Patent DE-102009021059-A1 (DE)
Title: System for microalgae production, comprises a lateral rectangular basin having a removable flat cover, an automatic lighting- and cleaning device, and nutrient- and carbon dioxide supply over a feed system admitted in a basin bottom side
Inventor: STEINBERG KARL-HERMANN
IPC: C12M1/42
Filed: 2009-05-13
Abstract: The system comprises a lateral rectangular basin, which is provided with a removable flat cover having a length:width ratio of larger than 4 and is heat-insulated at a base, where the inner surfaces of the basin are designed in a fluid-tight manner, an automatic lighting- and cleaning device, which covers the basin width and is designed with foldable cleaning brushes and LED-light strips, nutrient- and carbon dioxide supply over a feed system admitted in a bottom side of the basin, where the temperature control of the microalgae suspension (6) is carried out over heating- and cooling lines. The system comprises a lateral rectangular basin, which is provided with a removable flat cover having a length:width ratio of larger than 4 and is heat-insulated at a base, where the inner surfaces of the basin are designed in a fluid-tight manner, an automatic lighting- and cleaning device, which covers the basin width and is designed with foldable cleaning brushes and LED-light strips, nutrient- and carbon dioxide supply over a feed system admitted in a bottom side of the basin, where the temperature control of the microalgae suspension (6) is carried out over heating- and cooling lines integrated in a basin wall (1), an air exchanger system, a fresh air filter system and a dehumidifier system, feed- and discharge openings blockably installed in the height of the average water level, and a diagnosis system, which is provided for the process parameter such as pH-value, optical density, nutrient concentrations, temperature and biological condition and over which the microalgae production system is monitored and controlled, where passages, in which equal outflow quantities flow into a collection line over blockable outflow nozzle and are separated supplied to algae processing, are introduced into an average water height along the basin side wall in a distance of 2-3 m. The recirculation water after processing is supplied together with the additional water to the basin along the side wall. An automatic lighting- and cleaning device module is movable mounted as stiffened light-metal frames (2, 3, 4) with two impellers (5) in a rail, which is admitted in the basin wall. The cleaning brushes bear at the lateral carriers and at the lower transverse carrier, where LED-light chains (7) are arranged between the lateral carriers. Several modules are simultaneously used and are displaced using winding rollers and carriage straps. The microalgae suspension is present in a cylindrical stainless steel reactor with a photo-active volume of 10 m 3>and is cleaned by brushes fixed to a rotating frame, where recesses are present in the frame for LED-light chain-spirals and remaining water and additional water are supplied with nutrient salt from the top and carbon dioxide from the bottom over the base. The coupling of artificial light allows continuous photosynthesis. The entire system is sterilized with vapor.