Photobioreactor systems positioned on bodies of water

摘要

Certain embodiments and aspects of the present invention relate to a photobioreactor including photobioreactor units through which a liquid medium stream and a gas stream flow. The photobioreactor units are floated on a body of water such as a pond or a lake. The liquid medium comprises at least one species of phototrophic organism therein. Certain methods of using the photobioreactor system as part of fuel generation system and/or a gas-treatment process or system at least partially remove certain undesirable pollutants from a gas stream. In certain embodiments, the photobioreactor units are formed of flexible, deformable material and are configured to provide a substantially constant thickness of liquid medium. In certain embodiments, a barrier between the photobioreactor unit and the body of water upon which the unit is floated facilitates thermal communication between the liquid medium and the body of water.

主权项

1. A method of growing macroalgae in a photobioreactor system comprising:
floating, on a body of water, a longitudinally oriented enclosed photobioreactor section constructed primarily of a substantially flexible material and having a cross-sectional shape, for a cross-section taken essentially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the photobioreactor section, that is characterized by at least a portion of its perimeter being curved, when in operation; introducing a liquid medium comprising macroalgae therein into the photobioreactor segment; introducing a carbon dioxide-enriched gas into the photobioreactor segment to form a gas headspace; and moving and reorienting the macroalgae within the liquid medium by mixing the liquid medium, wherein the moving act involves sparging gas into the liquid medium and wherein the sparging of gas into the liquid medium comprises injecting gas into the liquid medium through periodic gas outlets positioned longitudinally along a horizontal conduit.