JPH0494678A - Photosynthetic culture device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To effectively culture algae, etc., in an ideal state for photosynthetic culture by supplying light from the side surfaces of optical fibers as a side surface lighting means and simultaneously also supplying carbon dioxide. CONSTITUTION:Light having a suitable intensity is supplied from a side light- emitting means 12 and carbon dioxide is also supplied around the emitted light from a carbon dioxide gas-supplying means 13 disposed together with many light-transmitting fibers 16 in a fine bubble state, whereby photosynthesizing plants such as algae, etc., are suitably cultured in a culture solution in the coexistence of the light and the carbon dioxide gas.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field] The present invention enables adjustment of light intensity and carbon dioxide concentration appropriate for culture, and also provides cleaning of the light output surface of a fiber for side emission. This article relates to a photosynthetic culture device that uses microbubbles.

[Conventional technology]

A conventional photosynthetic culture device basically has a cylindrical reaction tube, inside which optical fibers that allow side emission of light are installed at appropriate intervals, and carbon dioxide gas is supplied from the bottom of the reaction tube. is supplied into the culture section, and thereby the light and carbon dioxide gas as well as photosynthetic organisms enclosed in the culture solution, such as plants, algae, photosynthetic bacteria, or cells or aggregates thereof whose photoreceptors are plants, algae, photosynthetic bacteria, or chloroplasts, are supplied into the culture section. However, in such a conventional photosynthetic culture device, carbon dioxide gas is supplied in the form of bubbles from the bottom of the cylindrical reaction tube, but the supplied carbon dioxide gas is either bubbles or a part that is easy to pass through. Only the carbon dioxide gas passes through, and the other part does not pass through, and it is not evenly dispersed between the fibers in the culture section in the reaction tube, creating a state of non-uniform concentration, resulting in a change in the amount of light emitted and the carbon dioxide gas. In many cases, the concentration is inappropriate for culturing photosynthetic organisms such as algae, and it is desirable not only to have an appropriate light output condition, but also to supply carbon dioxide gas uniformly and with its concentration adjusted. It is rare. In addition, because carbon dioxide gas is not properly supplied between the fibers, poorly cultured liquid may stagnate between the fibers, or
Furthermore, due to viscous resistance generated from the culture solution and fibers,
The problem is that the carbon dioxide gas is not diffused quickly and uniformly.

In addition, due to uneven supply of carbon dioxide gas bubbles, poor fluid flow, etc., the culture solution near the fiber may hardly move, or the culture solution may cover the surface of the side-emitting fiber and cause the light to flow through the culture solution. There were cases where it became impossible to properly supply the liquid, which caused problems with reproducibility and safety.

In view of these conventional problems, the present invention is capable of adjusting and supplying light intensity and carbon dioxide gas concentration suitable for culturing, and also provides a cleaning effect so that the fiber light output surface always remains beautiful and hangs. That is.

[Means to solve the problem]

The object of the present invention is to provide a reaction tube for photosynthetic culture which has a raw material culture solution supply section and a culture solution take-out section, and has a culture section that performs photosynthetic culture based on carbon dioxide gas, light, and photosynthetic organisms. , a side light emitting means which is housed in the reaction tube and has a large number of fiber groups each having one end serving as a light receiving section and capable of emitting light from the side surface; The problem is basically solved by a photosynthetic culture device consisting of a gas supply means and a photosynthetic culture device consisting of a gas supply means.Furthermore, as a way of installing the side light emitting means and carbon dioxide gas supply means in this photosynthetic culture device, an optical transmission fiber for the side light emitting means and a carbon dioxide gas supply are used. By mixing the hollow fibers for the means in parallel with each other, side light emitting means and carbon dioxide gas supply means are installed together, and carbon dioxide gas can be supplied into the photosynthetic culture section from the gas supply section provided on the hollow fibers. In addition, a device in which a single hollow fiber is used as both the optical transmission fiber of the side light emitting means and the hollow fiber of the carbon dioxide gas supply means is also adopted, and a light output means and a carbon dioxide gas supply means are provided together. In addition, it is also proposed that the culture solution cultured in the reaction tube be taken out by a continuous take-out device.

[For production]

In the photosynthetic culture apparatus according to the present invention as described above, light having an intensity suitable for culturing is provided from the side light emitting means in the reaction tube, and at the same time, light with an intensity suitable for culturing is provided, and at the same time, light with an intensity suitable for culturing is provided from the side light emitting means in the reaction tube. Carbon dioxide gas is supplied in the form of fine bubbles around the side-emitted light from the carbon dioxide gas supply means, and in a state where light and carbon dioxide gas coexist, photosynthetic organisms such as algae in the culture solution can be properly cultured. It is what you do. Furthermore, if the latter hollow fiber is used as both the optical transmission fiber for the side light emitting means and the hollow fiber for the carbon dioxide gas supply means, carbon dioxide gas can be supplied at the same time as the side light emitting light, which is also suitable for supplying light for culturing. Carbon dioxide gas is supplied to each part of the culture section.

〔Example〕

Further details of the invention will be explained by means of further illustrated embodiments. 1 in the figure is a reaction tube of the photosynthetic culture device according to the present invention,
What is shown is a cylindrical reaction tube.

The intermediate cylinder part in this reaction tube 1 is a culture part 2, 3 is an upper liquid reservoir part, 4 is a lower fiber group holding part, and 5 is an upper fiber group holding part. A supply port as a raw material culture solution supply section 6 is provided at the bottom of the reaction tube 1, and a takeout port as a culture solution removal section 7 is shown at the top. Inside the reaction tube 1, one end is a light receiving section 8, and the light receiving section 8 is emitted from one end of the box-shaped head section 9, and the light is emitted into the interior through the transparent plate lO inside the head section 9. One end of the fiber is arranged with an exposed part so that it can receive light, and the other end can be used as a reflection part 11 for the light incident from the light receiving part 8 or simply a closed end, and a large number of fibers can be made to output light from the side. It houses a group of fibers. 1 in the diagram
Reference numeral 2 denotes a group of fibers serving as side light emitting means, and the upper end thereof is a light receiving section 8 that receives light from the direction of the arrow into the fiber, allowing the light to be emitted from the side surface of the fiber in the culture section 2 of the reaction tube 1. In addition, this fiber is made of polycarbonate, which has been conventionally used for these fibers.
A material with good transparency, such as polymethyl methacrylate or polyolefin synthetic resin, is used. If necessary, by mixing an appropriate amount of fluorescent material, it is possible to convert incident light into a specific wavelength, and it is also possible to enhance the light output effect.

In the present invention, a carbon dioxide gas supply means 13 is provided alongside the side light emitting means 12 housed in such a reaction tube 1.

Here, the carbon dioxide gas supply means 13 is provided with a hollow fiber 13 mixed with the optical transmission fiber 12 as a normal side light emitting means, as shown in FIGS. It is possible to emit light during 2,
Carbon dioxide gas bubbles are supplied from the hollow fiber 13 into the culture solution through the pores serving as the gas supply section 14 or through the tube wall made of a material with good gas permeability. Figure 2 shows
Such optical transmission fiber 12 and hollow fiber 13
However, the thickness of each fiber is 50 μm because if it is too thin, it will be difficult to open the pores, and if it is too thick, there will be a limit to accommodating a large number of fibers into the culture section 2. = about 10mm, preferably 3
00 μm to 2 mm is selected as appropriate, and the distance between the surfaces in the fiber group is 1 m in relation to the distance the light reaches.
In addition, after the culture solution is supplied from the raw culture solution supply section 6 in the figure and the photosynthetic organisms are cultured in the culture section 2, the culture solution after the culture is set from the upper culture solution extraction section 7. A separator 15 through which the liquid can pass is used to maintain the distance between the fibers so that the solution can be taken out, that is, the liquid can flow from the supply part 6 to the take-out part 7 and between the fibers. A structure in which fibers for each means are erected and supported in the culture section 2 of the cylinder 1 may be preferably employed. Therefore, uniform light is supplied from the side of the optical transmission fiber 12 into the culture section 2, and the carbon dioxide gas supplied from the gas supply section 14 of the hollow fiber 13 flows into the culture solution surrounding the emitted light. It is directly supplied at an appropriate concentration to cultivate photosynthetic organisms consisting of plants, algae, photosynthetic bacteria, cells that use chloroplasts as photoreceptors, or aggregates thereof, etc. in the culture solution.

Furthermore, this optical transmission fiber 12 and hollow fiber 13
It can be said that it is preferable to set the number of carbon dioxide gas supply means to one side light emitting means to one side light emitting means. The supply ratio of carbon dioxide to the supply of carbon dioxide can be appropriately selected and adopted up to a range of 3:1.

Next, although FIG. 2 shows a case in which the optical transmission fiber 12 and the hollow fiber 13 are installed in a mixed state, one optical transmission fiber 12 as a side light emitting means and a hollow fiber 16 as a carbon dioxide supply means are installed. A hollow fiber 16 may also be used. The one in Figure 3 is deviated, and as shown in the example on the school side, polycarbonate,
A large number of pores are provided on the side surface of the hollow fiber 16 made of polymethyl methacrylate, polyolefin synthetic resin, etc. as a carbon dioxide gas supply part, and the tube wall part 17 in the hollow fiber 16 is used as an optical transmission part. The hollow part 18 is used as a carbon dioxide gas supply part, and carbon dioxide gas is supplied from the gas supply hole into the culture solution of the culture part 2, and light is emitted from the side surface of the hollow fiber 16, so that light and carbon dioxide gas are supplied at the same time. For example, a one-to-one relationship is possible.

Note that this hollow fiber 16 has pores 1 for supplying carbon dioxide gas.
4 and supply carbon dioxide gas and light into the culture section,
The pores for supplying carbon dioxide gas also serve as a light transmission means, and the culture part 2
Allows for proper emission of light into the interior. In addition, by coating the inner surface of the tube wall portion 17 of the hollow fiber 16 with a highly reflective material such as a fluorine-based synthetic resin cladding layer 19, the inner surface of the tube wall portion 17 of the hollow fiber 16 is The transmitted light can be appropriately emitted from the side in the culture section 2.

In the photosynthetic culture apparatus according to the present invention, by supplying a culture solution containing photosynthetic organisms such as algae from the raw culture solution supply section 6 located at the lower part of the reaction tube 1, the culture solution is supplied to the separator. The liquid is supplied into the culture section 2 through the through holes and gaps between them, and then moves upward while passing between the fibers serving as the side light emitting means 12 and the carbon dioxide supply means 13, and from the culture solution extraction section 7 at the top. It becomes possible to take it out. In this state, if light is received from the light receiving section 8 located at the top of the device and the head section 9 which also serves as the carbon dioxide gas inlet 20, the dazzling light will be introduced into the optical transmission fiber serving as the side light emitting means 12, and the dazzling light will be introduced into the optical transmission fiber as the side light emitting means 12. Light is emitted from the side of the fiber. Even if this light tries to leak out from the other end of the fiber, if the reflection section II is continued at the other end, the light will be returned to the inside of the fiber and will eventually be emitted into the culture section 2. . Furthermore, even when the hollow fiber 13 is used as the carbon dioxide gas supply means, this light also passes through the inside of the hollow fiber tube 17 and is emitted from the side within the culture section 2 to provide supplementary light supply. It's eggplant too.

Next, carbon dioxide gas is supplied from the carbon dioxide gas inlet 20 and introduced into the hollow fiber 13 serving as the carbon dioxide gas supply means through the head portion 9. The introduced carbon dioxide gas is supplied as fine bubbles from the gas supply section 14 of the fiber 13 as a carbon dioxide supply means located in the culture section 2, so that light and carbon dioxide gas are supplied at the same time.

In this culture section, the photosynthetic organisms are properly cultured, and the fine carbon dioxide gas released from the carbon dioxide gas supply means 13 cleans the surface of the optical transmission fiber 12, so that the fiber This makes it possible to always maintain a certain light output rate without reducing the efficiency of light output from the 12 sides. Further, even in the case where the optical transmission fiber and the hollow fiber are used as the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the light is emitted from the side surface of the fiber. Carbon dioxide gas bubbles are ejected from the carbon dioxide gas supply unit installed on the side, and as a result, light and carbon dioxide gas are simultaneously supplied into the culture solution, and at the same time, the bubbles are After being released from the pores, the ultrasonic waves generated when the bubbles burst or the bubbles come into contact with the fiber surface can efficiently clean the fiber surface and maintain the efficiency of side emission without reducing the efficiency. Then, a raw culture solution supply section 6 provided in the culture solution take-out section 7 at the top of this reaction tube 1 or at the bottom of the reaction tube 1 is provided.
By operating the extracting means and supply means installed in the holder as a continuous extracting device, it is possible to carry out continuous and efficient culture in the culture section, and the flowing culture solution also allows for the flow of the culture solution around the side of the optical transmission fiber. After cultivation, photosynthetic organisms do not attach or stagnate, causing a decrease in the efficiency of light transmission and a decrease in the supply of carbon dioxide (this provides an ideal environment for cultivation).

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, in the photosynthetic culture device according to the present invention, firstly, according to claims 1 and 2, light having an appropriate light intensity for culturing is supplied from the side of the fiber as the side light emitting means, and at the same time, carbon dioxide gas is also supplied from the side of the fiber. The carbon dioxide concentration is adjusted from the carbon dioxide gas supply means adjacent to or also used as the side light emitting means, and is supplied in the form of fine bubbles to create ideal conditions for photosynthetic culture.

Furthermore, since the side light emitting means and the carbon dioxide gas supply means are provided together, the surface of the side light emitting means is efficiently cleaned with the supplied fine carbon dioxide gas, thereby preventing a decrease in the light emission rate from the side light emitting means. It comes.

According to claim 3, since the side light emission and the supply of carbon dioxide gas can be simultaneously performed from the same part, the relationship between the supply amounts can be set to a desired state, and there is no variation between the supply of carbon dioxide gas and the supply of light, and the efficiency is improved. At the same time, the pores for supplying carbon dioxide also serve as a means for emitting light from the side, making it possible to efficiently supply light and carbon dioxide and to adjust their intensity and concentration.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram with a part of the photosynthetic culture apparatus according to the present invention in cross section, FIG.
The figure is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment in which the side light emitting means and the carbon dioxide gas supplying means are combined. 1: Reaction tube, 2: Culture section, 3: Liquid reservoir section, 4: Lower fiber group holding section, 5: Upper fiber group holding section, 6: Raw material culture solution supply section, 7: Culture solution extraction section, 8: Light receiving section part, 9: head part, 10: transparent plate, 11: reflective part, 12: side light emitting means, 13: carbon dioxide gas supply means, 14: carbon dioxide gas supply part, 15: separator, 16: dual-purpose hollow fiber, 1
7: Pipe flesh part, 18: Hollow part, 19: Clad layer, 20:
Carbon dioxide gas inlet. Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A reaction tube for photosynthetic culture, which has a culture solution supply section and a culture solution extraction section, and carries out photosynthetic culture based on carbon dioxide gas, light, and photosynthetic organisms. and a side light emitting means which is housed in the reaction tube and has a large number of fiber groups each having one end serving as a light receiving section and capable of emitting light from the side surface, and a side light emitting means provided side by side with the side light emitting means. A photosynthetic culture device consisting of a carbon dioxide gas supply means and. 2) The optical transmission fiber for the side light emitting means and the hollow fiber for the carbon dioxide gas supply means are mixed and provided in parallel, so that the side light emitting means and the carbon dioxide gas supply means are installed together,
2. The photosynthetic culture device according to claim 1, wherein carbon dioxide gas can be supplied into the photosynthetic culture section from a gas supply section provided in the hollow fiber. 3) A single hollow fiber is used as both the optical transmission fiber for the side light emitting means and the hollow fiber for the carbon dioxide gas supply means, so that the side light emitting means is provided with the carbon dioxide gas supply means. 2. The photosynthetic culture device according to 2. 4) The photosynthetic culture device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reaction tube is provided with a device for continuously taking out the culture solution.