Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Apparatus – Bioreactor
Patent
1997-07-10
1998-12-08
Redding, David A.
Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology
Apparatus
Bioreactor
4352867, 4352961, 4353041, C12M 300
Patent
active
058468161
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
THIS INVENTION relates to an apparatus for the production of biomass and is particularly concerned with a process for cultivating biomass using the apparatus.
The long term potential for using autotrophic organisms in the generation, treatment and accumulation of commercial products and wastes has become increasingly apparent in recent years. Autotroph's are organisms that utilise CO.sub.2 as their major source of carbon and obtain energy from the sun through photosynthesis (photoautotrophs) or from organic or inorganic reduced chemicals (chemoautotrophs). Typical examples of which include plants, seaweed, algal cultures (eg. Chlorella, Spirolina, Dunaliella etc), bacteriophages, photosynthetic bacteria and the like. Due to these modest requirements autotrophic organisms are eminently suited for producing biomass. Algal cultures, for example, have been grown for food for animals and humans, for the treatment of sewerage and waste, for the accumulation of radioactive waste, for the propagation of enzymes and other products having industrial and research application and for the production of oils and other nutrients having nutritional value.
Traditional procedures employed for culturing autotrophic organisms have involved the use of shallow open ponds or open channels exposed to sunlight. These relatively crude methods of culturing autotrophic organisms have proved impractical in that they are subject to contamination by dust, microorganisms, insects, other animals, and environmental pollutants and have limited capacity to control the degree of exposure to light, temperature, respiration and other factors.
One attempt to overcome these problems has involved the use of a bioreactor system having a light admitting pipe of comparatively small diameter wound substantially horizontally against the face of a series of flat vertical panels. The problems associated with this form of bioreactor include low density of biomass in the liquid within the tubes, low penetration of light, coating of the tubes with autotrophic organisms due to low velocity flow there through thus reducing transparency, overheating in summer weather, high land usage and process control problems of manipulating sufficiently large numbers of such units for commercial production. Further, the design of this bioreactor gives it an inherently unstable construction unable to withstand adverse weather conditions.
An alternative construction has comprised an upstanding core structure around which is wound a substantially transparent tube which allows at least 90% transmission of light so that, in use, the exterior of the wound tube is exposed to natural light. To encourage penetration of light into the tube, the upstanding core structure is fitted with a light reflecting means. Through the wound tube there is passed a synthesis mixture comprising living plant material such as algae, bacteriophages and seaweed together with essential nutrients for growth. Again, coating of the tubes with autotrophic organisms, overheating in summer weather, the overall construction costs, the limited volume of liquid that can pass through the tubes at any one time and the difficulty of sterilising the apparatus between culture batches present inherent disadvantages to the use of such bioreactors.
A somewhat more sophisticated construction has comprised a bioreactor for the cultivation of photosynthetic microorganisms in which there is a plurality of baffles mounted in a photobioreactor tank where in the baffles form hollow cavities through the bioreactor which enable the insertion of light sources through openings in the tank wall. Although this construction can maintain a higher density of biomass in culture liquid and reduces land usage, the complexity of the bioreactor tank, the overall construction costs and overheating in summer weather makes this tank uneconomical to use on a commercial scale. Further it is particularly difficult to clean and sterilise between operation cycles.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved bioreactor which at least can be m
REFERENCES:
patent: 4205133 (1980-05-01), Wick
patent: 5151347 (1992-09-01), Delente et al.
patent: 5162051 (1992-11-01), Hoeksema
patent: 5320963 (1994-06-01), Knaack et al.
patent: 5447629 (1995-09-01), Chaumont et al.
Enviro Research Pty Ltd.
Redding David A.
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