Culture apparatus and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

To provide a culture apparatus and a method for manufacturing the apparatus in which a manufacturing process of a culture apparatus having a double water tank structure can be simplified, and mutual positioning between a liquid storage part and a housing part is easy.SOLUTION: A liquid storage part 14 of a culture apparatus 10 is formed by folding a first area 201 of a sheet material 20 made of one piece of a flexible material into a U-shape. A housing part 16 of the culture apparatus 10 is formed by folding a second area 202 of the sheet material 20 into a U-shape. By allowing areas overlapped with each other in an edge part on one side and an edge part on the other side in a width direction of the sheet material 20 to join, each of the liquid storage part 14 and the housing part 16 is formed in a bag shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a culture device for culturing microalgae and a method for manufacturing the same.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, efforts aimed at mitigating or reducing the impact of climate change have been continued, and research and development regarding reduction of carbon dioxide emissions have been conducted towards this realization. A culture device for culturing microalgae is expected to contribute to mitigating or reducing the impact of climate change.

[0003] For example, the culture device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a liquid storage section capable of storing a storage liquid such as water, and a storage section (culture tank) capable of accommodating a culture solution and microalgae. The storage section is disposed inside the liquid storage section. The liquid storage section and the storage section are each constituted by a flexible transparent sheet material.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the above-described conventional technology, it is necessary to produce the liquid storage section and the storage section from separate sheet materials, which requires a lot of man-hours. Further, it is necessary to perform mutual positioning of the liquid storage section and the storage section, and adjustment of the arrangement is complicated.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention is a culture apparatus comprising a liquid storage section capable of storing a liquid, and a storage section capable of accommodating a culture medium and microalgae and disposed inside the liquid storage section, wherein the liquid storage section is formed by folding a first portion of a sheet material made of a single flexible material into a U-shape, and the storage section is formed by folding a second portion of the sheet material into a U-shape, and the liquid storage section and the storage section are each formed into a bag shape by joining the overlapping portions of one edge and the other edge in the width direction of the sheet material.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a culture apparatus comprising a liquid storage section capable of storing a liquid, and a storage section capable of accommodating a culture solution and microalgae and disposed inside the liquid storage section, the method comprising: a sheet providing step of providing a sheet material made of a single flexible material; a folding step of folding the sheet material so that a second U-shaped portion is arranged inside a first U-shaped portion; and a joining step of joining the overlapping portions of the folded sheet material so that the first U-shaped portion constitutes the liquid storage section and the second U-shaped portion constitutes the storage section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, since the liquid storage section and the containment section can be manufactured by folding a single sheet material, the manufacturing process of a culture apparatus having a double-tank structure can be simplified. Since the liquid storage section and the containment section are formed from the same sheet material, their relative positioning is also easy. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective cross-sectional view of a culture apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line II-II in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3A shows the sheet supply process. Figure 3B is the first diagram showing the folding process. Figure 3C is the second diagram showing the folding process. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a trapezoidal sheet material. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a culture apparatus related to a modified example. [Figure 6] Figure 6A is a plan view along arrow VIA in Figure 5. Figure 6B is a cross-sectional view along line VIB-VIB in Figure 5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The culture apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, shown in Figure 1, cultivates microalgae in a culture medium L containing water by supplying light and gas G to the microalgae. Examples of gas G supplied to the culture apparatus 10 include carbon dioxide gas or a carbon dioxide-containing gas (e.g., air). As a result, the microalgae grow in the culture apparatus 10 while performing photosynthesis. In other words, the culture apparatus 10 cultivates microalgae. It is preferable that the culture medium L contains, in addition to water, nutrients necessary for the cultivation of microalgae (e.g., at least one selected from nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium). It is preferable that gas G contains, for example, carbon dioxide gas emitted from a factory.

[0012] The microalgae that can be cultured using the culture device 10 are not particularly limited. When using the cultured microalgae to produce biofuels such as ethanol, it is preferable to culture microalgae classified into the Green Algae (e.g., Chlamydomonas and Chlorella), Prasinophyceae, Cryptofophyceae and Cyanobacteria (e.g., Spirulina) using the culture device 10. An example of a suitable microalgae to be cultured using the culture device 10 is the "HondaDREAMO strain" (deposit date April 22, 2016, accession number FERM BP-22306), which has been deposited with the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation Patent Organism Depositary Center (Room 120, 2-5-8 Kazusa Kamatari, Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture).

[0013] The culture apparatus 10 is installed in an environment where the microalgae can be irradiated with light of wavelengths necessary for their growth (e.g., 400-700 nm). Such an environment could be, for example, outdoors where sunlight can be irradiated onto the microalgae. However, the culture apparatus 10 may also be installed indoors where sunlight can be irradiated onto the microalgae. Alternatively, the culture apparatus 10 may also be installed indoors where artificial light of the above wavelengths can be irradiated onto the microalgae.

[0014] In the following, the orientation of each component of the culture apparatus 10 will be explained based on the case where the culture apparatus 10 is installed in the location where microalgae are cultured, as shown in Figure 1.

[0015] The culture apparatus 10 includes a container section 12 having a double-tank structure. Specifically, the container section 12 includes a liquid storage section 14 capable of storing stored water and a storage section 16 capable of containing microalgae solution (culture solution L and microalgae). The container section 12 is maintained in a state extending in the vertical direction (Z direction) by being supported by a support mechanism (not shown), such as a support frame.

[0016] The container section 12 is formed into a bag-like shape with a double-layered water tank structure by folding a strip-shaped sheet material 20 made of a single flexible material into a predetermined shape and welding predetermined locations. The manufacturing method of the container section 12 will be described later. The sheet material 20 is a flexible and light-transmitting material such as linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3A, the sheet material 20 before it takes the shape of the container section 12 is formed in a rectangular shape.

[0017] In Figure 1, the liquid storage section 14 is capable of storing liquid W supplied from a liquid storage supply mechanism (not shown). The liquid W is a translucent liquid, such as water. In a cross-section along the vertical direction, the liquid storage section 14 is formed in a U-shape. The liquid storage section 14 is formed by folding the first portion 201 of the sheet material 20 (see also Figure 3A) into a U-shape.

[0018] Specifically, the liquid storage part 14 has a first side wall 21, a second side wall 22, and a first bottom wall 31. The first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 are wall parts that extend generally along the vertical direction. The first side wall 21 constitutes the outer wall on one side in the thickness direction (Y direction) of the culture device 10 (container part 12). The second side wall 22 constitutes the outer wall on the other side in the thickness direction (Y direction) of the culture device 10 (container part 12). The second side wall 22 protrudes upward more than the first side wall 21. The first bottom wall 31 connects the lower part of the first side wall 21 and the lower part of the second side wall 22. Since the accommodation part 16 is arranged inside the liquid storage part 14, a U-shaped liquid storage region R1 is formed inside the liquid storage part 14.

[0019] The accommodation part 16 is arranged inside the liquid storage part 14. Microalgae are cultured in the accommodation part 16. That is, the accommodation part 16 constitutes the culture tank in the culture device 10. The microalgae liquid stored in the accommodation part 16 is a fluid containing the microalgae cultured in the accommodation part 16 and the culture solution L used for culturing the microalgae. Incidentally, the microalgae liquid may contain, for example, polysaccharides produced by the microalgae and released outside the microalgae.

[0020] Since the accommodation part 16, which is the culture tank, is installed in the liquid storage part 14, it becomes easy to maintain the temperature of the culture solution L in the accommodation part 16 at a temperature suitable for culturing microalgae by the stored liquid W. Therefore, microalgae can be cultured well.

[0021] In a cross-section along the vertical direction, the accommodation part 16 is formed in a U shape. The accommodation part 16 is formed by folding the second part 202 of the sheet material 20 (see also FIG. 3A) into a U shape. Specifically, the accommodation part 16 has a third side wall 23, a fourth side wall 24, and a second bottom wall 32. The third side wall 23 is a side wall on one side in the thickness direction (Y direction) of the accommodation part 16 and faces the first side wall 21 of the liquid storage part 14. The fourth side wall 24 is a side wall on the other side in the thickness direction (Y direction) of the accommodation part 16 and faces the second side wall 22 of the liquid storage part 14. The fourth side wall 24 protrudes upward more than the third side wall 23.

[0022] An opening 28 is formed by the upper end of the second side wall 22 of the liquid storage section 14 and the upper end of the fourth side wall 24 of the containment section 16. The third side wall 23 and the fourth side wall 24 face each other. The third side wall 23 and the fourth side wall 24 are positioned between the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22.

[0023] The second bottom wall 32 connects the lower part of the third side wall 23 and the lower part of the fourth side wall 24. The third side wall 23, the fourth side wall 24, and the second bottom wall 32 form the culture region R2.

[0024] The container section 12 further has a connecting section 34 that connects the upper part of the first side wall 21 of the liquid storage section 14 and the upper part of the third side wall 23 of the containment section 16. An opening 36 is provided at the upper end of the containment section 16. The opening 36 may be covered by a lid member (not shown) that can be opened and closed.

[0025] The second bottom wall 32 is located above the first bottom wall 31. Therefore, the U-shaped liquid storage region R1 formed within the liquid storage section 14 has a first region R1a formed between the first side wall 21 and the third side wall 23, a second region R1b formed between the second side wall 22 and the fourth side wall 24, and a communication region R1c that connects the first region R1a and the second region R1b.

[0026] The container section 12, which is made from a single sheet material 20, has a joint (welded section 40) at both ends in the width direction (X direction) where opposing parts are joined together by welding. The welded section 40 closes both ends in the width direction of the container section 12 (both ends in the width direction of the liquid storage section 14 and both ends in the width direction of the containment section 16).

[0027] The liquid storage section 14 and the containment section 16 are each formed into a bag shape by joining the overlapping portions of one edge and the other edge in the width direction of the sheet material 20. Specifically, the first side wall 21 and the third side wall 23 are welded together at both ends in the width direction to form a welded section 40a. The second side wall 22 and the fourth side wall 24 are welded together at both ends in the width direction to form a welded section 40b. The third side wall 23 and the fourth side wall 24 are welded together at both ends in the width direction to form a welded section 40c (see Figure 2). The welded sections 40a, 40b, and 40c extend along the height direction (Z direction) of the culture device 10.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, the culture apparatus 10 further comprises a gas supply tube 44 and a guide member 46. The gas supply tube 44 is inserted and positioned within the containment section 16, which is a culture tank. The gas supply tube 44 is a mechanism for supplying the aforementioned gas G into the containment section 16. The gas supply tube 44 is supported by an appropriate support (not shown). An upward-facing gas supply port 45 is provided at the lower part of the gas supply tube 44.

[0029] The guide member 46 is a mechanism for generating a liquid flow F in the culture medium L within the containment section 16. The guide member 46 is supported by appropriate support parts (not shown). The guide member 46 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape. The guide member 46 has a guide body 461 extending in the vertical direction, an introduction section 462 provided at the lower part of the guide body 461, and an outlet section 463 provided at the upper part of the guide body 461. A gas inlet 464 is formed at the lower end of the guide body 461. The gas inlet 464 is located directly above the gas supply port 45. The introduction section 462 and the outlet section 463 protrude from the guide body 461 in the same direction (horizontal in the illustrated example) intersecting the extending direction of the guide body 461.

[0030] The gas G discharged from the gas supply port 45 of the gas supply tube 44 is introduced into the guide body 461 via the gas inlet 464. This allows the gas G to dissolve in the culture medium L in the containment section 16 and generates a liquid flow F within the containment section 16. The liquid flow F allows the microalgae circulating with the culture medium L to be well dispersed within the containment section 16, enabling efficient growth of the microalgae.

[0031] Next, a method for manufacturing the culture apparatus 10 (a bag-shaped container section 12 with a double-layered water tank structure) will be described. The method for manufacturing the culture apparatus 10 includes a sheet provisioning step, a folding step, and a joining step.

[0032] As shown in Figure 3A, the sheet provisioning process provides a sheet material 20 made from a single flexible material. In this embodiment, a rectangular sheet material 20 is provided.

[0033] Next, the folding process is performed. As shown in Figures 3B and 3C, in the folding process, the sheet material 20 is folded so that the second U-shaped portion U2 is positioned inside the first U-shaped portion U1. Specifically, first, as shown in Figure 3B, the sheet material 20 is folded into a U shape at the center in the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 20. Next, as shown in Figure 3C, the sheet material 20 is folded into a U shape once more. At this time, the sheet material 20 is folded so that both ends 20a and 20b in the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 20 protrude beyond the first folding point P of the sheet material 20.

[0034] Next, a joining process is performed. In the joining process, the overlapping portions at both ends in the width direction of the folded sheet material 20 are welded (joined) together so that the first U-shaped portion U1 constitutes the liquid storage portion 14 and the second U-shaped portion U2 constitutes the containment portion 16. This results in the culture device 10 (container portion 12) shown in Figure 1. Alternatively, joining may be performed using adhesive instead of welding.

[0035] This embodiment provides the following effects.

[0036] The liquid storage section 14 and the containment section 16 of the culture apparatus 10 are constructed from a single sheet material 20 made of a flexible material. Since the liquid storage section 14 and the containment section 16 can be manufactured by folding a single sheet material 20, the manufacturing process of the culture apparatus 10 having a double water tank structure can be simplified. Since the liquid storage section 14 and the containment section 16 are formed from the same sheet material 20, their relative positioning is also easy.

[0037] The sheet material 20 is rectangular in shape. Since the liquid storage section 14 and the containment section 16 can be manufactured from a single rectangular sheet material 20, manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[0038] This embodiment simplifies the manufacturing process of the culture apparatus 10, thereby reducing the energy required to manufacture the culture apparatus 10, and ultimately contributing to the mitigation or reduction of the impact of climate change.

[0039] Instead of the rectangular sheet material 20 shown in Figure 3A, a trapezoidal sheet material 20A shown in Figure 4 may be used. In the culture apparatus 10A shown in Figure 5, a trapezoidal sheet material 20A made of a single flexible material is folded and welded at predetermined locations to form the liquid storage section 14 and the containment section 16. In this case, a pair of welded joints 40d, which are joints provided at both ends in the width direction of the liquid storage section 14, are inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the sheet material 20A. A pair of welded joints 40e, which are joints provided at both ends in the width direction of the containment section 16, are inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the sheet material 20A. Note that in Figure 5, the welded joints 40d and 40e are shown with dashed lines to make their positions easier to understand.

[0040] As shown in Figures 5, 6A, and 6B, the pair of welded portions 40d of the liquid storage section 14 are located inward in the width direction compared to the pair of welded portions 40e of the containment section 16. As shown in Figure 6B, in the width direction (X direction) of the culture apparatus 10A, both ends of the liquid storage section 14 and both ends of the containment section 16 are spaced apart. Therefore, within the liquid storage section 14, a liquid storage region R1 is also formed on the outside of the containment section 16 in the width direction (X direction).

[0041] A bag-shaped container section 12 with a double-layered water tank structure, formed from a trapezoidal sheet material 20A, can also be manufactured in the same manner as when manufacturing the container section 12 from a rectangular sheet material 20 (see Figure 3A).

[0042] According to the culture apparatus 10A, by using a trapezoidal sheet material 20A, a liquid storage area R1 can be formed not only on the outside in the thickness direction of the storage section 16, but also on the outside in the width direction of the storage section 16. Therefore, the temperature of the culture medium L inside the storage section 16 can be controlled more effectively by the liquid storage section 14.

[0043] The above embodiments can be summarized as follows:

[0044] The above embodiment discloses a culture apparatus (10, 10A) comprising a liquid storage section (14) capable of storing a storage liquid (W), and a storage section (16) capable of accommodating a culture medium (L) and microalgae and disposed inside the liquid storage section, wherein the liquid storage section is formed by folding a first portion (201) of a sheet material (20, 20A) made of a single flexible material into a U-shape, and the storage section is formed by folding a second portion (202) of the sheet material into a U-shape, and the liquid storage section and the storage section are each formed into a bag shape by joining the overlapping portions of one edge and the other edge in the width direction of the sheet material.

[0045] The aforementioned sheet material is rectangular in shape.

[0046] The aforementioned sheet material is trapezoidal in shape.

[0047] The above embodiment discloses a method for manufacturing a culture apparatus (10, 10A) comprising a liquid storage section (14) capable of storing a storage liquid (W), and a storage section (16) capable of accommodating a culture medium (L) and microalgae and disposed inside the liquid storage section, the method comprising: a sheet provisioning step of providing a sheet material (20, 20A) made of a single flexible material; a folding step of folding the sheet material so that a second U-shaped portion (U2) is arranged inside a first U-shaped portion (U1); and a joining step of joining the overlapping portions of the folded sheet material so that the first U-shaped portion constitutes the liquid storage section and the second U-shaped portion constitutes the storage section.

[0048] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various configurations can be taken without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 10, 10A...Culture device 12...Container part 14...Liquid storage section 16...Storage section 20, 20A...Sheet material 40, 40a~40e...Welded parts

Claims

1. A culture apparatus comprising a liquid storage section capable of storing a liquid, and a storage section capable of accommodating culture medium and microalgae, and located inside the liquid storage section, The liquid storage section is formed by folding a first portion of a sheet material made of a single flexible material into a U-shape. The aforementioned storage section is formed by folding the second portion of the sheet material into a U-shape. A culture apparatus in which the liquid storage section and the containment section are each formed into a bag shape by joining together the overlapping portions at both widthwise ends of the folded sheet material.

2. In the culture apparatus according to claim 1, The aforementioned sheet material is rectangular in shape, and the culture device is provided.

3. In the culture apparatus according to claim 1, The aforementioned sheet material is trapezoidal in shape, and the culture device is a culture apparatus.

4. A method for manufacturing a culture apparatus comprising a liquid storage section capable of storing a liquid, and a storage section capable of accommodating culture medium and microalgae and located inside the liquid storage section, A sheet providing process that provides a sheet material made from a single flexible material, A folding process comprising: a first fold in which the sheet material is folded into a U-shape; a second fold in which the sheet material is further folded into a U-shape; and a folding process in which the sheet material is folded such that, in the folded state, the first U-shaped portion is located on the outside and the second U-shaped portion is located on the inside with respect to the overlapping direction of the sheet material; A joining step of joining the overlapping portions at both ends in the width direction of the folded sheet material such that the first U-shaped portion constitutes the liquid storage portion and the second U-shaped portion constitutes the containment portion, A method for manufacturing a culture apparatus having the following characteristics.

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