter electrically via the computer. The connected solenoid valves 50 and 72 are each A-IC.
, A-C, and pumps 52 and 60 automatically operate. As a result, the culture is drawn by the pumps 52 and 60 and flows through the branch pipe 48 in the direction of the arrow, and reaches the algae collector 54 via the solenoid valve 50 and pump 52.
The alga bodies are filtered out by the cylindrical filter 56 and accumulated in the alga body storage container 58, and the used culture medium separated from the alga bodies by the cylindrical filter 56 is disposed of into the waste tank 62 via the pump 60. If the cylindrical filter 56 becomes clogged, the valve 68 is opened and the pump 66 is activated to draw water from the water tank 64 and flow it in the opposite direction to filter the culture. Meanwhile, by the action of the pump 52, the culture medium tank 7 is removed.
The culture medium is drawn out from the branch pipe 70a, flows in the direction of arrow C through the solenoid valve 72, and flows into the branch pipe 7.
0 into conduit 12. In this way, collection of algal bodies and supply of medium to the culture system are performed simultaneously.

The value of the pressure gauge 16 is above a certain value, for example 0.06kg/cm
``If the pressure gauge 16 indicates that the pressure has exceeded 50, the solenoid valves 50 and 72, which are electrically connected to the pressure gauge 16 through the computer,
-B opens automatically, and pumps 52 and 60 automatically operate. As a result, the culture flows in the direction of the arrow in the branch pipe 48 in the same manner as described above, and the algae bodies are collected by the algae body collector 54. On the other hand, the medium from the medium tank 74 flows through the branch pipe 70a in the direction of arrow C due to the action of the pump 52, but since the solenoid valve 7 is open A-Bi2, the medium does not flow into the pipe line 12. . In this way, when the pressure in the culture system becomes higher than a certain value, only the algal bodies are collected without supplying the culture medium, and the pressure in the culture system is reduced.

Conversely, when the pressure gauge 16 indicates that the pressure within the system has fallen below a certain value, for example, 0.01 kg/cm, the solenoid valves 50 and 72 close to B-C and A-C, respectively.
and the pumps 52 and 60 are automatically activated. Since the solenoid valve 50 is open to B-C, the algae collector 5
4, only the air from the air storage device 51 flows in, but no culture material flows in. On the other hand, due to the action of the pump 52, the culture medium from the culture medium tank 74 flows through the branch pipe 70a in the same manner as above, and the solenoid valve 72 flows through A-C and flows into conduit 12 via branch pipe 70. In this way, only the medium is supplied without collecting the algal bodies, and the pressure within the culture system increases.

On the other hand, if the pH meter 22 indicates that the pH within the culture system has reached a certain value, for example 10 or more,
A valve 44 electrically connected to the pH meter 22 via the computer automatically opens, and the carbon dioxide cylinder 42
carbon dioxide from the pipe 1 via the carbon dioxide supply device 26
2 to the culture. In this way, when the pH becomes high due to lack of carbon dioxide in the culture system, carbon dioxide is supplied, and as a result, the pH becomes low.

According to the apparatus of the above embodiment, algae can be continuously cultured over a long period of time under a certain range of conditions and algae bodies and oxygen can be continuously collected without the need for manual operations. .

We prototyped the device shown in the figure. The diameter of the culture tank is 17 cm.
The height of the cylindrical portion was 25 cm, and the internal capacity was 6e.

The conduit I2 was also made of silicone rubber with an inner diameter of 1 cm, and its total length was 2 m.

Using this device, Spirulina maxima was continuously cultured for 20 days. Pump 14 circulated the culture at 2I2/min. As a result, more than 1 g of algae was collected in terms of dry weight, and gas with an oxygen concentration of more than 40% was collected at a rate of 50 to 150 per minute.
It was possible to obtain it at a ratio of nl.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawing is a diagram schematically showing one embodiment of the closed algae culture apparatus of the present invention. IO...Culture tank, 12...Pipe line, 14...Pump, 16...Pressure gauge, 18-...Light source. 20... Optical fiber bundle, 22... pH meter,
24... Oxygen separator, 26... Carbon dioxide supply device,
28...Turbidity meter, 3o...Temperature controller, 32...
Gas pump, 4o...Oxygen storage cylinder, 42...Carbon dioxide cylinder, 48.70...Branch pipe, 50.72
...Solenoid valve, 54...Algae collector, 52.60...
・Pump, 74...culture medium tank

Claims (10)

[Claims] (1) A closed culture system consisting of a culture tank and a closed pipeline through the culture tank, a means for circulating the culture within the closed culture system, and a means for measuring the pressure within the closed culture system. , means for measuring the amount of carbon dioxide in the closed culture system, and means for measuring the density of algal bodies cultured in the closed culture system;
means for collecting algal bodies from the closed culture system, means for supplying a medium to the closed culture system, means for supplying carbon dioxide to the closed culture system, and means for recovering oxygen from the closed culture system. Closed algae culture equipment including. (2) The device according to claim 1, wherein the means for measuring the amount of carbon dioxide is a pH measuring device, and the means for measuring the density of the algae is a turbidity meter. (3) The means for supplying carbon dioxide and the means for recovering oxygen each include a hollow fiber inserted into the pipe line and having a hole sized to allow gas to pass therethrough but not liquid. 2. The device according to 2. (4) The means for measuring the pressure, the means for collecting the algal bodies, and the means for supplying the medium are connected, and the pressure within the closed culture system exceeds a certain value. In this case, the means for collecting the algae automatically collects the algae, and the means for supplying the medium automatically removes the medium when the pressure within the closed culture system becomes lower than a certain value. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 for providing. (5) The means for measuring the amount of carbon dioxide and the means for supplying carbon dioxide are connected, and the means for supplying carbon dioxide when the concentration of carbon dioxide in the closed culture system falls below a certain value. 5. The device according to claim 1, which automatically supplies carbon dioxide. (6) The means for measuring the density of algae, the means for collecting algae, and the means for supplying the medium are connected, and when the density of algae in the closed culture system exceeds a certain value, According to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the means for collecting algae bodies automatically collects the algae bodies, and the means for supplying the medium automatically supplies the medium into the closed culture system. equipment. (7) Claim 1 further comprising means for irradiating the culture tank with light.
7. The device according to any one of items 6 to 6. (8) The apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the automatic operation is automatically controlled by a computer. (9) Measurement from a means for measuring the pressure within the closed culture system, a means for measuring the amount of carbon dioxide within the closed culture system, and a means for measuring the density of algal bodies cultured within the closed culture system. The values are entered into a computer online, and the means for measuring the pressure, the means for collecting the algae, the means for supplying the medium, the means for measuring the amount of carbon dioxide, and the 9. The means for supplying carbon dioxide, the means for measuring the density of the algae, the means for collecting the algae, and the means for supplying the medium are each connected via the computer.
The device described. (10) Measurement from a means for measuring the pressure within the closed culture system, a means for measuring the amount of carbon dioxide within the closed culture system, and a means for measuring the density of algal bodies cultured within the closed culture system. The values are entered into the computer online and
10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus is displayed on a CRT screen of a computer.