Super-large scale photon capture bioreactor for water purification and operation method therefor

• US 10,160,681 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2015
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Photon Eco-Capture Pty Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Photon Eco-Capture Pty Ltd.
• Inventors: Y Hu, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Prince, Fred
• Application Number:
  US15/247,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20180037482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,396 Days
• Field of Search: 210602, 210603, 210252, 210259
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 31/00 Soilless cultivation, e.g. hydroponics growth substrates therefor A01G24/00; cultivation of seaweed A01G33/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 31/02 Special apparatus therefor self-acting watering devices A01G27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/02 Treatment of plants with carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/045 with electric lighting
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 61/10 of fish
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/00 Receptacles for live fish, e.g. aquaria keepnets or other containers for keeping captured fish A01K97/20; Terraria
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/04 Arrangements for treating water specially adapted to receptacles for live fish
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/045 Filters for aquaria
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/001 Processes for the treatment of water whereby the filtration technique is of importance C02F1/44 takes precedence; construction of filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/001 Upstream control, i.e. monitoring for predictive control
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/40 Liquid flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/10 Energy recovery
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/327 characterised by animals and plants
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/60 Fishing; Aquaculture; Aquafarming
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/10 Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/30 Wastewater or sewage treatment systems using renewable energies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 using solar energy

Abstract

A super-large scale photon capture bioreactor for water purification and aquaculture, includes a sealable three-dimensional room. Circuitous water ditches (2) at each layer inside the room. The water ditches (2) within a layer includes an inlet (12) and an outlet (13). A plurality of filter units (4) are at intervals in water ditches (2) at each layer. Float-planted plants (5) are on water surface of each filter unit, aquatic animals (6) and microorganisms (7) are underwater, and plant growth illustrating lights (8) are above float-planted plants (5) at adjustable height. A vane wheel (15) connecting a generator (16) is under an outlet (13) of an upper layer. A water inlet (12) of a next layer is under the vane wheel (15). Water to be purified is guided to an inlet (12) at an uppermost layer. The bioreactor is in low energy consumption, less occupied area, no pollution and clean production.

Claims

1. A photon capture bioreactor for water purification, comprising:

a sealable three-dimensional room, a water pipe, and a generator;

a plurality of planar layers being provided inside the three-dimensional room, each being mounted with water ditches in a circuitous way;

the water ditches in a same planar layer having a water inlet and water outlet;

a plurality of microbe filter diaphragms being arranged in the water ditches at intervals, and a filter unit being formed between two adjacent microbe filter diaphragms;

float-planted plants being provided on water surface of each filter unit, microorganisms being bred underwater, plant growth illuminating lights being arranged above the float-planted plants at an adjustable height;

a vane wheel being arranged under a water outlet of the water ditches in an upper layer and being connected with the generator;

a water inlet of the water ditches in a next layer being arranged under the vane wheel;

water to be purified being guided to a water inlet at an uppermost layer through the water pipe.

2. The photon capture bioreactor of claim 1, further comprising carbon dioxide supply pipes communicating with the three-dimensional room.

3. The photon capture bioreactor of claim 2, wherein each planar layer is relatively closed and is constructed with a retractable natural ventilation orifice.

4. The photon capture bioreactor of claim 1, wherein a drop sink is arranged between two adjacent planar layers, an upper end of the sink being connected with a water outlet of an upper layer, and the vane wheel being arranged under a lower end of the sink.

5. The photon capture bioreactor of claim 4, wherein a pump is provided for driving water to be purified in a water pool to the water inlet of the uppermost layer through the water pipe.

6. The photon capture bioreactor of claim 1, wherein aquatic animals are bred underwater in the filter units.

7. The photon capture bioreactor of claim 4, wherein the sink is gradually narrowed from top to bottom.

8. The photon capture bioreactor of claim 1, wherein the bioreactor comprises a plurality of biogas digesters and biogas generator sets at a ground layer.

9. The photon capture bioreactor of claim 1, wherein a sewage regulation pool with anti-leakage measures is arranged at a subterranean lay of the bioreactor, and swage is physically filtered by a barrier before entering the sewage regulation pool.

10. An operation method of the photon capture bioreactor of claim 1, wherein the method comprising:

diluting water to be purified to a predefined concentration in a sewage regulation pool, driving water of the sewage regulation pool through the water pipe to the water inlet at an upmost layer inside the dimensional room by a pump so as to have the water to enter the water ditches in a circuitous configuration and to flow in the water ditches, water to be purified passing through the filter units sequentially at the upmost layer and the water to be purified being gradually filtered by the filter units, then the water to be purified flowing from a water outlet of the last filter unit to enter an upper end of a drop sink, the water to be purified dropping down the drop sink and pushing the vane wheel to rotate at a lower end of the sink, rotation of the vane wheel driving the generator to generate power to be supplied to the plant growth illuminating lights;

the water to be purified being added oxygen through the vane wheel and entering a water inlet at a next layer; and

so on, the water to be purified being turned into purified water after passing through ditches at a lowest layer;

float-planting plants at each filter unit, the float-planted plants acting photosynthesis under illumination of the plant grown illuminating lights to absorb part of nutrient substance and carbon dioxide in air, the microorganism utilizing part of nutrient substance in the water to perform biological reaction, aquatic animals eating parts of roots of the float-planted plants and phytoplankton in the water, at the same time when the water is purified, plants capable of being harvested and the aquatic animals being obtained.