Open aquatic algae cultivation system with semipermeable liner sections for improved environmental uptake of carbon dioxide
OwnerStuart Bussellinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An open aquatic algae cultivation system (OAACS) with an algae impermeable liner that includes semipermeable liner sections for improved environmental uptake of carbon dioxide is disclosed. OAACS comprises a buoyant framework, an algae impermeable liner with a structure largely impermeable to the cultivated algae culture but with semipermeable liner sections permeable to dissolved inorganic carbon, a culture, and a mooring system. Practical semipermeable liner sections are also disclosed.
Claims25
A floating generally rectangular algae cultivation system with a length, a width, and ends designed for flotation and positioning on the surface of a body of water and wherein the positioning is for creation of a unidirectional longitudinal wind driven surface current of an algae culture within the system comprising:
- a) a buoyant framework arranged into longitudinal members along the entire length and transverse members along the entire width with a set of two longitudinal and two transverse members forming all four of the ends and at least one interior transverse member, wherein the longitudinal and transverse members comprise pipes that are conduits for a plurality of process fluids selected from the group comprising nutrient feeds, culture, and surrounding water;
- b) an algae impermeable liner comprising at least three sections, wherein each section is attached to the longitudinal members and adjacent sections are attached either to each other or to an interior transverse member, wherein the buoyant framework and the algae impermeable liner create a containment structure and the at least three sections comprise;
- i. at least two semipermeable liner sections having two planar surfaces, an interior, and pores through the interior, wherein the semipermeable liner sections are permeable to dissolved inorganic carbon;
- and
- ii. at least one nutrient impermeable liner section that is impermeable to nutrients added to the system;
- wherein the at least three sections are arranged consecutively from upstream to downstream such that one semipermeable liner section starts upstream of the at least one interior transverse member and continues downstream to it;
- one nutrient impermeable liner section starts at the at least one interior member and continues downstream from it, and one semipermeable liner section starts at the downstream end of the one nutrient impermeable liner section and continues downstream from it;
- c) a mooring system;
- and
- d) at least one of culture harvesting and nutrient replenishment systems positioned at each of the two transverse members forming two of the ends and the at least one interior transverse member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.