RU2586534C1 - Apparatus for culturing autotrophic microorganisms - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: biology.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to cultivation of microorganisms. Device for culturing autotrophic microorganisms is disclosed. Apparatus comprises a cylindrical housing divided by horizontal partitions into sections for inlet and outlet of culture fluid and an additional section with inside mirror surface, pipes for inlet and outlet of cooling air, a film-forming device, an incandescent lamp, a bubbling device, a system for recirculation of culture fluid. System consists of a transparent circulation pipe located vertically along axis of symmetry of vehicle. Bubbling device with a mixture of carbon dioxide gas feed branch pipe with air is made in form of annular header in output of culture fluid, wherein inside central tube there is a shaft, circulation on shaft in zone of additional section is fixed rotary blower guide culture liquid from output of culture medium through circulation pipe in section of its input. Lower part of shaft is equipped with impeller made with possibility of rotation around its axis due to gas flow kinetic energy.

EFFECT: invention provides higher yield of biomass, higher quality, reduced dimensions of device, simplified design, reduced power consumption, optimum distribution of gas flow, higher quality of transfer.

1 cl, 1 dwg

Description

The invention relates to film devices for the cultivation of autotrophic microscopic organisms and can be used in microbiological and other industries involving the use of cultivation products, for example, in animal feed, in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

A known apparatus for growing microorganisms [US Pat. RF 2221038 / N.A. Voinov, O.N. Voinova, P.B. Kozlenko. - 4918978/26. Declared January 10, 2001. Publ. January 19, 2004], comprising a housing with fittings for fluid inlet and outlet, heat carrier gas inlet and outlet, separated by horizontal partitions into sections for fluid inlet and outlet, heat exchange and additional sections through which cylindrical pipes equipped with a liquid distributor and helical spiral.

However, this apparatus cannot be used for the cultivation of autotrophic microorganisms, such as microscopic algae, cyanobacteria, for the growth and reproduction of which light energy is necessary for the following reasons:

- it is not possible to supply light to the autotrophic microorganism, since the design does not provide for the installation of a light energy source to illuminate the suspension in an additional section, and the cylindrical pipes in the lighting zone are made opaque;

- does not allow for intensive heat removal to compensate for heating under lighting, since air with a low coefficient of thermal conductivity is supplied to the additional section;

- does not create equal conditions for cultivation in each of the cylindrical pipes, since it does not provide a uniform supply of carbon dioxide;

- does not provide for continuous bubbling in the liquid withdrawal section, increasing the total mass transfer coefficient in the apparatus.

The closest in technical essence and the achieved effect is an apparatus for the cultivation of autotrophic microorganisms [Pat. No. 2458980 C1 of the Russian Federation, IPC S12M 1/00, C12M 1/06, B01D 3/32. Apparatus for the cultivation of autotrophic microorganisms / A.A. Shevtsov, A.V. Drannikov, N.Yu. Sitnikov, A.V. Ponomarev, I.V. Mazhulina, applicant and patentee Voronezh. state technol. Acad. - No. 2011126828/10. Stated 06/29/20111. Publ. 08/20/2012. Bull. No. 23], including a cylindrical body, divided by horizontal partitions into sections for input and output of culture fluid and an additional section with an internal mirror surface and nozzles for input and output of cooling air, intended for lighting through which vertically mounted transparent cylindrical tubes are passed, each of which has a helical spiral of wire fixed on its inner surface, a film-forming device; incandescent lamp and bubbler device.

However, this device has the following disadvantages:

- low yield of biomass, since there is no recirculation pipe, providing intensive movement of the culture fluid;

- low quality of the resulting biomass due to the fact that there are no conditions for more uniform illumination of the culture fluid during its recirculation by means of coaxial placement of the lamp;

- the layout solution of the device cannot be considered optimal, because in the central zone of the working volume of the apparatus there are lamps for illuminating the culture fluid, and not a recirculation pipe that provides multiple return of the fluid with subsequent cultivation until the desired biomass concentration of the culture fluid is reached with the desired output;

- the complexity of the design of the apparatus due to alternating sections during cultivation of the suspension, taking into account the alternation of the lighting and cooling sections, makes its parts difficult to access during preventive maintenance, and is also directly related to the increase in the overall dimensions of the apparatus;

- high specific energy consumption for biomass production, since the kinetic energy of the gas substrate at the entrance to the bioreactor is not used;

- conditions are not created for a more uniform illumination of the culture fluid during its recirculation through the coaxial placement of the lamp;

- does not allow for a rational distribution of the gas flow, since the design does not use an annular collector over the entire cross section of the apparatus.

The technical task of the invention is to create an apparatus for the cultivation of autotrophic microorganisms, which allows to reduce the specific energy consumption for recirculation of the culture fluid and gas substrate and to increase the efficiency of heat and mass transfer with a high yield of finished biomass by increasing the gas-liquid contact surface by intensively bubbling the gas phase.

The object of the invention is achieved by the fact that in the apparatus for cultivating autotrophic microorganisms, comprising a cylindrical body, divided by horizontal partitions into sections for input and output of culture fluid and an additional section with an internal mirror surface, designed for lighting, and pipes for input and output of cooling air ; vertically mounted transparent cylindrical tubes are passed through horizontal partitions, each of which has a helical spiral of wire fixed to its inner surface; film forming device; an incandescent lamp and a bubbler device, it is new that the apparatus is equipped with a culture fluid recirculation system consisting of a transparent recirculation pipe located vertically along the axis of symmetry of the apparatus, and the incandescent lamp is mounted coaxially in the additional lighting section with the possibility of illuminating the vertical tubes and the central recirculation pipe; and the bubbler device with a nozzle for supplying a mixture of carbon dioxide with air is made in the form of an annular collector over the entire cross section of the apparatus in the outlet section of the culture fluid, while inside the central recirculation pipe there is a shaft in bearings, the housing of one of which is located in the upper part of the apparatus, the housing of another bearing located in the gas supply pipe of the bubbler device, and on the shaft in the area of the additional section for lighting, a rotary supercharger is mounted, directing the cult -sectoral liquid nutrient medium from the section output via the recirculation tube in its input section, and the lower part of the shaft provided with an impeller which is arranged in the pipe the bubbling device rotatable around its axis due to the kinetic energy of the gas flow supplied to the output section of the medium.

Figure 1 presents a General view of the apparatus for the cultivation of autotrophic microorganisms.

The apparatus consists of a housing 1, which is divided by horizontal partitions 2 into sections for introducing culture fluid 3, outlet for culture fluid 4, and an additional section 5 with an internal mirror surface designed to illuminate a suspension of autotrophic microorganisms. Transparent cylindrical tubes 6 with a film-forming device 7 and a transparent recirculation pipe 8 located vertically along the axis of symmetry of the apparatus are vertically installed in the horizontal partitions 2. A spiral of wire 9 is applied along the length of the transparent cylindrical tubes on their inner surface.

In an additional section 5, an incandescent lamp 10 is coaxially installed with the ability to illuminate transparent cylindrical tubes 6 and a transparent recirculation pipe 8. In the outlet section of the culture fluid 4 there is a bubbler device 11 made in the form of an annular collector over the entire cross section of the apparatus, with a nozzle for supplying a mixture of carbon dioxide and air 12. Inside the recirculation pipe 8, a shaft 13 is installed in the bearings 14 and 15. The housing 16 of the bearing 14 with the cover 17 and the gland 18 is fixed in the upper part of the apparatus. The bearing housing 15 with a cover 20 and an oil seal 21 is located in the nozzle of the bubbler device 11.

A rotary supercharger 22 is fixed on the shaft 13 inside the recirculation pipe 8 in the liquid outlet zone 4, which directs the culture fluid from the culture liquid outlet 4 through the recirculation pipe 8 to its input section 3. The lower part of the shaft 13 is equipped with an impeller 23, which is located in the bubbler nozzle 12 device 11 with the possibility of rotation around its axis due to the kinetic energy of the flow of a mixture of carbon dioxide with air supplied to the output section of the culture fluid 4.

On the body of the apparatus 1, there are placed fittings for introducing culture fluid (suspension of an autotrophic organism) 24 and withdrawing culture fluid (finished biomass) 25, a fitting for introducing and discharging cooling air 26 and 27, a fitting for discharging an exhausted mixture of carbon dioxide with air 28.

Apparatus for culturing autotrophic microorganisms works as follows.

The suspension of the autotrophic microorganism enters through the nozzle 24 into the chamber for introducing the culture fluid 3, passes through the annular gap of the film-forming devices 7 and flows in the form of a liquid film along the inner surface of the transparent cylindrical tubes 6. Flowing around the coils of helical spirals 9, made in the form of a semicircular groove on the inner side of the transparent cylindrical tubes 6, the liquid film in countercurrent interaction with a mixture of carbon dioxide and air. A helical spiral 9 provides rotational-translational movement of the liquid and allows you to hold a large amount of culture fluid on the inner surface of the tubes 6. The presence of centrifugal force caused by the rotational movement of the liquid film prevents its breakdown and ensures uniform distribution of the height of the transparent cylindrical tubes 6.

In this case, the supply of a mixture of carbon dioxide with air into the apparatus is carried out through the nozzle 12 of the bubbler device 11, which provides additional saturation of the liquid with carbon dioxide in section 4 and the uniform distribution of the air-gas mixture flow in transparent cylindrical tubes 6.

Due to the kinetic energy of the flow of the carbon dioxide-air mixture supplied to the culture fluid outlet section 4 through the nozzle of the bubbler device 12, the impeller 23 is rotationally driven and causes the shaft 13 mounted in the bearings 14 and 15 to rotate, and with it the rotary supercharger 22, directing the culture fluid from the outlet section of the culture fluid 4 through the recirculation pipe 8 to the section of its input 3. Recirculation of the culture fluid allows for the necessary cultivation time autotrophic microorganisms to achieve the required biomass concentration at a given flow rate of a mixture of carbon dioxide with air (gas substrate) with minimal energy consumption for the mass transfer process.

In an additional section 5, the suspension of an autotrophic microorganism is exposed to light energy by means of a coaxially mounted incandescent lamp of daylight 10. During illumination with an incandescent lamp 10, heat is generated, which is compensated by the supply of cooling air to section 5 through the nozzle 26. The cooling air is removed from section 5 through the nozzle 27.

At the exit from the cylindrical tubes 6, the carbon-saturated suspension of the autotrophic microorganism enters the section for withdrawing the culture fluid 4, where it is additionally saturated with the gas-air mixture using the bubbler device 11, while the total mass transfer coefficient increases and the cultivation process is intensified. From the section for the output of the culture fluid 4, the suspension of the autotrophic organism is discharged as a finished biomass through the fitting 25.

The proposed apparatus for the cultivation of autotrophic microorganisms allows you to:

- increase the yield of finished biomass, since it is planned to use a recirculation pipe that provides intensive movement of the culture fluid;

- improve the quality of the resulting biomass due to the fact that conditions are created for more uniform illumination of the culture fluid during its recirculation by means of coaxial placement of the lamp;

- reduce the overall dimensions of the apparatus and simplify its design due to the transition from a multi-stage apparatus to a single-stage;

- reduce the specific energy consumption for biomass, since the kinetic energy of the gas substrate is used at the entrance to the bioreactor;

- to ensure a rational distribution of the gas flow in the structure through the use of an annular collector over the entire cross section of the apparatus;

- to increase the mass transfer coefficient due to uniform illumination of the culture fluid during its recirculation by means of coaxial placement of the lamp and rational distribution of the gas flow using an annular collector installed over the entire cross section of the apparatus.

Claims (1)

An apparatus for cultivating autotrophic microorganisms, comprising a cylindrical body, divided by horizontal partitions into sections for input and output of culture fluid and an additional section with an internal mirror surface, designed for lighting, and pipes for the input and output of cooling air; vertically mounted transparent cylindrical tubes are passed through horizontal partitions, each of which has a spiral spiral made of wire fixed on its inner surface, a film-forming device; an incandescent lamp and a bubbler device, characterized in that the apparatus is equipped with a culture fluid recirculation system consisting of a transparent recirculation pipe located vertically along the symmetry axis of the apparatus, the incandescent lamp being installed coaxially in the additional lighting section with the possibility of illuminating the vertical tubes and the central recirculation pipe, and the bubbler device with a nozzle for supplying a mixture of carbon dioxide with air is made in the form of an annular collector over the entire cross section of the device in the outlet section of the culture fluid, while inside the central recirculation pipe there is a shaft in bearings, the housing of one of which is located in the upper part of the apparatus, the housing of the other bearing is located in the gas supply port of the bubbler device, and on the shaft in the area of the additional section for lighting a rotary supercharger is fixed, directing the culture fluid from the nutrient medium outlet section through the recirculation pipe to its input section, and the lower part of the shaft is equipped with an impeller oh, which is located in the nozzle of the bubbler device with the possibility of rotation around its axis due to the kinetic energy of the gas stream supplied to the output section of the culture fluid.

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