Patent ID: 9534261
Date: 2017-01-03
CPC Classifications: C12M,C12Q

Claim:
1. A process for effecting growth of phototrophic biomass within a reaction zone of a photobioreactor, comprising: generating carbon dioxide-comprising gaseous exhaust material from a carbon dioxide-comprising gaseous exhaust material producing process; supplying the carbon dioxide-comprising gaseous exhaust material to the reaction zone of a photobioreactor such that carbon dioxide is thereby supplied to the reaction zone; producing a gaseous headspace material within a headspace of the photobioreactor with gaseous photobioreactor exhaust produced by photosynthesis within the reaction zone; and after at least reducing the rate of supply of carbon dioxide to the reaction zone of the photobioreactor: (i) discharging at least a fraction of the gaseous headspace material to a space other than that of a combustion zone of a combustor, wherein the discharging effects a reduction in the molar concentration of carbon dioxide of the gaseous headspace material, such that the gaseous headspace material becomes of a quality that is suitable for effecting combustion of a fuel within the combustion zone of a combustor; and (ii) after the discharging in (i), discharging the gaseous photobioreactor exhaust to the combustion zone of the combustor.