Algal cultivation system and a process for biomass production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11773360-B2
Application number	US-201816607139-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2018
Priority date	May 2, 2017
Publication date	Oct 3, 2023
Grant date	Oct 3, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an algal cultivation system comprising an algal pond. The algal pond comprises a growth chamber containing algal culture which is exposed to light to enable rapid growth of algae therein, and a regeneration chamber which is substantially devoid of light and configured to provide a residence time to algal culture for repair of damaged proteins of algal cells. The present disclosure also relates to a process for biomass production, comprising circulating algal culture using convection current or forced convection, between the growth chamber and the regeneration chamber. The system and process facilitate in increasing biomass and mitigating salinity and/or temperature variations in the algal culture (A).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An algal cultivation system comprising an algal pond, wherein said algal pond comprises:
a growth chamber containing algal culture, wherein said growth chamber is exposed to light to enable growth of algae contained therein, wherein said growth chamber has a depth (d) of less than 10 cm;
a regeneration chamber substantially devoid of light, wherein said regeneration chamber is configured to provide a controlled residence time to algal culture for repair of damaged proteins of algal cells;
a controller co-operating with at least one means for pumping and at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of a plurality of level sensors, a salinity sensor and a temperature sensor,
wherein said controller is configured to receive level signals from said level sensors, salinity signals from said salinity sensor and temperature signals from said temperature sensor, and wherein said controller is configured to generate an output signal to trigger and stop said means for pumping; and
a cover ( 210 ) disposed on said regeneration chamber ( 206 b ) such that the regeneration chamber ( 206 b ) is substantially devoid of light,
wherein said growth chamber and said regeneration chamber are in controlled fluid communication with each other;
wherein said controlled residence time in said regeneration chamber is in the range of 30 minutes to 90 minutes and said growth chamber is exposed to light for a time period in the range of 60 minutes to 180 minutes;
wherein a ratio of time duration of said algal culture exposed to light in said growth chamber to said controlled residence time in said regeneration chamber is in the range of 2 to 4;
wherein said salinity sensor and/or said temperature sensor are disposed in said growth chamber; and
wherein said output signal is fed to said means for pumping to regulate the flow of fluid containing said algal culture between said growth chamber and said regeneration chamber for maintaining a desired level of fluid in each of said chambers.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said means for pumping ( 208 ) is one of a paddle wheel and a pump.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least two level sensors, wherein said level sensors are disposed in said growth chamber and said regeneration chamber, and said level sensors are configured to generate level signals corresponding to the levels in the respective chambers.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least two valves configured to control the flow of fluid containing the algal culture between said growth chamber and said regeneration chamber.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising means for dividing, disposed in said algal pond to divide said algal pond into said growth chamber and said regeneration chamber, thereby creating a ballast between said growth chamber and said regeneration chamber to mitigate salinity and/or temperature variations in the algal culture.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said regeneration chamber is disposed operatively below said growth chamber such that the regeneration chamber is substantially devoid of light.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of baffles vertically disposed in said regeneration chamber.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an inlet is configured on said cover to facilitate the introduction of fluid containing said algal culture, nutrients and inoculum into said regeneration chamber.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a source of said light is sunlight or LED light.

10. A process for biomass production by using the algal cultivation system as claimed in claim 1 comprising circulating algal culture using convection current or forced convection in a controlled manner, between the growth chamber, wherein the algal culture is exposed to light for a time period in the range of 60 minutes to 180 minutes and the regeneration chamber, wherein the algal culture is exposed to darkness for a time period in the range of 30 minutes to 90 minutes for the growth and regeneration of the algal culture respectively for biomass production; and wherein a ratio of time duration of said algal culture exposed to light in said growth chamber to said controlled residence time in said regeneration chamber is in the range of 2 to 4.

11. The process as claimed in claim 10 , wherein salinity and/or temperature are varied by transferring fluid containing the algal culture between the growth chamber and the regeneration chamber.

Assignees

• Reliance Industries Ltd

Inventors

• Mohan Natarajan
• Mahulkar Amit Vinod
• Veluswamy Ganesh K
• Khopkar Avinash Ramchandra
• Maddikeri Ganesh Lakshman
• Kirdat Nitin Narayan
• Banerjee Arun
• Yelchuri Ravikumar

Classifications

• C12M23/18 Primary

  Open ponds; Greenhouse type or underground installations · CPC title

• C12M21/02

  Photobioreactors (culturing algae A01G33/00, A01H4/001, C12N1/12) · CPC title

• C12M23/38

  Caps; Covers; Plugs; Pouring means · CPC title

• C12M23/58

  Reaction vessels connected in series or in parallel (combinations of bioreactors with other apparatus, C12M43/00) · CPC title

• C12M27/20

  Baffles; Ribs; Ribbons; Auger vanes · CPC title