Patent ID: 7618813
Filing Date: 2009-11-17
Classification: C12M

Abstract:
1. A method of culturing a photosynthetic microorganism with a multi-layered photobioreactor, comprising: (a) injecting a photosynthetic microorganism to a first culture region to execute vegetative cell growth and a second culture region to produce a useful metabolite, wherein the first and second culture regions are equipped in the multi-layered photobioreactor (step 1); (b) irradiating light to the second culture region to proliferate the photosynthetic microorganism (step 2); and (c) harvesting the cultured photosynthetic microorganism from the first and second culture regions (step 3), wherein the multi-layered photobioreactor comprises: at least one first culture region containing both a microorganism and a culture medium therein to execute vegetative growth of the microorganism; at least one second culture region closely layered on a side surface of the first culture region and containing both a culture medium and a microorganism therein to produce a useful metabolite; and a transparent partition placed between the first and second culture regions to separate the first and second culture regions from each other, and the first and second culture regions are provided in an inside portion and an outside portion of the photobioreactor, respectively, to allow sun light or artificial light irradiated to the photobioreactor for cultivation to sequentially pass through the second culture region and the transparent partition to reach the first culture region; and a plurality of the photobioreactors as unit modules are spatially arranged to produce another photobioreactor.