Photobioreactor systems and methods

Abstract

A photobioreactor including a containment structure containing a liquid culture medium for cultivating seaweed. The containment structure includes a sidewall extending vertically between a top and a bottom section, the bottom section including a drainage section arranged to allow extraction of the cultivated seaweed. A spiral liner is disposed adjacent to an inner surface of the sidewall. The recirculation device includes a pump configured to continuously receive a portion of the liquid culture medium via an inlet from the bottom section and to discharge the liquid culture medium via an outlet in the top section. A sensor monitors environmental conditions within the photobioreactor. A light emitter is disposed along a surface of the spiral liner. A flow generator is spirally disposed between the top and bottom sections within the containment structure and configured to direct a flow of the liquid culture medium from the top section toward the bottom section of the containment structure.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 172,407, entitled "PHOTOBIOREACTOR SYSTEMS AND METHODS," filed April 8, 2021, and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 564,779, filed December 29, 2021.

[0002] This application relates generally to photobioreactors, and more particularly to photobioreactors for the cultivation of algae and seaweed, useful for carbon sequestration, biomaterials and biofuel production. [Background technology]

[0003] A bioreactor is a system that promotes a biologically active environment. A typical bioreactor contains a vessel in which a chemical process is carried out involving living organisms or biochemically active substances derived from living organisms. Some common bioreactors are cylindrical. Bioreactors typically operate in one of several modes, including batch, fed-batch, or continuous modes such as continuous stirred-tank bioreactors. Organisms grown in a bioreactor are typically immersed in a liquid, such as water or seawater. Environmental conditions within the bioreactor, such as temperature, nutrient concentration, pH, dissolved gases, and light intensity, can be controlled. A photobioreactor (PBR) is a type of bioreactor that uses natural or artificial light to enhance chemical processes within the bioreactor. Photobioreactors are often used to grow photosynthetic organisms, such as cyanobacteria, algae, and bryophytes. Seaweed is a type of algae. All seaweed species are autotrophic, but some algae species rely on other external food sources. Light provides an energy source for organisms through photosynthesis, eliminating the need for sugars or lipids as an energy source.

[0004] Algae or seaweed biomass produced by bioreactors can be dried and used as human food. Microbial biochemical products, such as cosmetic pigments, fatty acids, antioxidants, protective proteins, growth factors, antibiotics, vitamins, and polysaccharides, can be extracted from algae. Algae biomass can also be used to replace or reduce antibiotic levels in animal foods at low doses and as a protein source. Wet algal biomass can be fermented or liquefied through thermal processes to produce biofuel. Early photobioreactors used shallow lagoons agitated by one or more paddlewheels. These photobioreactors had low productivity and were susceptible to seasonal and daily climate changes. They were also limited to tropical and subtropical regions and prone to contamination. Closed culture systems address the limitations of shallow lagoons and open systems by providing more consistent control of environmental conditions within the bioreactor, such as light, temperature, and culture mixture. Some bioreactors inject inorganic carbon in the form of gaseous CO2 or bicarbonate as a carbon source to promote microalgae growth. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Unfortunately, there remains a need for improvements in algae and seaweed cultivation to increase the quality, efficiency, diversity, and production yield of algae and seaweed producing bioreactors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] This application addresses deficiencies associated with cultivating algae and / or seaweed using photobioreactors in various implementations. This application describes exemplary photobioreactor systems, methods, and apparatus for more effectively and efficiently cultivating algae and / or seaweed by configuring the bioreactor to optimally stimulate biomass production and / or yield. Optimization can be enhanced by unique placement of flow generators and / or light emitters within the bioreactor. Optimization can be facilitated by using sensors to monitor environmental conditions and dynamically adjust the operation of various bioreactor components to regulate one or more environmental conditions within the bioreactor, while providing sensor data to a bioreactor controller that processes the sensor data using artificial intelligence (AI) and / or machine learning (ML), thereby optimizing biomass quality and / or yield or seaweed characteristics for a desired application. To meet the needs of a world facing climate change, there is a growing need for large-scale global seaweed production, particularly focusing on sustainable protein and carbon-neutral energy. Efficiency in this application and related technologies are needed to meet the needs of a growing population. To address these market-specific challenges, a new type of photobioreactor has been proposed.

[0007] In one aspect, the photobioreactor includes a containment structure configured to contain a liquid culture medium for cultivating seaweed. The liquid culture medium may include seawater, nutrients, and / or seaweed. The containment structure includes at least one sidewall extending vertically between a top and a bottom section. The structure may have a cylindrical, silo-shaped, rectangular, square, and / or other geometric shape. The bottom section may include an outlet configured to allow extraction of the cultivated seaweed. The bioreactor includes a spiral liner disposed adjacent to the inner surface of the at least one sidewall and in contact with the liquid culture medium. The bioreactor also includes a recirculation device having an inlet adjacent to the bottom section of the containment structure and an outlet adjacent to the top section.

[0008] The recirculation device includes a pump positioned to continuously receive a portion of the liquid medium from the bottom section through an inlet and discharge a portion of the liquid medium through an outlet adjacent to the top section. The bioreactor further includes an array of sensors positioned to monitor at least one environmental condition within the bioreactor. The bioreactor includes an array of light emitters positioned adjacent to a surface of the spiral liner and / or along the spiral conduit. The bioreactor also includes a plurality of flow generators arranged in a spiral configuration within the containment structure between the top and bottom sections, the plurality of flow generators arranged to direct a flow of the liquid culture medium along a downward spiral path from the top section toward the lower section of the containment structure. In some embodiments, one or more light emitters or portions of the array of light emitters are positioned along the downward spiral path to enhance the transfer of light energy to the seaweed biomass moving along the downward path.

[0009] The environmental conditions may include biomass flow rate, temperature, nutrient concentration, pH level, dissolved gas concentration, or light intensity in the liquid culture medium. In one embodiment, the array of light emitters includes light-emitting diodes (LEDs). In some configurations, the recirculation device includes a medium return system forming a channel within the containment structure including an inlet proximate the bottom section and an outlet proximate the top section. The medium return system includes a pump positioned to continuously receive a portion of the liquid medium from the bottom section of the containment structure via the inlet and discharge a portion of the liquid medium via the outlet to the top section of the containment structure. In some embodiments, the flow generator includes an eductor.

[0010] The photobioreactor can include a controller configured to receive sensor data from the array of sensors based on one or more environmental conditions monitored within the photobioreactor. The controller can adjust the flow rate, temperature, nutrient concentration, pH level, dissolved gas concentration, and / or light intensity within the liquid medium. The controller can adjust the environmental conditions by opening, closing, turning on, off, or adjusting the flow rate of the photobioreactor and / or adjusting the mixing ratio of one or more components of the photobioreactor and / or adjusting the light intensity of a light emitter in the photobioreactor.

[0011] The controller may implement artificial intelligence, machine learning, and / or deep learning to optimize predictive analytics for quality control monitoring and / or seaweed production optimization. Some of the sensors may generate real-time sensor data via a cloud computing network using a data network, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), located near the photobioreactor and other photobioreactors. The real-time sensor data may be receivable by the controller, one or more off-site control systems, and / or one or more remote monitoring systems. The photobioreactor and other photobioreactors may be communicatively coupled to form a biorefinery network. The controller, one or more off-site control systems, and / or one or more monitoring systems may be configured to perform robotic process automation (RPA) to facilitate automation of sensor data collection, testing, maintenance, and / or seaweed harvesting at one or more photobioreactors.

[0012] Two or more of the features described herein, including in this Summary section, can be combined to form implementations not specifically described herein. Additionally, while this specification may refer to examples of systems, methods, and apparatus related to bioreactors for producing algae or seaweed, such techniques apply equally to bioreactors configured to cultivate other organisms. For example, the systems and methods described herein with respect to photobioreactors can be used for all types of aquaculture, including, but not limited to, crustaceans, fish, mollusks, and echinoderms.

[0013] The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary photobioreactor. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows a diagram of a computer system. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a side view of the photobioreactor. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a top view of the photobioreactor of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 illustrates the seaweed cultivation process associated with the operation of the bioreactors of FIGS.

[0015] Like reference numbers in different figures indicate like elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The present application addresses deficiencies associated with cultivating algae and / or seaweed using bioreactors in various implementations. The present application describes exemplary systems, methods, and apparatus for effectively and efficiently cultivating algae and / or seaweed by configuring a photobioreactor to optimally stimulate biomass production and / or yield. Optimization can be enhanced by specific placement of flow generators and / or light emitters within the bioreactor. Optimization can be further facilitated by using sensors to monitor environmental conditions and using AI and / or ML to process the sensor data and provide it to a bioreactor controller that dynamically adjusts the operation of various bioreactor components, thereby adjusting one or more environmental conditions within the bioreactor to optimize biomass quality and / or yield or optimize seaweed characteristics for a desired application.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a photobioreactor 100 including a containment structure, vessel, and / or housing 102. The bioreactor 100 also includes a recirculation system 124 connected to a seawater intake 110 having an ozone filter 104, a CO injector 106, an ultraviolet (UV) filter 108, and a biofilter 112. The recirculation system 124 and seawater intake 110 provide seawater intake to the containment structure 102 adjacent the upper section of the structure 102. The seawater intake 110 and / or a dedicated nutrient injection 114 can provide nutrients to the liquid medium within the structure 102, such as seawater (with or without nutrients). The seawater intake 110 and / or recirculation system 124 can use one or more mixing eductors to mix the recirculated liquid from the bioreactor, seawater, nutrients, and liquids from other inputs to the containment structure 102. The bioreactor 100 may include one or more environmental sensors and / or an array of sensors 116 positioned to sense one or more environmental conditions within the bioreactor 100. The bioreactor 100 includes a harvesting device 122 positioned to filter seaweed biomass from the effluent at an outlet 120 and to reduce the size of the seawater biomass that is recycled to the containment structure 102 or to harvest a portion of the seawater biomass.

[0018] In some embodiments, the bioreactor 100 includes a spiral liner disposed adjacent to the inner surface of at least one sidewall and in contact with the liquid culture medium, as disclosed with respect to Figures 3 and 4. In some embodiments, the bioreactor 100 includes a plurality of flow generators spirally disposed within the containment structure 102 between the top and bottom sections and arranged to direct the flow of liquid medium from the top section toward the bottom section of the containment structure 102, as described with respect to Figures 3 and 4.

[0019] In certain embodiments, bioreactor 100 includes a controller 118 arranged to enable automated control of components of bioreactor 100. Controller 118 may include a processor implementing artificial intelligence (AI) and / or machine learning (ML), neural networks, Bayesian networks, and / or fuzzy logic to process sensor data received from array of sensors 116 and control various environmental parameters of bioreactor 100 (including, but not limited to, biomass flow rate, temperature, nutrient concentration, pH level, dissolved gas concentration, and / or light intensity). Controller 118 may implement artificial neural networks (ANNs) and / or deep learning architectures, such as deep neural networks, deep belief networks, recurrent neural networks, and convolutional neural networks, to dynamically adjust environmental conditions within bioreactor 100 or 300. Controller 118 may implement supervised learning, reinforcement learning, and / or unsupervised learning. Reinforcement learning may include game theory, control theory, operations research, information theory, and / or simulation-based optimization to dynamically adjust environmental conditions within the bioreactor 100 or 300. The bioreactor cultivation environment may be represented as a Markov decision process (MDP). The controller 118 may create multiple decision trees to solve multiple cultivation optimization problems. The controller 118 may use a Bayesian network to optimize the algae and / or seaweed cultivation process.

[0020] The controller 118 may use one or more neural networks, such as a multilayer perceptron (MLP), a convolutional neural network (CNN), or a deep Boltzmann machine (DBM), trained to compute a function that maps an input vector to an output vector. The N-element output vector may convey an estimate of the probability of N culture configurations. In some implementations, the controller 118 uses a recurrent neural network (RNN), whose neurons send feedback signals to each other to enable dynamic temporal behavior. The controller 118 may use an extended RNN called a long short-term memory (LSTM) and / or a hierarchical temporal memory (HTM). The controller 118 may use a combination of the aforementioned AI algorithms to form a hybrid control system. A decision tree is a general term for a decision-making process that uses one or more attributes at each node and / or uses information-theoretic measures to formulate queries at each node to determine the optimal culture configuration for growing algae and / or seaweed in the bioreactor 100.

[0021] In one embodiment, during operation, seaweed and seawater are pumped through the recirculation system 124 into the upper section of the containment structure 102, e.g., the liquid medium and / or the upper part of the water column. The seaweed reaches the surface, begins to sink, and begins to spiral downward through the containment structure 102. The seaweed moves along a layer of fiber liner as it rotates within the containment structure and / or silo 102. The seaweed is forced through a spiral conduit and simultaneously "spun" by one or more flow generators, e.g., eductors, plumbed into the spiral. The seaweed is exposed to spectrally tuned LED light emitted from the light emitters to support or promote cultivation and / or growth. Heavier biomass and / or other solids are selected via the vortex of the outlet 120 for harvesting and / or size reduction and / or removal, whereby smaller and / or lighter biomass is sucked into the recirculation system 124 and pumped back into the upper section of the containment vessel. During operation, the above cycle is continuously repeated.

[0022] The diameter or distance between the two side walls of the bioreactor 100 or 300 can be 0.5 m, 1 m, 2 m, 3 m, 5 m, 7 m, 10 m, 15 m, 20 m, 30 m, 40 m, or 50 meters or more. The depth or distance from the top to the bottom of the bioreactor 100 or 300 can be 0.5 m, 1 m, 2 m, 3 m, 5 m, 7 m, 10 m, 15 m, 20 m, 30 m, 40 m, or 50 meters or more. The containment structure 102 and / or bioreactor 100 may be mounted partially or completely below the earth's surface. The containment structure 102 and / or bioreactor 100 may be mounted partially or completely above the earth's surface to facilitate more efficient biomass harvesting. Two or more bioreactors 100 and / or arrays of bioreactors 100 may be mounted adjacent to each other to facilitate more efficient biomass harvesting and / or production. The containment structure 102 and / or bioreactor 100 may be partially or completely installed within the body of water. The containment structure 102 and / or bioreactor 100 may be partially or completely installed within the body of water periodically, at specific times of day, or during specific tidal events. The luminaries within the containment structure 102 may be equally spaced horizontally, vertically, and / or circumferentially. The flow generators within the containment structure 102 may be equally spaced horizontally, vertically, and / or circumferentially. The containment structure 102 may be formed of and / or include materials such as, but not limited to, metal (e.g., steel), plastic, concrete, and / or earthen materials.

[0023] By facilitating the flow of biomass in a downward spiral configuration and / or flow path within the containment structure 102, the bioreactor 100 allows for more accurate and efficient detection and / or measurement of the flow rate, volume, and / or yield of biomass over a given time or period. The bioreactor 100 may include at least one video sensor within the containment structure 102. The video sensor can be configured to measure one or more properties of the biomass as it passes through the sensor's field of view. The video sensor can provide sensor data that enables, for example, the controller 118 to determine and / or detect biomass density, distribution, flow, foreign objects, and / or invasive species. In some configurations, the bioreactor 100 includes multiple video sensors positioned along the spiral flow path of the biomass within the containment structure 102.

[0024] In various embodiments, the bioreactor 100 operates as a closed and / or land-based bioreactor. Operating a land-based bioreactor has numerous advantages, including enhanced climate control, control of liquid medium chemistry such as nutrient concentrations, and cultivating seaweed varieties tailored for high-value markets. For example, environmental conditions (e.g., protein and / or sugar concentrations) can be adjusted to tailor seaweed products for specific uses such as human food, biofuel, animal feed, and packaged products.

[0025] 2 includes a block diagram of a computer system 200 that performs the functions of a computer, such as the controller 118 of FIG. 1. The exemplary computer system 200 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 202, a memory 204, and an interconnecting bus 206. The CPU 202 may include a single microprocessor or multiple microprocessors to configure the computer system 200 as a multiprocessor system. The memory 204 includes, for example, a main memory and a read-only memory. The computer 200 also includes a mass storage device 208 having, for example, various disk drives, tape drives, etc. The main memory 204 also includes dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and high-speed cache memory. During operation, the main memory 204 stores at least a portion of the instructions and data for execution by the CPU 202.

[0026] The mass storage device 208 may include one or more magnetic disks, tape drives, optical disk drives, or solid-state memory for storing data and instructions used by the CPU 202. At least one component of the mass storage system 208 (preferably in the form of a disk drive, solid-state, or tape drive) stores a database used to process sensor data from the array of sensors 116 and execute an AI and / or ML engine and / or neural network for controlling the bioreactor 100 or 300. The AI ​​and / or ML engine may implement ANNs and / or deep learning architectures such as deep neural networks, deep belief networks, recurrent neural networks, and convolutional neural networks to dynamically adjust environmental conditions within the bioreactor 100 or 300. To provide automated control of bioreactor 100 or 300, computer 200 can send sensor control signals to various components 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 120, and 122 of bioreactor 100 or 300 to either open, close, turn on, turn off, adjust flow rates, adjust mixing rates and / or light intensity of light emitters to optimize algae and / or seaweed production within bioreactor 100 or 300. Mass storage system 208 can also include one or more drives for various portable media, such as floppy disks, flash drives, compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs, DVDs, CD-RWs, and variations thereof), memory sticks, or integrated circuit non-volatile memory adapters (i.e., PC-MCIA adapters), for transferring data and code to and from computer system 200. In some implementations, computer 200 and / or controller 118 can simultaneously control multiple bioreactors over a data network, such as network 212. The controller 118 can coordinate operation among the multiple bioreactors to optimize output and / or yield among the multiple bioreactors.Network 212 may include a wireless network, an ad hoc network, and / or a mobile network supporting multiple computing servers that implement a cloud computing environment. Various environmental sensors and / or multiple bioreactors may be communicatively connected via network 212, for example, as Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled systems and / or devices. In some implementations, to coordinate the operation and control of multiple bioreactors operating simultaneously across a geographic region, network 212 may enable computer 200 and / or controller 118 to coordinate the operation of multiple photobioreactors using predictive analytics, for example, by processing global positioning system (GPS) data and other big data. In certain implementations, network 212 may enable the collection of GPS data from multiple bioreactors and use ML programs to enhance the security and / or performance of seaweed production on land or at sea.

[0027] Computer system 200 may also include one or more input / output interfaces for communications, shown by way of example as interface 210 and / or transceivers for data communications over network 212. Data interface 210 may be a modem, an Ethernet card, or any other suitable data communications device. To provide the functionality of computer 102, data interface 210 may provide a relatively high-speed link to network 212, such as an intranet or the Internet, either directly or through another external interface. The communications link to network 212 may be, for example, optical, wired, or wireless (e.g., via a satellite or cellular network). Alternatively, computer system 200 may include a mainframe or other type of host computer system capable of web-based communications over network 212. Computer system 200 may include software for operating network applications, such as a web server and / or a web client.

[0028] Computer system 200 may also include suitable input / output ports to serve as a local user interface for programming and data acquisition purposes, capable of interfacing with portable data storage devices, or using interconnect bus 206 to interconnect with local display 216 and keyboard 214, etc. Display 216 and / or display 120 may include touchscreen functionality that allows a user to interface with system 200 by touching a portion of the surface of display 216. Remote operators may interact with system 200 to control and / or program the system from a remote terminal device via network 212.

[0029] The computer system 200 may execute various application programs and store associated data in a database in the mass storage system 208. One or more such applications may include a bioreactor controller 118 that controls various components of the system 100 or 300 during the algae and / or seaweed cultivation and / or growth process.

[0030] The components included in computer system 200 may enable the computer system to be used as a server, a workstation, a personal computer, a network terminal, a mobile computing device, etc. As discussed above, computer system 200 may include one or more applications that enable cleaning and disinfecting the soles of footwear. System 200 may include software and / or hardware that implements a web server application. Web server applications may include software such as HTML, XML, WML, SGML, PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor), CGI, and similar languages.

[0031] The aforementioned features of the present disclosure may be implemented as software components operating within system 200, which may include a UNIX workstation, a Windows workstation, a LINUX workstation, or other types of workstations. Other operating systems, such as, but not limited to, Windows, MAC OS, and LINUX, may also be used. In some aspects, the software may optionally be implemented as a C computer program or a computer program written in any high-level language, including, but not limited to, JavaScript, Java, CSS, Python, PHP, Ruby, C++, C, Shell, C#, Objective-C, Go, R, TeX, VimL, ​​Perl, Scala, CoffeeScript, Emacs Lisp, Swift, Fortran, or Visual BASIC. Specific script-based programs, such as XML, WML, and PHP, may also be used. System 200 may employ a digital signal processor (DSP).

[0032] As previously mentioned, the mass storage device 208 may include a database. The database may be any suitable database system, including the commercially available Microsoft Access database, and may be a local or distributed database system. The database system may implement Sybase and / or SQL Server. The database may be supported by suitable persistent data memory, such as a hard disk drive, a RAID system, a tape drive system, a floppy diskette, or other suitable system. While the system 200 may include a database integrated with the system 200, it will be understood that in other implementations, the database and the mass storage device 208 may be external elements.

[0033] In certain implementations, system 200 may include an Internet browser program and / or may be configured to operate as a web server. In some configurations, the client and / or web server may be configured to recognize and interpret various network protocols that may be used by the client or server programs. Commonly used protocols include, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and Transport Layer Security (TLS). However, new protocols and revisions to existing protocols may be frequently introduced. Thus, new revisions of server and / or client applications may be continually developed and released to support the new or revised protocols.

[0034] Computer system 200 may include a web server running Web 2.0 applications, etc. Web applications running on system 200 may use server-side dynamic content generation mechanisms, such as, but not limited to, Java Servlets, CGI, PHP, or ASP. In particular embodiments, mashed content may be generated by a web browser running client-side scripts, including, but not limited to, JavaScript and / or applets, on a wireless device.

[0035] In certain implementations, the system 200 and / or the controller 118 may include applications that employ Asynchronous JavaScript+XML (Ajax) and similar technologies that use asynchronous loading and content presentation techniques. These technologies include, but are not limited to, XHTML and CSS for style display, Document Object Model (DOM) APIs exposed by web browsers, asynchronous data exchange of XML data, and web browser-side scripting (e.g., JavaScript). Certain web-based applications and services may utilize web protocols such as, but not limited to, Service-Oriented Access Protocol (SOAP) and Representational State Transfer (REST). REST can utilize HTTP and XML.

[0036] The system 200 may also provide enhanced security and data encryption. Enhanced security may include access control, biometric authentication, cryptographic authentication, message integrity checks, encryption, digital rights management services, and / or other similar security services. Security may include protocols such as IPSEC and IKE. Encryption may include, but is not limited to, DES, 3DES, AES, RSA, and similar public or private key-based schemes.

[0037] 3 shows a side view of a photobioreactor 300 that includes a recirculation and / or return system 304 within its containment structure 302. The containment structure 302 forms a cavity in which liquid culture medium 310, such as a seawater growth medium, is contained. The recirculation and / or medium return system 304 forms a channel within the containment structure 302 that includes an inlet adjacent a bottom section 320 and an outlet adjacent an upper section 318. The recirculation system 304 includes a pump configured to continuously receive a portion of the liquid medium 310 via the inlet in the bottom section 320 and discharge a portion of the liquid medium 310 via the outlet in the upper section 318. The recirculation system 304 may be centrally positioned to contribute to a downward spiral flow path 306 of the biomass and / or medium 310 within the containment structure 302.

[0038] The bioreactor 300 also includes a spiral liner 312 adjacent to the inner surface of the sidewall 322 of the containment structure 302. The spiral liner 312, at least in part, allows for a downward spiral flow path of the seaweed 306 from the top section 318 toward the bottom section 320 of the containment structure 302. Gravity and / or one or more flow generators may also aid in providing a downward spiral flow of the biomass and / or culture medium 310 within the containment structure 302. The bioreactor 300 may also include a vortex gradient and drain funnel 314 positioned to allow harvesting of the seaweed biomass via an outlet 316. The containment structure 302 may have an enclosed upper section 318 positioned to allow a gas layer 308 to form above the liquid culture medium 310. Although not shown in FIG. 3 , the bioreactor 300 may include one or more components as described with respect to the bioreactor 100 of FIG. 1 . For example, bioreactor 300 may include an array of sensors, one or more light emitters, and / or a controller such as controller 118 of Figure 1. Bioreactor 300 can be configured to operate as an onshore and / or closed system, or as an offshore and / or open system in a body of water such as the ocean. When operated as an onshore or closed system, bioreactor 300 may include a recirculation device, such as recirculation device 124 of Figure 1, in addition to or instead of recirculation device 304.

[0039] Figure 4 shows a top view 400 of the photobioreactor 300 of Figure 3. Figure 4 includes a silo containment structure 402, a spiral liner fabric 406, multiple eductors 408, multiple marine light emitters (e.g., LEDs) 410, a return column 412 of the recirculation system 304, and eductor, electrical, and / or drainage conduits 414. Figure 4 shows a downward spiral flow 404 between the return column 412 and the spiral liner fabric 406. In certain embodiments, the flow generators (e.g., eductors 408) and / or light emitters 410 are spaced equally or substantially equally apart horizontally, vertically, and / or circumferentially. By arranging multiple light emitters along the vertical depth and / or at various horizontal depths, the vertical length of the bioreactor 100 or 300 can be substantially extended compared to conventional bioreactors that rely on natural sunlight. Conventional bioreactors are typically limited to a depth of approximately 2.5 m due to limited penetration of natural light through the top of the bioreactor into the culture medium.

[0040] By disposing multiple light emitters along and / or at various depths of the downward spiral flow path 404 or 306 of the medium 310, the exposure of the medium 310 to the energy provided by the light is greatly enhanced, thereby increasing the biomass yield and / or consistency of the seaweed biomass product. This is another technical advantage of implementing a downward spiral flow path 404 or 306 in the bioreactor 300 and / or 100. As described with respect to FIG. 1 , the eductor 408 and / or flow generator may be oriented in a downward direction toward the bottom section 320, but may also be oriented horizontally to promote the downward spiral flow 404 and 306. In some implementations, the eductor 408 and / or flow generator is oriented and / or positioned to promote the flow of the medium 404 and / or 306 in a direction parallel or substantially parallel to the spiral liner 312. The eductor 408 may have a vertical orientation downward toward the bottom section 320 and / or outlet 316 or 120 that is 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, or 45 degrees or less from horizontal.

[0041] FIG. 5 illustrates a seaweed cultivation process 500 associated with the operation of the photobioreactor 300 of FIGS. 3 and 4. Seaweed and seawater are pumped through the return column 412 and / or recirculation device 304 into the upper section 318 of the containment structure 302 and / or 402, e.g., the liquid culture medium 310 and / or the top of the return column 412 (step 502 and item 1 in FIGS. 3 and 4). The seaweed reaches the surface of the medium 310, begins to sink, and spirals downward through the containment structure 302 and / or 402 via pathways 306 and / or 404 (step 504 and item 2 in FIGS. 3 and 4). As the seaweed rotates and descends within the containment structure and / or silo 302 and / or 402, it travels along a layer of textile liner, e.g., spiral liner 312 and / or spiral liner fabric 406 (step 506 and item 3 in FIGS. 3 and 4). The seaweed is forced through the spiral conduit 414 while being "spun" by one or more flow generators, such as eductors 408, plumbed within the spiral conduit 414 (step 508 and item 4 in FIGS. 3 and 4). The seaweed is exposed to spectrally tuned LED light emitted from light emitters 410 to support or promote cultivation and / or growth (step 510 and item 5 in FIGS. 3 and 4). Heavier biomass and / or other solids are selected via the vortex 314 adjacent the outlet 316 for harvesting and / or size reduction and / or removal, which draws the smaller and / or lighter biomass into the recirculation device 304 and / or return column 412 and pumps it back to the upper section 318 of the containment structure 302 and / or 402. In some implementations, the above cycle of steps 502 through 512 is repeated continuously during operation of the bioreactor 300.

[0042] Elements or steps of different described implementations may be combined to form other implementations not specifically described above. Elements or steps may be omitted from the described systems or processes without adversely affecting their operation or the operation of the overall system. Furthermore, various separate elements or steps may be combined into one or more individual elements or steps to perform the functions described herein.

[0043] Other implementations not specifically described herein are within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. 1. A photobioreactor comprising: a containment structure arranged to contain a liquid medium for cultivating seaweed, the containment structure including at least one side wall extending vertically between a top section and a bottom section, the bottom section including a drain outlet arranged to allow extraction of the cultivated seaweed; a spiral liner disposed adjacent an inner surface of the at least one side wall and in contact with the liquid medium; a recirculation device including an inlet adjacent said bottom section and an outlet adjacent said top section, the recirculation device being positioned to continuously receive a portion of said liquid medium from said bottom section via said inlet and to discharge said portion of said liquid medium via said outlet; an array of sensors positioned to monitor at least one environmental condition within the photobioreactor; an array of light emitters disposed along a surface of the spiral liner; and a plurality of flow generators spirally arranged within the containment structure between the top section and the bottom section, the plurality of flow generators arranged to direct a flow of the liquid medium from the top section toward the bottom section of the containment structure along a downward spiral path; a photobioreactor comprising:

2. 2. The photobioreactor of claim 1, wherein a portion of the array of light emitters is positioned along the downward spiral path.

3. 3. The photobioreactor of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one environmental condition comprises at least one of biomass flow rate, temperature, nutrient concentration, pH, dissolved gases, and light intensity.

4. The photobioreactor of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the array of light emitters comprises light emitting diodes.

5. 5. The photobioreactor of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the recirculation device includes a medium return system forming a channel within the containment structure including an inlet proximate the bottom section and an outlet proximate the top section, the medium return system including a pump positioned to continuously receive a portion of the liquid medium from the bottom section via the inlet and discharge the portion of the liquid medium via the outlet.

6. A photobioreactor described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the flow generator includes an eductor.

7. 7. The photobioreactor of any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising a controller configured to receive sensor data from the array of sensors based on the at least one environmental condition monitored within the photobioreactor.

8. 8. The photobioreactor of claim 7, wherein the controller regulates at least one of flow rate, temperature, nutrient concentration, pH level, dissolved gas concentration, and light intensity within the liquid medium.

9. 9. The photobioreactor of claim 7 or 8, wherein the controller regulates environmental conditions by opening, closing, turning on, turning off, adjusting flow rate of the photobioreactor, adjusting the mixing ratio of one or more components of the photobioreactor, and / or adjusting the light intensity of a light emitter in the photobioreactor.

10. The photobioreactor of any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the controller implements at least one of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning to optimize predictive analysis of at least one of quality control monitoring and seaweed production optimization.

11. The photobioreactor of any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein some of the sensors generate real-time sensor data via a cloud computing network using a data network located near the photobioreactor and other photobioreactors.

12. 12. The photobioreactor of claim 11, wherein the real-time sensor data is receivable by at least one of the controller, one or more off-site control systems, and one or more monitoring systems.

13. 13. The photobioreactor of claim 12, wherein the photobioreactor and the other photobioreactors are communicatively coupled to form a biorefinery network.

14. 14. The photobioreactor of claim 13, wherein the controller, one or more off-site control systems, or the one or more monitoring systems are configured to perform robotic process automation (RPA), and to perform at least one of sensor data collection, testing, maintenance, and automation of seaweed harvesting.

15. A method for culturing biomass using a photobioreactor, comprising: storing a liquid medium for cultivating seaweed using a containment structure including at least one sidewall extending vertically between a top section and a bottom section, the bottom section including a drain outlet positioned to allow extraction of the cultivated seaweed; disposing a spiral liner adjacent an interior surface of said at least one side wall in contact with said liquid medium; continuously receiving a portion of said liquid medium from said bottom section via a recirculation device inlet; discharging said portion of said liquid medium through an outlet of a recirculation device adjacent said upper section; monitoring at least one environmental condition within the photobioreactor; disposing an array of light emitters along a surface of said spiral liner; a plurality of flow generators arranged in a spiral configuration within the containment structure between the top section and the bottom section; and directing a flow of the liquid medium along a downward spiral path from the top section toward the bottom section of the containment structure by the plurality of flow generators. A method comprising:

16. The method of claim 15, comprising disposing a portion of the light emitter along the downward spiral path.

17. 17. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein the at least one environmental condition comprises at least one of biomass flow rate, temperature, nutrient concentration, pH, dissolved gases, and light intensity.

18. The method of any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the array of light emitters comprises light emitting diodes.

19. 19. The method of any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the recirculation device includes a medium return system forming a channel within the containment structure including an inlet proximate the bottom section and an outlet proximate the top section, the medium return system including a pump positioned to continuously receive a portion of the liquid medium from the bottom section via the inlet and to discharge the portion of the liquid medium via the outlet.

20. 1. A photobioreactor comprising: a containment structure arranged to contain a liquid medium for cultivating seaweed, the containment structure including at least one side wall extending vertically between a top section and a bottom section, the bottom section including a drain outlet arranged to allow extraction of the cultivated seaweed; a spiral liner disposed adjacent an inner surface of the at least one side wall and in contact with the liquid medium; a recirculation device including an inlet adjacent said bottom section and an outlet adjacent said top section, the recirculation device being positioned to continuously receive a portion of said liquid medium from said bottom section via said inlet and to discharge said portion of said liquid medium via said outlet; an array of sensors positioned to monitor at least one environmental condition within the photobioreactor; an array of light emitters disposed along a surface of the spiral liner; and a plurality of flow generators spirally arranged within the containment structure between the top section and the bottom section, the plurality of flow generators arranged to direct a flow of the liquid medium along a downward spiral path from the top section toward the bottom section of the containment structure; and a controller disposed to receive sensor data from at least one sensor in the array of sensors, the controller adjusting the at least one environmental condition by at least one of adjusting a flow rate of one or more of the plurality of flow generators and adjusting a light intensity of one or more light emitters in the array of light emitters. a photobioreactor comprising:

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