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US 5,151,347 AGranted
Closed photobioreactor and method of use
AssigneeMartek Corporation
InventorsJacques J. Delente, Paul W. Behrens, Scot D. Hoeksema
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus is disclosed for the controlled production of microorganisms by photosynthesis in a closed photobioreactor. The closed photobioreactor contain a photosynthetic culture in a substantially sealed environment and provides a system for recirculating the reactant gas through the culture. This closed loop system can be operated with expensive carbon isotopes (i.e., .sup.13 CO.sub.2 or .sup.14 CO.sub.2). Also, a system is provided for removing the molecular oxygen produced in the photosynthesis reaction from the closed photobioreactor. Furthermore, a pH-regulated control valve is utilized for controlling the addition of reactant gas to the culture in response to the alkalization of the culture.
Claims23
A closed photobioreactor comprising:
- (a) container means for containing a photosynthetic algal culture in a substantially sealed environment;
- (b) means for introducing light into said container means;
- (c) means for introducing a reactant gas into said container means for photosynthetically reacting with a culture in said container means in the presence of light such that molecular oxygen is produced as a by-product, the molecular oxygen and unconsumed reactant gas forming a gas mixture;
- (d) means for removing the molecular oxygen from the gas mixture without leaving by-products of the oxygen removal to be recirculated and without substantial leakage of the unconsumed reactant gas;
- (e) means for recirculating the unconsumed reactant gas after oxygen removal through an algal culture in the substantially sealed environment when the reactant gas and the algal culture are present in said container means;
- and
- wherein said means for removing molecular oxygen comprises means for enabling a combustion reaction with the oxygen and at least one other element to form a stable chemical compound thereof with said at least one other element.
4 more elements
A method of performing a continuous photosynthetic reaction process comprising:
- (a) maintaining a photosynthetic algal culture in a substantially sealed environment;
- (b) circulating a reactant gas through said culture in the presence of light and photosynthetically reacting said gas with said culture and thereby producing molecular oxygen in said reactant gas as a by-product, the molecular oxygen and unconsumed reactant gas forming a gas mixture;
- (c) removing the molecular oxygen produced after photosynthetically reacting the reactant gas with said culture, from the gas mixture, said removing the molecular oxygen comprising chemically reacting said oxygen with at least one additional element to form a stable chemical compound therewith and without the stable chemical compound or other by-product the chemical reaction being recirculated into said algal culture and wherein said removing said molecular oxygen comprises introducing said molecular oxygen into a first chamber, introducing hydrogen into a second chamber and reacting said molecular oxygen with said hydrogen through an ion exchange membrane separating said first and second chambers to form water as at least one by-product;
- and
- (d) recirculating the unconsumed reactant gas after oxygen removal into said algal culture in said substantially sealed environment.
2 more elements
A method of performing a continuous photosynthetic reaction process comprising:
- (a) maintaining a photosynthetic algal culture in a substantially sealed environment;
- (b) circulating a reactant gas through said culture in the presence of light and photosynthetically reacting said gas with said culture and thereby producing molecular oxygen in said reactant gas as a by-product, the molecular oxygen and unconsumed reactant gas forming a gas mixture;
- (c) removing the molecular oxygen produced after photosynthetically reacting the reactant gas with said culture, from the gas mixture, said removing the molecular oxygen comprising enabling a combustion reaction with the molecular oxygen and at least one other element to form a stable chemical compound thereof with at least one other element, and without the stable chemical compound or other by-product of the chemical reaction being recirculated into said algal culture;
- and
- (d) recirculating the unconsumed reactant gas after oxygen removal into said algal culture in said substantially sealed environment.
2 more elements
A closed photobioreactor comprising:
- (a) container means for containing a photosynthetic algal culture in a substantially sealed environment;
- (b) means for introducing light into said container means;
- (c) means for introducing a reactant gas into said container means for photosynthetically reacting with culture in said container means in the presence of light such that molecular oxygen is produced as a by-product, the molecular oxygen and unconsumed reactant gas forming a gas mixture;
- (d) means for removing the molecular oxygen from the gas mixture without leaving by-products of the oxygen removal to be recirculated and without substantial leakage of the unconsumed reactant gas;
- (e) means for recirculating the unconsumed reactant gas after oxygen removal through an algal culture in the substantially sealed environment;
- and
- wherein said means for removing molecular oxygen comprises means for enabling the molecular oxygen to react with hydrogen through an ion exchange membrane.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.