System for purifying a polluted air by using algae

• US 6,083,740 A
• Filed: 07/22/1998
• Issued: 07/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Spirulina Bio-Lab Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Spirulina Bio-Lab Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kodo, Yasumasa, Kodo, Keiun, Tsuruoka, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Beisner, William H.
• Application Number:
  US09/119,607
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 435/257.1, 435/266, 435/292.1, 435/293.1, 47/1.4
• US Class Current: 435/266
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/84 Biological processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters

Abstract

A system for purifying a polluted air by using algae such as Spirulina is capable of reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrogen oxide (NO_x) and/or sulfur oxide (SO_x) in the polluted air and generating oxygen. That is, this system comprises a culture tank filled with a culture fluid including the algae, an air supply unit for forcing the polluted air into the culture fluid to dissolve carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide and/or sulfur oxide in the culture fluid, and a lighting unit for radiating a light to the culture fluid. By radiating the light to the culture fluid in the presence of carbon dioxide, photosynthesis of the algae is promoted to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. In addition, the algae use the nitrogen oxide and/or sulfur oxide as a nutrient during the photosynthesis. As a result, the present system can efficiently purify the polluted air to generate a purified air, which is rich in oxygen.

Claims

1. A system for purifying a polluted air containing carbon dioxide and at least one of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide by using Spirulina as algae, said system comprising:

a culture tank filled with a culture fluid including said Spirulina;

an air supply means for forcing said polluted air into said culture fluid to dissolve carbon dioxide and said at least one of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide in said culture fluid;

a lighting means for radiating a light to said culture fluid to promote photosynthesis of said Spirulina in the presence of said carbon dioxide by the use of said at least one of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide as a nutrient of said Spirulina, to thereby provide a reduction of said at least one of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide and generation of oxygen; and

filtering means for removing Spirulina of 300 μ

m or more from said culture fluid, and returning a filtrate including immature Spirulina smaller than 300 μ

m to said culture tank.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 comprising a means for providing a transmission light passing through said culture fluid including said algae to the outside of said culture tank.

3. An apparatus for generating a purified airfrom a polluted air including carbon dioxide and at least one of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide by using Spirulina, said apparatus comprising:

a culture tank filled with a culture fluid including said Spirulina, said culture tank having an inlet for receiving a supply of said culture fluid, outlet for draining said culture fluid, and at least one air vent for escaping said purified air from said culture tank;

an air supply means for forcing said polluted air into said culture fluid to dissolve carbon dioxide and said at least one of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide in said culture fluid;

a lighting means disposed in said culture tank for radiating a light to said culture fluid to promote photosynthesis of said Spirulina in the presence of said carbon dioxide by the use of said at least one of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide as a nutrient of said Spirulina, to thereby provide a reduction of said at least one of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide and generation of oxygen;

a return line formed outside of said culture tank to extend from said outlet to said inlet of said culture tank;

a pump for making a circulation flow of said culture fluid such that said culture fluid drained from said outlet is returned to said inlet of said culture tank through said return line; and

a filter for removing said Spirulina of 300 μ

m or more from said culture fluid and returning a filtrate including immature Spirulina to said culture tank.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said culture tank is provided with a plurality of partitions which forms a meander line in said culture tank.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said lighting means is disposed along said meander line in said culture tank.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said partitions consist of at least one first partition projecting on a bottom of said culture tank and at least one second partition hanging from a top of said culture tank, which are alternately arranged to make said meander line.

7. A method of purifying a polluted air containing carbon dioxide and at least one of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide by using Spirulina as algae, said method comprising the steps of:

forcing said polluted air into a culture fluid containing said Spirulina to dissolve carbon dioxide and said at least one of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide in said culture fluid;

radiating a light to said culture fluid to promote photosynthesis of said Spirulina in the presence of said carbon dioxide by the use of said at least one of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide as a nutrient of said Spirulina, to thereby provide a reduction of said at least one of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide and generation of oxygen;

filtering said culture fluid so as to remove Spirulina of 300 μ

m or more from said culture fluid thereby producing a filtrate including immature Spirulina smaller than 300 μ

m; and

returning said filtrate including immature Spirulina smaller than 300 μ

m to said culture tank.