Culture apparatus and culture method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023115516-A1
Application number	US-202117913857-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 24, 2021
Priority date	Mar 30, 2020
Publication date	Apr 13, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided are a culture apparatus and a culture method with which microalgae can be cultured satisfactorily. The culture apparatus includes a plurality of culture tanks and a water storage tank, and cultures microalgae in a culture solution. Each of the plurality of culture tanks has a translucent accommodating portion containing the culture solution and microalgae. The volumes of the accommodating portions of the plurality of culture tanks are different from each other. The water storage tank has a translucent water storage unit for storing a stored water. The plurality of culture tanks are selectively arranged in the water storage unit.

First claim

1 . What is claim is:

1 . A culture device that cultures microalgae in a culture solution, the culture device comprising:
a plurality of culturing tanks each including an accommodation unit that transmits light and is configured to accommodate the culture solution and the microalgae, wherein capacities of the accommodation units differ from each other; and a water storage tank including a water storage unit which transmits light and in which stored water is stored, wherein the culturing tank selected from among the plurality of culturing tanks is interchangeably disposed inside the water storage unit.

2 . The culture device according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the plurality of culturing tanks is equipped with a main body portion made up from a material that transmits light, the accommodation unit is formed on an inner side surrounded by an enclosure formed by joining together inner wall surfaces of the main body portion, and a gas is supplied to the accommodation unit, the main body portion includes: a joint member formed by joining together the inner wall surfaces of the main body portion, and extending in a direction in which the gas is supplied; a guide unit and a circulation unit that are disposed in an interior of the accommodation unit, are adjacent to each other with the joint member being interposed therebetween, and lie respectively along a direction in which the joint member extends; and a gas supply port configured to enable the gas to be supplied to the guide unit, the gas is supplied to the guide unit from a lower side toward an upper side when the main body portion is installed at an installation location, and the guide unit and the circulation unit communicate with each other via a guide unit inlet port provided on an upstream side in the direction in which the gas is supplied, and a guide unit outlet port provided on a downstream side in the direction in which the gas is supplied.

3 . The culture device according to claim 2 , wherein
the capacity of the accommodation unit differs for each of the plurality of culturing tanks by a change in a position of the joint member relative to the main body portion.

4 . The culture device according to claim 2 , wherein
in the plurality of culturing tanks, as the capacity of the accommodation unit is larger, a ratio of a capacity of the circulation unit to a capacity of the guide unit becomes greater.

5 . A culture method using a culture device 0 - 0 +that cultures microalgae in a culture solution,
wherein the culture device includes: a culturing tank including an accommodation unit that transmits light and is configured to accommodate the culture solution and the microalgae as contents; and a water storage tank including a water storage unit which transmits light and in which stored water is stored, the culturing tank being allowed to be installed inside the water storage unit, the culture method comprising: a determination step of determining an outdoor environment of an installation location in which the culture device is installed; and a volume occupancy rate adjustment step of setting, based on a determination result of the determination step, a volume occupancy rate which is a ratio of a content volume of the contents accommodated in the accommodation unit inside the water storage unit, to a total volume of the content volume and a stored water volume of the stored water.

6 . The culture method according to claim 5 , wherein
the culture device includes a plurality of the culturing tanks in which capacities of the accommodation units thereof differ from each other, and in the volume occupancy rate adjustment step, the volume occupancy rate is set by disposing the culturing tank selected from among the plurality of culturing tanks, inside the water storage unit.

7 . The culture method according to claim 5 , wherein, in the volume occupancy rate adjustment step, the volume occupancy rate is reduced as the outside air temperature increases.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kinoshita Shohei
• Shiobara Nozomi
• Machida Kenji
• Goto Minoru
• Doi Mizuho

Classifications

• C12M23/58

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

• C12M29/08

  Air lift · CPC title

• C12M41/44

  of volume or liquid level · CPC title

• A01G33/00

  Cultivation of seaweed {or algae} · CPC title

• C12M21/02 Primary

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