Systems and methods for growing vegetation
AssigneeBennamann Services Ltd
InventorsChristopher Mann, Michael Bennett, Derek William Kenneth Jenkins, Thomas William Bradshaw, Matthew Charles Seabrook Heritage
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for growing vegetation are provided. The disclosed systems (100) and methods (1100, 1200) use rotating growth mats (102) and a cutting device (112). The rotating growth mats and cutting device can be coupled to an anaerobic digester (402) to generated methane gas using vegetation grown on the growth mats. The systems and methods may further use C artificial light sources (108) and a nutrients delivery system (110) to assist growth.
Claims11
A system for growing vegetation, comprising:
- a rotating growth mat;
- one or more rollers, wherein said rotating growth mat is suspended vertically from at least one of said rollers;
- and
- a cutting device,
- wherein said mat comprises a growth side and an inhibited side,
- wherein said cutting device is configured to cut vegetation grown on said growth side of said rotating growth mat, and
- wherein said one or more rollers are configured such that a mass of the mat on the growth side is greater than a mass on the inhibited side, and as a result, the growth side falls downward and the inhibited side moves upward.
A system for growing vegetation, comprising:
- a plurality of rollers;
- one or more artificial light sources;
- and
- a plurality of rotating growth mats,
- wherein each of said plurality of rotating growth mats is suspended vertically from at least one of said plurality of rollers and comprises a growth side and an inhibited side,
- wherein a first of said plurality of vertical growth mats is located above a second of said plurality of growth mats,
- wherein said plurality of vertical growth mats are arranged in one or more rows and the position of said one or more rows is variable according to the position of the sun, and
- wherein said plurality of rollers are configured such that, for each of said plurality of rotating growth mats, a mass of the mat on the growth side is greater than a mass on the inhibited side, and as a result, the growth side falls downward and the inhibited side moves upward.
A system for growing vegetation offshore, comprising:
- a rotating growth mat, wherein said rotating growth mat is suspended vertically from at least one roller and comprises a growth side and an inhibited side;
- a cutting device, wherein said cutting device is configured to cut vegetation grown on said growth side of said rotating growth mat;
- an anaerobic digestion system configured to operate using said vegetation grown on said rotating growth mat and processed by said cutting device;
- and
- an offshore platform, wherein said rotating growth mat, cutting device, and anaerobic digestion system are located on said offshore platform,
- wherein said at least one roller is configured such that a mass of the mat on the growth side is greater than a mass on the inhibited side, and as a result, the growth side falls downward and the inhibited side moves upward.
A system for growing vegetation, comprising:
- a rotating growth mat;
- one or more rollers, wherein said rotating growth mat is suspended vertically from at least one of said rollers;
- and
- a cutting device,
- wherein said mat comprises a growth side and an inhibited side,
- wherein said cutting device is configured to cut vegetation grown on said growth side of said rotating growth mat, and
- wherein said rotating growth mat is arranged such that mechanical energy is released as the mat rotates, and wherein the released energy is captured and used for at least one of powering the cutting device, moving at least one of said rollers, powering a conveyor belt, or powering a compressor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.