Growth promotion method of photosynthetic organisms, and growth promotion device of photosynthetic organisms

Abstract

To provide a growth promotion device of photosynthetic organisms, and a growth promotion method of photosynthetic organisms.SOLUTION: Gas generated by burning hydrocarbon fuel is purified in a time zone where photosynthetic organisms perform photosynthesis activity, and after exhaust heat is recovered via a heat medium and stored, purified exhaust gas having a dropped temperature is supplied into a raising facility of photosynthetic organisms, when a temperature inside the raising facility deviates from a temperature suitable for growth of photosynthetic organisms, the inside of the raising facility is heated or cooled by using the stored energy of the heat medium to maintain or control it at the temperature suitable for growth, or hydrocarbon fuel is burned in the case where the temperature inside the raising facility is deviated from the temperature suitable for growth of photosynthetic organisms, exhaust heat is recovered while purifying combustion gas to heat or cool the inside of the raising facility and maintain or control it at the temperature suitable for growth, and after purified exhaust gas having a dropped temperature is compressed and stored, the gas is supplied in the time zone of photosynthesis activity of photosynthetic organisms while a temperature and humidity of the compressed and stored purified exhaust gas are controlled.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for promoting the growth of photosynthetic organisms, which promote the growth of photosynthetic organisms such as plants and algae that perform photosynthesis, and which cause carbon dioxide contained in the combustion exhaust of hydrocarbon fuels to be absorbed and fixed in the photosynthetic organisms through said growth promotion. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to curb emissions of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, there is a need to reduce the use of fossil fuels in the agricultural sector, including greenhouses and plant factories.

[0003] Meanwhile, in current typical horticultural facilities, in order to promote the growth of photosynthetic organisms within the facility, a common method is to burn fossil fuels such as kerosene or LP gas during times when photosynthetic activity is active and carbon dioxide within the facility is lacking, and then dilute some of the combustion exhaust gas with air within the facility and supply it to supply carbon dioxide, or to procure carbon dioxide gas from outside the facility for growth promotion. However, while these methods consume fossil fuels to promote the growth of photosynthetic organisms, not all of the carbon dioxide in the supplied gas is absorbed and fixed by the photosynthetic organisms, and so the unabsorbed carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere and accumulates, contributing to global warming.

[0004] Furthermore, in order to maintain or control the temperature inside the facility at a temperature suitable for the growth of photosynthetic organisms, when the temperature inside the facility drops below the appropriate temperature, fossil fuels such as heavy oil or kerosene are burned to exchange heat between the combustion exhaust gas and the air inside the facility, or part of the combustion exhaust gas is purified and mixed with the air inside the facility and circulated, or heat is exchanged between the combustion exhaust gas and a heat medium such as water to circulate the high-temperature heat medium inside the facility while dissipating heat from the heat medium, thereby heating the facility while dissipating part or all of the combustion exhaust gas into the atmosphere outside the facility, or when the temperature inside the facility exceeds the appropriate temperature, electricity derived from fossil fuels is used to draw in and circulate outside air inside the facility using an outside air intake fan, or an electrically driven heat pump refrigerator is operated to cool the air inside the facility, thereby cooling the facility. However, all of these methods increase carbon dioxide emissions associated with the use of fossil fuels and electricity derived from fossil fuels, and have the problem of contributing to global warming.

[0005] In relation to these issues, a method has been proposed for reducing the emission of carbon dioxide contained in exhaust gas generated by combustion in power generation facilities and waste treatment facilities that use fossil fuels or biomass (Patent Document 1), as well as a method for reducing the amount of carbon dioxide contained in combustion exhaust gas while promoting the growth of photosynthetic organisms by using the carbon dioxide contained in the combustion exhaust gas generated at waste incineration facilities to cultivate the photosynthetic organisms (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7242774 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-1219521 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] As described above, conventional technology can separate and capture carbon dioxide generated when fossil fuels or biomass fuels are burned, promoting the growth of photosynthetic organisms while having the photosynthetic organisms absorb and fix the carbon dioxide contained in the combustion exhaust, thereby making it possible to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. However, this technology has the following three challenges.

[0008] First, all of these methods involve separating and capturing carbon dioxide from combustion exhaust gas and using it. In the carbon dioxide separation and capture process, there are issues in that a large amount of energy is consumed in the process of absorbing carbon dioxide into a carbon dioxide absorbing liquid or carbon dioxide absorbing material, and in the process of separating and capturing carbon dioxide by regenerating the absorbing liquid or material that has absorbed the carbon dioxide, and the equipment required is complex and large in size.

[0009] In addition, power generation facilities that use fossil fuels or woody biomass, and waste treatment facilities that incinerate waste, both have difficulty in frequent start-and-stop and flexible output control, and in particular, during low-load operation, there is an increased risk of incomplete combustion due to a drop in combustion temperature. Therefore, the power generation equipment and incinerators operated at these facilities are operated continuously day and night, or under specified conditions during certain time periods. On the other hand, the absorption and fixation of carbon dioxide by photosynthetic organisms grown using sunlight is limited to the time periods during which photosynthetic activity is possible due to sunlight, and the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed and fixed also depends greatly on the amount of light. Therefore, there is a large difference between the time periods and amounts of carbon dioxide separated and captured by the continuous operation of power generation equipment and combustion equipment day and night, and the time periods and amounts of carbon dioxide that can be absorbed and fixed in facilities for cultivating photosynthetic organisms. In general, photosynthetic activity is limited in both time and quantity, so there is a problem in that it is difficult to have photosynthetic organisms absorb and fix the carbon dioxide separated and captured in the continuous operation of power generation equipment and combustion treatment equipment, day and night, continuously, by the photosynthetic organisms, regardless of whether they are alive or dead.

[0010] For example, in facilities that use sunlight as a light source for photosynthesis, such as vinyl greenhouse horticultural facilities and algae cultivation facilities that use open swimming pools, even if carbon dioxide can be separated and recovered from combustion exhaust gases at night when photosynthesis is difficult or on cloudy or rainy days when the amount of photosynthesis is reduced, it cannot be sufficiently absorbed and fixed by photosynthetic organisms. Even when artificial light is used as a light source for photosynthesis to solve this problem, the large amount of electricity consumed to emit the artificial light results in a decrease in the net amount of carbon dioxide absorbed and fixed.

[0011] On the other hand, possible methods for solving the above-mentioned problems include a method in which a hydrocarbon fuel is burned only during times when photosynthesis is active, and the combustion exhaust gas is purified and supplied to the facility, or a method in which a hydrocarbon fuel is burned only during times when the temperature inside the facility deviates from the growth temperature of photosynthetic organisms, and the combustion exhaust gas containing carbon dioxide is stored while heating or cooling the facility, and the stored combustion exhaust gas is supplied only during times when photosynthesis is active. However, with either method, there will be a difference between the timing and amount of carbon dioxide required for the growth of photosynthetic organisms, the times when heating or cooling is required to maintain the inside of the facility at a temperature suitable for the growth of photosynthetic organisms, and the amount of heat used for heating or cooling. Therefore, unless it is possible to control the supply of the necessary amounts of carbon dioxide and hot or cold energy required for the growth of photosynthetic organisms during the necessary times in accordance with the photosynthetic activity and growth process of the photosynthetic organisms, there is a problem that the photosynthetic organisms in the facility will be damaged or their growth will be inhibited.

[0012] For example, in greenhouse horticulture where photosynthetic organisms are grown using sunlight, if the facility is heated from nighttime until the next morning in order to maintain the temperature inside the facility in winter, the photosynthetic organisms are not actively photosynthesizing during the hours when the facility is heated. Even if combustion equipment or power generation equipment is operated to heat the facility and the facility is heated using combustion exhaust gas while combustion exhaust gas containing carbon dioxide is continued to be supplied into the facility, the carbon dioxide will not be absorbed and used through photosynthesis within the facility, and high concentrations of carbon dioxide will fill the facility, adversely affecting the respiration of the photosynthetic organisms and damaging the photosynthetic organisms being grown.

[0013] On the other hand, even if combustion equipment and power generation equipment are operated to supply carbon dioxide from combustion exhaust gases and the facility is heated with the heat from the combustion exhaust gases in order to supply carbon dioxide during the daytime when photosynthesis is active, if combustion is stopped to stop the supply of carbon dioxide during the period from evening through the next morning, including at night, when photosynthesis stops, it is not possible to heat the facility using the heat from the combustion exhaust gases, and the facility will become cold, which will have an adverse effect on the growth of photosynthetic organisms and cause them to be damaged.

[0014] Furthermore, if exhaust gas from combustion of hydrocarbon fuels is purified and supplied to the facility during daytime hours in summer, when the temperature inside the facility rises while the photosynthesis of photosynthetic organisms becomes active, causing a carbon dioxide deficiency within the facility, the temperature inside the facility will be heated beyond the growth temperature of the photosynthetic organisms, damaging the organisms or inhibiting their growth.

[0015] The present invention has been made in consideration of these problems, and its purpose is to provide a method for simply and efficiently promoting the growth of photosynthetic organisms by eliminating the temporal and quantitative differences between the timing and amount of thermal energy supply involved in maintaining an appropriate temperature when cultivating photosynthetic organisms, and the timing and amount of carbon dioxide supply required for photosynthetic activity, and a growth promotion device for photosynthetic organisms that applies this method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] In order to solve the above problems, the photosynthetic organism growth promotion device of the present invention comprises a renewable energy power generation equipment, a power storage equipment for charging the electricity generated by the power generation equipment, and a gas compressor driven by the electricity output from the power generation equipment or the power storage equipment. The gas compressor compresses exhaust gas discharged from a combustion equipment or power generation equipment that uses hydrocarbon fuel and stores it in a container, and in a photosynthetic organism cultivation facility, supplies the exhaust gas stored in the container to the photosynthetic organisms during the hours when the photosynthetic organisms are performing photosynthetic activity, and promotes the cultivation of the photosynthetic organisms while the carbon dioxide contained in the compressed and stored exhaust gas is absorbed and fixed by the photosynthetic organisms.

[0017] This device also heats or cools the facility using the thermal energy contained in the exhaust gas during the process of compressing and storing it, and when supplying the compressed and stored exhaust gas to the cultivation facility, it heats or cools the gas supplied to the facility using electricity generated by a renewable energy power generation facility, hot or cold heat obtained by a heat pump type heat source unit driven by electricity stored in a power storage facility, or hot or cold heat obtained from a renewable energy heat utilization facility, thereby controlling both the temperature inside the cultivation facility and the temperature of the supply gas for promoting photosynthesis to temperatures suitable for the growth of photosynthetic organisms.

[0018] Here, it is desirable for this device to measure one or both of the temperature and humidity within the cultivation facility for photosynthetic organisms, and, in accordance with the obtained measurement results, control one or both of the supply temperature and supply humidity when supplying the compressed and stored exhaust gas into the cultivation facility to an appropriate temperature or humidity determined in accordance with the growth process of the photosynthetic organisms, and also to measure one or more of the carbon dioxide concentration or oxygen concentration within the cultivation facility, or the photosynthetic activity of the photosynthetic organisms, and, in accordance with the obtained measurement results, control one or more of the supply timing, supply period, and supply amount of the compressed and stored exhaust gas.

[0019] Furthermore, it is desirable for this apparatus to be equipped with, in the flow path between the combustion equipment or power generation equipment that uses hydrocarbon fuel and the gas compressor that compresses the exhaust gas discharged from the above equipment and stores it in a container, an exhaust gas purification device that removes harmful substances contained in the exhaust gas, a radiator that radiates the heat of the exhaust gas purified by the purification device into a facility for cultivating photosynthetic organisms, an exhaust gas cooler that further radiates or cools the exhaust gas whose temperature has been reduced by radiating heat in the radiator, thereby condensing and removing moisture in the exhaust gas, and an exhaust gas supply amount adjustment valve that adjusts the flow rate and pressure of the exhaust gas supplied to the gas compressor.

[0020] In the present device having the above configuration, in a cultivation facility for photosynthetic organisms, during times when it is necessary to control the temperature of the cultivation facility by heating or cooling, a combustion facility or power generation facility that uses a hydrocarbon fuel is operated, and harmful substances are removed from the exhaust gas discharged from the facility to purify it, and the temperature of the cultivation facility is controlled by utilizing thermal energy obtained by heat radiation or heat exchange from the exhaust gas; a purified exhaust gas dehumidification process in which the purified exhaust gas, whose temperature has been reduced through the temperature control process, is further heat-radiated or cooled to condense and remove moisture in the exhaust gas to dehumidify it; and The method for promoting the growth of photosynthetic organisms includes a process for compressing and storing the purified exhaust gas in a container using a gas compressor, a process for determining the temperature and humidity and the carbon dioxide concentration or oxygen concentration or the activity of the photosynthetic organisms in the cultivation facility, and a process for controlling and supplying the purified exhaust gas to the photosynthetic organisms in the cultivation facility during a time period when the photosynthetic organisms are performing photosynthetic activity and it becomes necessary to supply carbon dioxide to the cultivation facility, by adjusting the pressure and flow rate of the gas compressed and stored in the purified exhaust gas compression and storage process according to the results of the process for determining the environment, and further adjusting the temperature and humidity.

[0021] In addition, a photosynthetic organism growth promotion device relating to another method of solving the above-mentioned problem is characterized in that, within a cultivation facility for photosynthetic organisms, there is a combustion equipment or power generation equipment that uses hydrocarbon fuel and operates during the hours when the photosynthetic organisms are photosynthesizing, and from the exhaust gas discharged from the combustion equipment or power generation equipment, the thermal energy contained in the exhaust gas is recovered using a heat medium and stored in a heat medium container, and the exhaust gas after exhaust heat recovery is supplied to the photosynthetic organisms, and when the temperature within the cultivation facility deviates from a temperature suitable for the growth of the photosynthetic organisms, the heat medium stored in the heat medium container is used to heat or cool the cultivation facility, thereby controlling the temperature within the cultivation facility to an appropriate temperature determined according to the growth process of the photosynthetic organisms.

[0022] Here, the apparatus desirably includes a combustion facility or power generation facility that uses hydrocarbon fuel, an exhaust gas purification device that removes harmful substances contained in the exhaust gas emitted from the facility, which is located on the flow path until the exhaust gas is supplied to the photosynthetic organisms, an exhaust heat recovery device that recovers the exhaust heat of the exhaust gas purified by the purification device, an exhaust gas supply amount adjustment valve that adjusts the flow rate and pressure of the exhaust gas whose heat has been recovered by the exhaust heat recovery device, an exhaust gas temperature control device that controls the temperature of the exhaust gas whose flow rate has been adjusted by the valve, and an exhaust gas humidity control device that controls the humidity of the exhaust gas whose temperature has been controlled by the temperature control device.

[0023] In addition, when cooling the inside of the cultivation facility using exhaust heat recovered from the exhaust gas of a combustion equipment or power generation equipment that uses hydrocarbon fuel, the present device may be configured to cool the inside of the cultivation facility by cooling and supplying a supply gas using cold heat obtained from one or more of an absorption or adsorption type refrigerator driven by the exhaust heat, a desiccant air conditioning device, or a heat pump type refrigerator driven by generated electricity obtained from a power generation equipment.

[0024] Furthermore, in cases where the present device is unable to supply the hot or cold heat necessary for heating or cooling the cultivation facility using exhaust heat recovered from the renewable energy power generation equipment, renewable energy heat utilization equipment, and combustion equipment or power generation equipment that uses hydrocarbon fuel that constitute the device, and is unable to sufficiently heat or cool the cultivation facility, the device may be adapted to heat or cool the cultivation facility using cold or hot heat obtained from a heat pump-type heat source machine driven by the generated electricity of a second renewable energy power generation equipment different from the renewable energy power generation equipment, renewable energy heat utilization equipment, and combustion equipment or power generation equipment that uses hydrocarbon fuel that constitute the device, or cold or hot heat obtained from a second renewable energy heat utilization equipment, thereby making it possible to control the temperature within the cultivation facility to a temperature suitable for the growth of photosynthetic organisms.

[0025] The present device having the above-mentioned configuration includes an environment assessment step in a cultivation facility for photosynthetic organisms, measuring and assessing the temperature and humidity, and the carbon dioxide or oxygen concentration or the activity of the photosynthetic organisms within the cultivation facility; a control supply step of operating a combustion facility or a power generation facility using a hydrocarbon fuel during a period of photosynthetic activity of the photosynthetic organisms based on the results of the environment assessment step, purifying the exhaust gas discharged from the facility by removing harmful substances, storing the thermal energy obtained by heat exchange from the exhaust gas, adjusting the pressure and flow rate of the purified exhaust gas, and further adjusting the temperature and humidity before supplying the purified exhaust gas to the photosynthetic organisms within the cultivation facility; and a temperature control supply step of controlling the temperature and humidity by heating or cooling the cultivation facility. The method for promoting the growth of photosynthetic organisms includes a facility temperature control process for controlling the temperature of the cultivation facility by utilizing the stored thermal energy to heat or cool the cultivation facility based on the results of the environmental assessment process during a period when control is necessary, and a facility temperature additional control process for performing additional temperature control of the cultivation facility using hot or cold heat obtained by a heat pump type heat source machine using electricity supplied from a second renewable energy power generation facility or a power storage facility, or hot or cold heat obtained from a second renewable energy heat utilization facility, when the hot or cold heat supplied in the heating or cooling of the cultivation facility by the facility temperature control process is insufficient.

[0026] The renewable energy power generation equipment constituting the device of the present invention may be any one or more of the following: solar power generation equipment, solar thermal power generation equipment, wind power generation equipment, hydroelectric power generation equipment, biomass power generation equipment, geothermal power generation equipment, hot spring heat power generation equipment, and temperature difference power generation equipment.The renewable energy heat utilization equipment constituting the device of the present invention may be any one or more of the following: solar heat utilization equipment, river heat utilization equipment, sewage heat utilization equipment, lake water or seawater heat utilization equipment, biomass or biogas combustion heat utilization equipment, biomass fermentation heat utilization equipment, geothermal or hot spring heat utilization equipment, geothermal heat or groundwater heat utilization equipment, and snow and ice heat utilization equipment. Effect of the Invention

[0027] According to the present invention, in a facility for cultivating photosynthetic organisms, when maintaining the temperature and humidity of the facility and supplying carbon dioxide to the photosynthetic organisms within the facility, the timing and quantitative differences between the timing and amount of thermal energy supply related to maintaining the growth temperature of the photosynthetic organisms and the timing and amount of carbon dioxide supply required for photosynthetic activity are eliminated, thereby minimizing the consumption of fossil fuels and electricity derived from fossil fuels, and making effective use of both the thermal energy contained in the combustion exhaust gas of hydrocarbon fuels and the carbon dioxide contained in the combustion exhaust gas for cultivating photosynthetic organisms, thereby making it possible to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions related to the cultivation of photosynthetic organisms, including the absorption and fixation by the photosynthetic organisms of carbon dioxide generated from the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus for promoting growth of photosynthetic organisms according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus for promoting growth of photosynthetic organisms according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and is not limited to the present embodiment.

[0031] (First embodiment)

[0032] First, an apparatus for promoting growth of photosynthetic organisms according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, in this photosynthetic organism growth promotion device, the combustion exhaust gas generated from a biomass combustion device 3 is supplied to an exhaust gas purification device 4 so that the internal temperature of a photosynthetic organism cultivation facility 2 for cultivating photosynthetic organisms 1 becomes an appropriate temperature according to the growth process of the photosynthetic organisms being cultivated. After removing harmful substances such as soot and nitrogen oxides from the combustion exhaust gas, the combustion exhaust gas is circulated through a radiator 5 installed in the cultivation facility to radiate the heat contained in the combustion exhaust gas within the facility and heat up the facility. After that, the purified exhaust gas, whose temperature has been reduced by the heat radiation, is cooled by an electrically driven heat pump type refrigerator while passing through a purified exhaust gas cooler 6 which condenses and removes moisture from the purified exhaust gas and collects and stores the drain water, thereby dehumidifying the purified exhaust gas and increasing the carbon dioxide concentration. After reducing the volume, the pressure and flow rate of the purified exhaust gas are controlled by an adjustment valve 7, and then the purified exhaust gas compressor 11, as well as other components of the device such as the exhaust gas purification device, the purified exhaust gas cooler, and the adjustment valve, are driven by either the power generated by a solar power generation system 9 connected to the grid by a grid-connected power conditioner 8, or the power discharged from a power storage system 10 in which power received from the grid is stored.This makes it possible to purify, dehumidify, and compress the exhaust gas containing carbon dioxide generated when heating the facility, and store it in the purified exhaust gas storage container 12, even during the time period from the evening to early morning, including nighttime, when the cultivation facility is heated by operating the biomass combustion device, and even during the time period when the power generation output from the solar power generation cannot be directly used.

[0034] This device also monitors the photosynthetic status of the photosynthetic organisms within the facility using a carbon dioxide measuring device 13 that measures the carbon dioxide concentration within the facility, and monitors the temperature and humidity within the facility using a temperature and humidity measuring device 14 that measures the temperature and humidity within the facility. Depending on the carbon dioxide shortage and the temperature and humidity conditions within the facility, an in-facility environmental control device 15 instructs the amount of purified exhaust gas containing a high concentration of carbon dioxide to be supplied, and the temperature and humidity when the purified exhaust gas is supplied. In response to this instruction, a purified exhaust gas supply amount control valve 16 operates to control the amount of purified exhaust gas stored in the storage container that is supplied into the facility, i.e., the timing, supply period and amount of carbon dioxide to be supplied during photosynthetic activity in order to promote the growth of photosynthetic organisms.

[0035] In addition, when it is necessary to heat and humidify the cooled and dehumidified purified exhaust gas before supplying it during the storage process in the purified exhaust gas storage container, or when it is necessary to cool and dehumidify the purified exhaust gas whose temperature has risen during the storage period due to the container absorbing heat from the high-temperature outside air before supplying it, the temperature can be heated or cooled by a supply gas temperature control device 17, which controls the temperature of the purified exhaust gas to be supplied based on the measurement results of the temperature and humidity measuring device 14, using an electrically driven heat pump type heat source machine operated by the power supplied from the storage system.

[0036] Furthermore, for adjusting the humidity of the temperature-controlled supply gas, the humidity of the supply gas is adjusted by a supply gas humidity control device 18, which either purifies the drain water stored using the power supplied from the power storage system and operates an ultrasonic vibrator to humidify the supply gas, or operates a Peltier cooler to further cool a portion of the supply gas and condense and liquefy the moisture in the gas to dehumidify it.

[0037] By supplying the purified exhaust gas containing a high concentration of carbon dioxide, whose temperature and humidity have been optimally controlled through the above process, via a purified exhaust gas supply pipe 19 that distributes and dissipates it near the photosynthetic organisms in the cultivation facility, it is possible to supply carbon dioxide-containing gas, whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted to be suitable for the growth of the photosynthetic organisms, according to the carbon dioxide requirement of the photosynthetic organisms during the photosynthetic activity period of the organisms.

[0038] This device is also configured to control the valve 7, which adjusts the amount of biomass fuel and air supplied to the biomass combustion device and the pressure and flow rate of the purified exhaust gas, based on the measurement results from the temperature and humidity measuring device 14, and to control the timing of heating the cultivation facility using the biomass combustion device and the amount of heat released for heating, thereby maintaining a temperature suitable for the growth of photosynthetic organisms.

[0039] With this configuration, the facility is heated during times when the photosynthetic organisms within the facility are not photosynthesizing, such as at night or early in the morning, to maintain and control the growth temperature for the photosynthetic organisms, while the combustion exhaust gas generated when the facility is heated is purified and dehumidified, and compressed and stored as purified exhaust gas containing a high concentration of carbon dioxide. During times when the photosynthetic organisms are engaged in photosynthetic activity, the amount of carbon dioxide required for photosynthesis is appropriately controlled, and this is supplied while controlling the temperature and humidity to be suitable for the growth of the photosynthetic organisms, thereby promoting the growth of the photosynthetic organisms and allowing the carbon dioxide gas generated when maintaining the growth temperature for the photosynthetic organisms to be absorbed and fixed within the photosynthetic organisms. Second embodiment

[0040] Next, a schematic diagram showing an apparatus for promoting growth of photosynthetic organisms according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

[0041] As shown in Figure 2, this device stores biogas obtained by fermenting biomass, and uses a carbon dioxide measuring device 13 to determine when and how much carbon dioxide the photosynthetic organisms in the photosynthetic organism cultivation facility require for photosynthetic activity. Furthermore, a temperature and humidity measuring device 14 measures the temperature and humidity of the supply gas required to maintain or control the temperature within the cultivation facility. Based on these measurement results, an in-facility environmental control device 15 issues instructions to control the operation of biomass power generation equipment 20, which uses the stored biogas to supply purified exhaust gas containing carbon dioxide into the facility, thereby operating the biomass power generation equipment.

[0042] In addition, this device purifies the exhaust gas from the biomass power generation facility using an exhaust gas purification device, and then stores the exhaust heat in a heat medium storage tank 22, which absorbs and stores the exhaust heat in a heat medium via an exhaust heat recovery device 21.The temperature of the purified exhaust gas is then lowered to condense and remove the moisture in the gas, thereby increasing the carbon dioxide concentration.The flow rate is then controlled using a purified exhaust gas supply control valve 16, and the temperature and humidity of the purified exhaust gas supplied to the cultivation facility are adjusted by a supply gas temperature control device 17 and a supply gas humidity control device 18, which are controlled and operated according to instructions from an environmental control device within the facility, before being distributed and supplied to the photosynthetic organisms in the cultivation facility via a purified exhaust gas supply pipe 19.

[0043] On the other hand, when the photosynthetic organisms in the cultivation facility stop photosynthetic activity and the temperature inside the cultivation facility drops due to factors such as a drop in air temperature, the facility's environmental control device issues operating instructions based on the measurement results obtained from the temperature and humidity measuring device to operate a pump that circulates the heat medium stored in the heat medium storage tank, including the heat exchanger inside the facility, and heats up the facility by controlling the amount of heat released into the facility due to the circulation volume by the pump rotation speed.By making it possible to use the thermal energy contained in the exhaust gas when carbon dioxide is supplied to promote the growth of the photosynthetic organisms to heat the cultivation facility, it becomes possible to reduce the energy consumption required for cultivating photosynthetic organisms.

[0044] As described above, this device also measures the temperature within the cultivation facility and the carbon dioxide concentration near the photosynthetic organisms, and, depending on the measurement results, starts and stops the biomass power generation equipment, and controls the amount of carbon dioxide-containing exhaust gas supplied by operating the biomass power generation equipment, the temperature and humidity when the purified exhaust gas is supplied to the facility, the amount of heat stored in the heat transfer medium storage tank by recovering exhaust heat from the purified exhaust gas, and the temperature and humidity within the facility by controlling the amount of heat exchange within the facility using the stored heat transfer medium, all in an integrated manner by the facility environment control device, just like the device in embodiment 1.

[0045] In addition, if it is difficult to maintain or control the temperature within the facility using only the heat stored through the exhaust heat recovery of the biomass power generation equipment, the hot or cold heat obtained through the solar hot and cold water system 23 installed next to the equipment can be stored in the heat medium of the heat medium storage tank, making it possible to cover the heat storage amount that is insufficient due to the heat storage amount obtained through exhaust heat recovery with renewable energy heat, thereby reducing the amount of fossil fuels used to maintain and control the temperature within the facility.

[0046] With this configuration, carbon dioxide gas can be supplied only during the hours when photosynthetic organisms are performing photosynthetic activity and need carbon dioxide, while the thermal energy contained in the combustion exhaust gas generated when carbon dioxide gas is supplied can be stored and used during the hours when heating is required. This promotes the growth of the photosynthetic organisms while minimizing the energy consumption required to maintain the temperature necessary for the growth of the photosynthetic organisms, and by using renewable energy, it is possible to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions associated with the cultivation of photosynthetic organisms. [Industrial Applicability]

[0047] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, when heating a facility at night, a generator fueled by biogas stored in a biogas holder is operated, and harmful substances in the combustion exhaust gas discharged from the generator are removed and purified, and then the heat medium is heat-exchanged to store heat in the heat medium. The obtained high-temperature heat medium is circulated within the facility to heat the facility, and the purified exhaust gas containing a high concentration of carbon dioxide is generated by heat exchange with the heat medium to lower the temperature and condense and remove moisture. The purified exhaust gas is compressed by a gas compressor driven by the power output obtained by operating the generator and stored in a compressed storage tank, and then the flow rate, temperature, and humidity can be controlled according to the amount of photosynthetic activity of the photosynthetic organisms within the facility and supplied during the daytime from morning to evening.

[0048] Similarly, during the daytime in summer when the temperature inside the facility rises and cooling is required, and the carbon dioxide concentration inside the facility decreases as the photosynthetic organisms inside the facility become more active in photosynthesis, it becomes necessary to supply low-temperature purified flue gas that can cool the facility. In such a case, a woody biomass boiler can be operated to generate combustion exhaust gas and boiler steam, and the soot and harmful substances in the resulting combustion exhaust gas can be removed to produce purified combustion exhaust gas. At the same time, cold energy can be generated by an absorption chiller driven by the generated boiler steam, and the purified combustion exhaust gas can be cooled with the obtained cold energy to condense and remove the water vapor in the purified exhaust gas. In this way, it is possible to supply the photosynthetic organisms with a high concentration of carbon dioxide while controlling the temperature inside the facility to a temperature suitable for their growth, thereby promoting their growth and also absorbing and fixing carbon dioxide originating from the woody biomass.

[0049] On the other hand, when there is a shortage of heat energy to heat the facility or the supply gas during the harsh winter, depending on the location of the equipment and the type and amount of renewable energy heat resources near the equipment, in addition to the use of solar heat as exemplified above, geothermal energy, hot spring heat or underground heat may be used to heat the facility or the purified exhaust gas supplied to the facility, and when there is a shortage of cold energy to cool the supply gas, groundwater, river water, seawater or snow and ice heat may be used to cool the facility or the purified exhaust gas supplied to the facility.

[0050] Furthermore, depending on the installation environment, renewable energy power generation equipment such as small-scale hydroelectric or geothermal power generation equipment can be installed in the facility, and the electricity obtained from the installed power generation equipment can be used to supplement or additionally heat the facility using an electric heater or to heat the purified exhaust gas to be supplied to the facility, or an electrically driven heat pump refrigerator can be operated to supplement or additionally cool the facility or the purified exhaust gas to be supplied to the facility, making it possible to reduce the consumption of fossil fuel-derived fuels and electricity used to maintain the facility temperature necessary to promote the growth of photosynthetic organisms and to supply carbon dioxide to promote photosynthesis.

[0051] As described above, the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative, and anything that has substantially the same configuration as the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention and exhibits similar effects is included within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1...Photosynthetic organisms 2. Photosynthetic organism cultivation facility 3. Biomass combustion equipment 4. Exhaust gas purification device 5...Radiator 6. Flue gas cooler 7. Adjusting valve 8. Grid-connected power conditioner 9. Solar power generation system 10. Energy storage system 11. Purified exhaust gas compressor 12 Purified exhaust gas storage vessel 13 Carbon dioxide measuring device 14...Temperature and humidity measuring device 15. Facility environment control equipment 16 Purified exhaust gas supply control valve 17 Supply gas temperature control device 18. Supply gas humidity control device 19. Purified exhaust gas supply pipe 20. Biomass power generation facility 21... Waste heat recovery device 22 Heat transfer medium storage tank 23 Solar hot and cold water system

Claims

1. A photosynthetic organism growth promotion device comprising: a renewable energy power generation facility; a power storage facility for storing the power generated by the power generation facility; a gas compressor driven by power output from the power generation facility or the power storage facility; and wherein the gas compressor compresses exhaust gas discharged from a combustion facility or a power generation facility that uses hydrocarbon fuel and stores it in a container, and within a photosynthetic organism cultivation facility, the exhaust gas stored in the container is supplied to the photosynthetic organisms during the hours when the photosynthetic organisms are performing photosynthetic activity, and the carbon dioxide contained in the compressed and stored exhaust gas is absorbed and fixed by the photosynthetic organisms, thereby promoting the growth of the photosynthetic organisms.

2. A photosynthetic organism growth promotion device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the inside of the facility is heated or cooled using the thermal energy retained in the exhaust gas along the flow path until the exhaust gas is compressed and stored, and when the compressed and stored exhaust gas is supplied to the cultivation facility, the gas supplied to the facility is heated or cooled using either generated electricity obtained from a renewable energy power generation equipment, hot or cold heat obtained by a heat pump type heat source machine driven by electricity stored in a power storage equipment, or hot or cold heat obtained from a renewable energy heat utilization equipment, thereby controlling both the temperature inside the cultivation facility and the temperature of the supply gas for promoting photosynthesis to temperatures suitable for the growth of photosynthetic organisms.

3. A photosynthetic organism growth promotion device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the photosynthetic organism growth promotion device measures one or both of the temperature and humidity within a cultivation facility for cultivating photosynthetic organisms, and controls one or both of the supply temperature and supply humidity when supplying compressed and stored exhaust gas into the cultivation facility in accordance with the obtained measurement results to an appropriate temperature or humidity determined in accordance with the growth process of the photosynthetic organisms, and measures one or more of the carbon dioxide concentration or oxygen concentration within the cultivation facility, or the photosynthetic activity of the photosynthetic organisms, and controls one or more of the supply timing, supply period, and supply amount of the compressed and stored exhaust gas in accordance with the obtained measurement results.

4. The photosynthetic organism growth promotion device according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that an exhaust gas purification device for removing harmful substances contained in the exhaust gas, a radiator for radiating heat of the exhaust gas purified by the purification device into a photosynthetic organism cultivation facility, an exhaust gas cooler for further radiating or cooling the exhaust gas whose temperature has been reduced by radiating heat in the radiator, thereby condensing and removing moisture in the exhaust gas, and an exhaust gas supply amount adjustment valve for adjusting the flow rate and pressure of the exhaust gas supplied to the gas compressor are provided in a flow path between a combustion facility or power generation facility that uses hydrocarbon fuel and a gas compressor that compresses the exhaust gas discharged from the facility and stores it in a container.

5. A photosynthetic organism growth promotion device comprising: a combustion equipment or power generation equipment that uses hydrocarbon fuel within a cultivation facility for photosynthetic organisms and operates during the hours when the photosynthetic organisms are photosynthesizing; exhaust gas discharged from the combustion equipment or power generation equipment recovers thermal energy contained in the exhaust gas using a heat medium and stores it in a heat medium container, and then supplies the exhaust gas after exhaust heat recovery to the photosynthetic organisms; and when the temperature within the cultivation facility deviates from a temperature suitable for the growth of the photosynthetic organisms, the heat medium stored in the heat medium container is used to heat or cool the cultivation facility, thereby controlling the temperature within the cultivation facility to an appropriate temperature determined according to the growth process of the photosynthetic organisms.

6. 6. The photosynthetic organism growth promotion apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: a combustion equipment or power generation equipment that uses hydrocarbon fuel; an exhaust gas purification device that removes harmful substances contained in the exhaust gas discharged from the equipment, which is provided on a flow path of the exhaust gas until it is supplied to the photosynthetic organisms; an exhaust heat recovery device that recovers the exhaust heat of the exhaust gas purified by the purification device; an exhaust gas supply amount adjustment valve that adjusts the flow rate and pressure of the exhaust gas whose heat has been recovered by the exhaust heat recovery device; an exhaust gas temperature control device that controls the temperature of the exhaust gas whose flow rate has been adjusted by the valve; and an exhaust gas humidity control device that controls the humidity of the exhaust gas whose temperature has been controlled by the temperature control device.

7. In the photosynthetic organism growth promotion device of claims 5 and 6, when cooling the inside of the cultivation facility using recovered exhaust heat, the temperature inside the cultivation facility is lowered by cooling and supplying a supply gas using cold heat obtained from one or more of an absorption or adsorption type refrigerator driven by the exhaust heat, a desiccant air conditioning device, or a heat pump type refrigerator driven by generated electricity obtained from a power generation facility.

8. A photosynthetic organism growth promotion device according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that in the case where the warm or cold heat required for heating or cooling the cultivation facility cannot be supplied using exhaust heat recovered from the renewable energy power generation equipment, renewable energy heat utilization equipment, and combustion equipment or power generation equipment that uses hydrocarbon fuel that constitute the device, and the cultivation facility cannot be heated or cooled, the cultivation facility is heated or cooled using warm or cold heat obtained from a heat pump type heat source machine driven by the generated power of a second renewable energy power generation equipment different from the renewable energy power generation equipment, renewable energy heat utilization equipment, and combustion equipment or power generation equipment that uses hydrocarbon fuel that constitute the device, or warm or cold heat obtained from a second renewable energy heat utilization equipment, thereby controlling the temperature inside the cultivation facility to a temperature suitable for the growth of photosynthetic organisms.

9. The present invention relates to a facility temperature control process for cultivating photosynthetic organisms, which comprises operating a combustion facility or a power generation facility using a hydrocarbon fuel during a period when it is necessary to control the temperature of the facility by heating or cooling the facility, removing harmful substances from the exhaust gas discharged from the facility, and controlling the temperature of the facility by utilizing thermal energy obtained by heat radiation or heat exchange from the exhaust gas; a process for dehumidifying the purified exhaust gas, the temperature of which has been reduced through the temperature control process, by further radiating heat or cooling the purified exhaust gas, thereby condensing and removing moisture in the exhaust gas for dehumidification; and a process for dehumidifying the purified exhaust gas dehumidified in the dehumidification process. A method for promoting the growth of photosynthetic organisms, comprising: a step of compressing and storing the purified exhaust gas in a container using a gas compressor; an environmental assessment step in the cultivation facility of measuring and assessing the temperature and humidity, and the carbon dioxide concentration or oxygen concentration, or the activity of the photosynthetic organisms within the cultivation facility; and a controlled supply step of the purified exhaust gas of adjusting the pressure and flow rate of the gas compressed and stored in the purified exhaust gas compression and storage step, and further adjusting the temperature and humidity, and supplying the gas to the photosynthetic organisms within the cultivation facility during a time period when the photosynthetic organisms are performing photosynthetic activity and it becomes necessary to supply carbon dioxide to the cultivation facility, in accordance with the results of the environmental assessment step.

10. In a cultivation facility for photosynthetic organisms, the method includes an environmental assessment step in the cultivation facility for measuring and assessing the temperature and humidity, and the carbon dioxide concentration or oxygen concentration, or the activity status of the photosynthetic organisms in the cultivation facility; an environmental assessment step in the cultivation facility for measuring and assessing the temperature and humidity, and the activity status of the photosynthetic organisms in the cultivation facility; a combustion facility or power generation facility using a hydrocarbon fuel is operated during a period of photosynthetic activity of the photosynthetic organisms based on the results of the environmental assessment step, and harmful substances are removed from the exhaust gas discharged from the facility to purify it, and the thermal energy obtained by heat exchange from the exhaust gas is stored, and the pressure and flow rate of the purified exhaust gas are adjusted, and the temperature and humidity are further adjusted before supplying the purified exhaust gas to the photosynthetic organisms in the cultivation facility; and a temperature control step of heating or cooling the cultivation facility. a facility temperature control step of controlling the temperature of the cultivation facility by using the stored thermal energy to heat or cool the cultivation facility based on the results of the environmental assessment step during times when heat or cold is needed, and a facility temperature additional control step of performing additional temperature control of the cultivation facility using heat or cold obtained by a heat pump type heat source machine using electricity supplied from a second renewable energy power generation facility or a power storage facility, or using heat or cold obtained from a second renewable energy heat utilization facility, when the hot or cold heat required for heating or cooling the cultivation facility by the facility temperature control step is insufficient.

Images