Photobioreactor made of a transparent film

• US 10,041,028 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2011
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sungkyunkwan University Foundation For Corporate Collaboration (SungKyunKwan University)
• Original Assignee: Sungkyunkwan University Foundation For Corporate Collaboration (SungKyunKwan University)
• Inventors: Sim, Sang Jun, Kim, Eun Hye
• Primary Examiner(s): Beisner, William H.
• Application Number:
  US13/995,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20130309762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,756 Days
• Field of Search: 4352921
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 21/02 Photobioreactors culturing algae A01G33/00, A01H4/001, C12N1/12
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 23/14 Bags
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 23/22 Transparent or translucent parts glassware for laboratory use B01L3/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 23/34 Internal compartments or partitions

Abstract

The present invention relates to a photobioreactor, and more particularly, a photobioreactor for culturing living organisms such as microalgae, which carry out photosynthesis using carbon dioxide and light energy. The photobioreactor includes: (a) a reaction vessel, in which photosynthesis occurs by photosynthetic organisms; (b) a multipurpose inlet/outlet formed at the outside upper end of the reaction vessel; (c) an outer pipe connected to the multipurpose inlet/outlet at the outside of the reaction vessel; and (d) an inner pipe connected to the multipurpose inlet/outlet at the inside of the reaction vessel, wherein the reaction vessel is made of a transparent film.

The photobioreactor according to the present invention is advantageous in that the reaction vessel in which photosynthesis occurs is a plate-type and made of a transparent film, thus achieving improved light transmittance and mobility, and enabling the economically advantageous manufacture and operation thereof. Therefore, the photobioreactor of the present invention can be easily installed anywhere carbon dioxide is discharged, such as around a power-generating plant, in an urban region, a farm, etc., to culture a variety of photosynthetic organisms, and thus to produce useful substances having economically high added values.

Claims

1. A photobioreactor, consisting of:

a reaction vessel having an inner space in which photosynthesis occurs by photosynthetic organisms;

a multipurpose inlet/outlet detachably formed at the outside upper end of the reaction vessel, the multipurpose inlet/outlet comprising a nut-shaped fixing connection portion cap, a bolt-shaped fixing connection portion, and a stopping rubber, wherein the stopping rubber is disposed between the nut-shaped fixing connection portion cap and the bolt-shaped fixing connection portion when the nut-shaped fixing connection portion cap and the bolt-shaped fixing connection portion are combined with each other;

an outer pipe connected to the multipurpose inlet/outlet at the outside of the reaction vessel; and

an inner pipe connected to the multipurpose inlet/outlet at the inside of the reaction vessel,

wherein the reaction vessel is made of a transparent film, the transparent film consisting of a mixed film (PET+CPP) of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and non-stretched polypropylene (CPP),

wherein the inner space of the reaction vessel is partially partitioned at interval of 3-30 cm by attaching the front and rear surfaces of the reaction vessel to each other in a vertical line forming a corrugated partition, the front and rear surfaces of the reaction vessel being directly attached to each other without interposing an intermediate member therebetween, the corrugated partition formed between the multipurpose inlet/outlet and the bottom of the reaction vessel, and

wherein the front and rear surfaces of the reaction vessel are attached to each other to form three vertical lines which are apart from each other such that the three vertical lines are apart from each other by a distance same as or smaller than 15 cm and a side surface length of the photobioreactor is 2 to 10 cm.

2. The photobioreactor of claim 1, wherein the reaction vessel includes, at the upper portion thereof, a hanging portion hanging the photobioreactor.

3. The photobioreactor of claim 1, wherein the multipurpose inlet/outlet includes a hole for injecting photosynthetic organisms, culture solution, and a carbon dioxide-containing gas, extracting a specimen sample, and discharging gas.

4. The photobioreactor of claim 3, wherein the outer pipe outside the reaction vessel is connected to the inner pipe inside the reaction vessel through the hole formed in the multipurpose inlet/outlet.

10. The photobioreactor of claim 1, wherein:

a bottom side of the reaction vessel is shaped to include a plurality of V-shaped grooves; and

no opening is formed in each of the V-shaped grooves of the bottom side of the reaction vessel.

11. The photobioreactor of claim 1, wherein:

a bottom side of the reaction vessel is shaped to include a plurality of V-shaped grooves; and

no opening is formed in each of the V-shaped grooves of the bottom side of the reaction vessel.

5. A photobioreactor, consisting of:

a reaction vessel having an inner space in which photosynthesis occurs by photosynthetic organisms;

a multipurpose inlet/outlet detachably formed at the outside upper end of the reaction vessel, the multipurpose inlet/outlet comprising a nut-shaped fixing connection portion cap, a bolt-shaped fixing connection portion, and a stopping rubber, wherein the stopping rubber is disposed between the nut-shaped fixing connection portion cap and the bolt-shaped fixing connection portion when the nut-shaped fixing connection portion cap and the bolt-shaped fixing connection portion are combined with each other;

an outer pipe connected to the multipurpose inlet/outlet at the outside of the reaction vessel;

an inner pipe connected to the multipurpose inlet/outlet at the inside of the reaction vessel; and

a sprayer attached to a bottom end of the inner pipe for dispersing carbon dioxide in the photobioreactor,

wherein the reaction vessel is made of a transparent film, the transparent film consisting of a mixed film (PET+CPP) of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and non-stretched polypropylene (CPP),

wherein the inner space of the reaction vessel is partially partitioned at interval of 3-30 cm by attaching the front and rear surfaces of the reaction vessel to each other in a vertical line forming a corrugated partition, the front and rear surfaces of the reaction vessel being directly attached to each other without interposing an intermediate member therebetween, the corrugated partition formed between the multipurpose inlet/outlet and the bottom of the reaction vessel, and

wherein the front and rear surfaces of the reaction vessel are attached to each other to form three vertical lines which are apart from each other such that the three vertical lines are apart from each other by a distance same as or smaller than 15 cm and a side surface length of the photobioreactor is 2 to 10 cm.

6. The photobioreactor of claim 5, wherein the lower portion of the reaction vessel where the sprayer is located includes a groove in a “

V”

shape.

7. The photobioreactor of claim 6, wherein the groove in a “

V”

shape has an internal angle from 30 to 160°

.

8. The photobioreactor of claim 6, wherein the number of grooves in a “

V”

shape has the same as the number of sprayers.

9. The photobioreactor of claim 5, wherein no port is formed in the groove in a “

V”

shape of the lower portion of the reaction vessel.