Carbon container systems and methods

Abstract

A carbon container system (10) includes a photobioreactor (14) with a container (37, 45) configured to hold a desired organism, at least one inlet (52) configured to provide a fluid to the container (37, 45), at least one light source (35) configured to emit light into the container (37, 45) to facilitate growth of the desired organism, and at least one outlet (58) configured to release the fluid from the container (37, 45) as a treated fluid. The carbon container system (10) also includes a filter (18) configured to filter the treated fluid to filter the desired organism from the treated fluid.

Description

CARBON CONTAINER SYSTEMS AND METHODSBACKGROUND

[0001] Industrial, agricultural, and / or other commercial activities generate pollutants that have environmental impact. For example, the pollutants may eventually reach aquatic environments, such as rivers, lakes, and oceans. The pollutants may impair water quality in the aquatic environments and affect marine life in the aquatic environments. Many approaches have been proposed and / or attempted to alleviate the environmental impact, but these approaches are not effective or are prohibitively expensive.SUMMARY

[0002] Certain embodiments commensurate in scope with the originally claimed subject matter are summarized below. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter, but rather these embodiments are intended only to provide a brief summary of possible forms of the subject matter. Indeed, the subject matter may encompass a variety of forms that may be similar to or different from the embodiments set forth below.

[0003] In certain embodiments, a carbon container system includes a photobioreactor with a container configured to hold a desired organism, at least one inlet configured to provide a fluid to the container, at least one light source configured to emit light into the container to facilitate growth of the desired organism, and at least one outlet configured to release the fluid from the container as a treated fluid. The carbon container system also includes a filter configured to filter the treated fluid to filter the desired organism from the treated fluid.

[0004] In addition, in certain embodiments, a method of operating a carbon container system includes providing a desired organism to a container, providing a fluid from a fluid source to the container, and instructing at least one light source to emit light into the container to facilitate growth of the desired organism within the container. The method also includes discharging the fluid from the container as a treated fluid, as well as filtering the treated fluid to filter the desired organism from the treated fluid.

[0005] In addition, in certain embodiments, a carbon container system includes multiple containers each having one or more photobioreactors. Each photobioreactor of the one or more photobioreactors includes a container configured to hold a desired organism, at least one inlet configured to provide a fluid to the container, at least one additional inlet configured to provide a nutrient to the container, at least one light source configured to emit light into the container to facilitate growth of the desired organism within the container, and at least one outlet configured to release the fluid from the container as a treated fluid. The carbon container system also includes at least one filter configured to filter the treated fluid to filter the desired organism from the treated fluid, and at least one biomass handling system configured to collect a biomass of the desired organism from the plurality of containers, the at least one filter, or both.

[0006] Various refinements of the features noted above may be undertaken in relation to various aspects of the present disclosure. Further features may also be incorporated in these various aspects as well. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an environmental treatment system, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0009] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a photobioreactor that may be utilized in the environmental treatment system of FIG. 1, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0010] FIG. 3 is perspective view of a carbon container that may be utilized in the environmental treatment system of FIG. 1 , wherein the carbon container is in a vertical orientation, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0011] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the carbon container that may be utilized in the environmental treatment system of FIG. 1, wherein the carbon container is in a horizontal orientation, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of multiple carbon containers that may be utilized together in the environmental treatment system of FIG. 1, wherein the multiple carbon containers are in a horizontal orientation, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0013] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method of operating the environmental treatment system of FIG. 1, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers’ specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. Further, to the extent that certain terms such as parallel, perpendicular, and so forth are used herein, it should be understood that these terms allow for certain deviations from a strict mathematical definition, for example to allow for deviations associated with manufacturing imperfections and associated tolerances.

[0015] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features.

[0016] Provided herein is an environmental treatment system that includes a carbon container, which may include a photobioreactor that facilitates growth of desired organisms. For example, the photobioreactor may facilitate growth of microalgae. Further, the photobioreactor may be facilitate the growth of the desired organisms for any of a variety of purposes, including for cleaning a fluid (e.g., water) within the photobioreactor. In such cases, the photobioreactor may be utilized in conjunction with a filter system and / or a biomass handling system. The filter system may filter the desired organisms from the fluid in order to enable distribution of the fluid (e.g., as a treated fluid) to an aquatic environment (e.g., coastal marine, nearshore marine, open ocean, deep ocean, lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, bays, wetlands, and / or estuaries) and / or other destination (e.g., use or reuse in an industrial setting). The biomass handling system may collect the desired organisms that are separated from the fluid via the filter system and / or at least some of the desired organisms from the photobioreactor. The biomass handling system may process the desired organisms in order to facilitate distribution of the desired organisms (e.g., as biomass), such as to bury the biomass, sink the biomass, and / or use the biomass for commercial purposes, for example. As described herein, the carbon container may include multiple photobioreactors. Further, multiple carbon containers, each having one or more photobioreactors, may be used together as part of the environmental treatment system. FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of an environmental treatment system 10 that includes a carbon container 12. Accordingly, the environmental treatment system 10 may also be referred to herein as “a carbon container system.” The carbon container 12 may include a photobioreactor 14 that facilitates growth of desired organisms. Further, the photobioreactor 14 may receive a fluid (e.g., an intake fluid; polluted or contaminated fluid, such as polluted or contaminated water) from a fluid source 16 and enabletreatment of the fluid due to presence of the desired organisms (e.g., via natural processes of the desired organisms; to generate treated fluid, such as treated water). In particular, the treated fluid may include fewer pollutants or contaminants (e.g., synthetic, inorganic, and / or organic chemical compounds) compared to the intake fluid due to exposure to the desired organisms.

[0017] The carbon container 12 may also include a filter system 18 to filter the treated fluid prior to release from the carbon container 12 to a fluid drain 20 (e.g., that extends to a fluid destination, such as an aquatic environment, such as a river, lake, or ocean; that connects to a fluid destination for re-use in an industrial, agricultural, and / or other commercial process). The filter system 18 may include one or more filters that filter the desired organisms from the treated fluid, such that the treated fluid is devoid of the desired organisms at the release of the treated fluid from the carbon container 12.

[0018] The carbon container 12 may also include a biomass handling system 22 to process a biomass related to the desired organisms (e.g., detritus; organic materials, including dead organisms and parts thereof) that are removed from the photobioreactor 14 (e.g., via the filter system and / or via another removal process). For example, the biomass may accumulate within the photobioreactor 14 overtime (e.g., due to limited lifespan of the desired organisms). The biomass may be removed from the photobioreactor 14 via a dedicated biomass outlet (e.g., an access door) and / or with the treated fluid (and then filtered from the treated fluid). In any case, the biomass handling system 22 may condense the biomass (e.g., via centrifuge and / or vacuum), dry the biomass (e.g., via a freeze dry process), package the biomass (e.g., into a biomass container), and / or release the biomass from the carbon container 12 to a biomass destination.

[0019] The carbon container 12 may include additional components, such as one or more sensors 24, one or more nutrient sources 26, one or more organism sources 28, one or more mechanical components 30 (e.g., actuators, valves, and / or pumps), and / or one or more power sources 32. The one or more sensors 24 may monitor parameters (e.g., characteristics) of the intake fluid upstream of the photobioreactor 14 and / or the treated fluid downstream of the photobioreactor 14, including density, temperature, light level, nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll level, oxygen level, carbon dioxide (CO2) level, pH, conductivity, fluid color,dissolved solids, nitrogen content, phosphorus content, silica content, and / or metal concentration (e.g., copper, boron, arsenic, tin, zinc), and so forth. Further, the one or more sensors 24 may monitor parameters (e.g., characteristics) within the photobioreactor 14, such as density, temperature, light level, nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll level, oxygen level, CO2 level, pH, conductivity, fluid color, dissolved solids, nitrogen content, phosphorus content, silica content, and / or metal concentration (e.g., copper, boron, arsenic, tin, zinc), and so forth.

[0020] While the one or more sensors 24 are shown within the carbon container 12 in FIG. 1, it should be appreciated that the environmental treatment system 10 may include at least one of the one or more sensors 24 external to the carbon container 12. For example, the one or more sensors 24 external to the carbon container 12 may monitor parameters (e.g., characteristics) of the intake fluid further upstream of the photobioreactor 14, such as at the fluid source 16. Indeed, in such cases, the one or more sensors 24 external to the carbon container 12 may monitor density, temperature, light level, nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll level, oxygen level, carbon dioxide (CO2) level, pH, conductivity, fluid color, dissolved solids, nitrogen content, phosphorus content, silica content, and / or metal concentration (e.g., copper, boron, arsenic, tin, zinc), and so forth at the fluid source 16. As another example, the one or more sensors 24 external to the carbon container 12 may monitor parameters (e.g., characteristics) of the treated fluid further downstream of the photobioreactor 14, such as after distribution from the one or more outlets 60. Indeed, in such cases, the at least one of the one or more sensors 24 external to the carbon container 12 may monitor density, temperature, light level, nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll level, oxygen level, carbon dioxide (CO2) level, pH, conductivity, fluid color, dissolved solids, nitrogen content, phosphorus content, silica content, and / or metal concentration (e.g., copper, boron, arsenic, tin, zinc), and so forth in the treated fluid.

[0021] Regardless of sensor placement, parameters within the photobioreactor 14, parameters of the intake fluid upstream of the photobioreactor 14, parameters of the treated fluid downstream of the photobioreactor 14, and / or a comparison of such parameters (e.g., differences in the parameters between the intake fluid and the treated fluid) may be utilized to adjust aspects of the environmental treatment system 10 as described herein, such as to adjust or select the one or more desired organism, a nutrient mix, a light schedule, an air schedule, and / or other aspects (e.g.,parameters, features, characteristics). For example, if the treated fluid does not include or match a target composition, this may trigger adjustment to the one or more desired organisms, the nutrient mix, the light schedule, the air schedule, and / or other parameters for treatment of subsequent batches of the intake fluid. In certain embodiments, the one or more sensors 24 external to the carbon container 12 may be supported on or carried by a vehicle, such as an unmanned vehicle (e.g., autonomously controlled and / or remotely-controlled vehicle; an aerial vehicle, an aquatic vessel, including an underwater vehicle and / or a floating vessel).

[0022] It should also be appreciated that the one or more sensors 24 external to the carbon container 12 may monitor other parameters, such as weather conditions (e.g., rain, wind, air temperature), fluid flow conditions, (e.g., flow rate; stagnation level; retention time), and so forth at the fluid source 16 and / or at a fluid destination to which the treated fluid is distributed from the one or more outlets 60. Further, such information may be received from external data sources, such as operator inputs and / or weather data sources, for example. Such parameters may also be utilized to adjust aspects of the environmental treatment system 10 as described herein, such as to adjust or select the one or more desired organisms, the nutrient mix, the light schedule, the air schedule, the treatment time, and / or other parameters. For example, certain species of organisms may be more effective at treating the intake fluid that is obtained from the fluid source 16 under certain weather conditions and / or fluid flow conditions, while other species of organisms may be more effective at treating the intake fluid that is obtained from the fluid source 16 under other weather conditions and / or fluid flow conditions.

[0023] To provide operational efficiency, certain parameters may be monitored with a first frequency (e.g., continuously; more frequently) and other parameters may be monitored with a second frequency (e.g., periodically; less frequently). For example, the weather conditions and / or the fluid flow conditions may be monitored with the first frequency and utilized to adjust aspects of the environmental treatment system 10 as described herein, such as to adjust or select the one or more desired organisms, the nutrient mix, the light schedule, the air schedule, the treatment time, and / or other aspects. However, the other parameters noted herein (e.g., which may be more time consuming to monitor and assess, as compared to the weather conditions and / or the fluid flow conditions) may be obtained as initial (e.g., baseline) parameters and provided as inputs to selectthe one or more desired organisms, the nutrient mix, the light schedule, the air schedule, the treatment time, and / or other aspects as described herein. Thereafter, the other parameters noted herein may be monitored with the second frequency and utilized (e.g., at that time; with the second frequency) to adjust aspects of the environmental treatment system 10 as described herein. In some embodiments, the environmental treatment system 10 may provide outputs (e.g., via a display) of the parameters, adjustments to the parameters, selected desired organism(s), the nutrient mix, the light schedule, the air schedule, and / or the treatment time. The one or more mechanical components 30 may facilitate fluid flow, such as transfer of the intake fluid into the photobioreactor 14 and / or the treated fluid from the photobioreactor 14, for example. The one or more power sources 32 may include a source of electrical power that is used to operate components of the carbon container 12.

[0024] The one or more nutrient sources 26 may include one or more nutrients that are available for supply to the photobioreactor 14. The nutrients may include, but are not limited to, silica, iron, cobalt, copper, aluminum, nitrogen, phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, calcium, sodium, potassium, and / or carbon, all in various forms and solutions. The nutrients may include volcanic ash, dust (e.g., similar in composition to Saharan or Chinese dust), and / or synthetic volcanic ash (e.g., volcanic ash in combination with one or more other nutrients or volcanic ash alone without other nutrients). The nutrients may or may not be in elemental form (e.g., may or may not be part of a more complex molecule). The nutrients may be selected for supply to the photobioreactor 14 due to their characteristics including but not limited to their expected effect on the desired organisms in the photobioreactor 14, how they dissolve in different compositions of water, and / or visible characteristics including but not limited to grain size, grain density, grain sorting, grain morphology, solubility in water, physical properties, surface activation coefficients, and / or grain composition, and / or due to their chemistry including but not limited to their isotopic signature, adhesion, and surface energy components. Further, the nutrients may be selected for supply to the photobioreactor 14 due to the parameters measured by the one or more sensors 24 (e.g., to respond to and / or to address deficiencies indicated the by the parameters; maintain respective target levels of the nutrients in the treated fluid and / or a fluid destination of the treated fluid). The nutrients may originate from different sources, such as from targeted mining practices and / or byproductsand / or waste of needed industrial products and / or wastewater. The nutrients may be healthy, reasonably priced, and / or favorable for fluid treatment processes that include release of the treated fluid as described herein, as well as capture and handling of the biomass as described herein.

[0025] The one or more organism sources 28 may include one or more desired organisms that are available for supply to the photobioreactor 14. The desired organisms may include one or more aquatic organisms. The desired organisms may include one or more plankton types including but not limited to phytoplankton, cyanobacteria, zooplankton, autotrophs, diatoms, coccolithophorids, dinoflagellates, foraminifera, grazers, autotrophs, and so forth. In an embodiment, the desired organisms include microalgae, such as diatoms and / or coccolithophorids. The desired organisms may be selected for supply to the photobioreactor 14 due to their characteristics including but not limited to their expected effect on the intake fluid provided to the photobioreactor 14 (e.g., based on composition of the intake fluid), their visible characteristics, and / or their genetic characteristics. For example, certain types of cyanobacteria (e.g., Prochlorococcus) may be chosen due to their ability to perform photosynthesis to support general bioremediation purposes and / or carbon removal. As another example, certain types of cyanobacteria (e.g., Spirulina) may be chosen due to their nutritional, food-safe value for treatment processes in agricultural contexts. As another example, various types of eukaryotic phytoplankton (e.g., diatoms, coccolithophorids, dinoflagellates) may be chosen due to their tolerance for conditions in the photobioreactor 14. As yet another example, various types of phytoplankton may be chosen due to their compositional ability for conversion of their biomass remains (once separated; such as through hydrogenation, transesterification, and / or hydrogenolysis) into a certain types of biofuels, including but not limited to hydrocarbons such as crude oil and / or natural gas, and / or due to their desirability for other commercial purposes, including for use in health products (e.g., pharmaceuticals), beauty products (e.g., cosmetics), nutritional products (e.g., vitamins, supplements), construction materials (e.g., concrete), research materials (e.g., medical research), and so forth.

[0026] It should be appreciated that the desired organisms may be selected for supply to the photobioreactor 14 based on any of a variety of additional characteristics, such as biomass volume growth rates, marine biogenic calcification processes via calcifying organisms, light scattering versus absorption rates, presence / absence of toxic species, ratio of nitrate to ammonium uptake,sunlight requirements, cell density and wall structure, cell morphology including but not limited to size, cell size, aggregate sinking speeds, bloom forming capabilities, species growth rates, efficiency of light conversion into biomass, sinking rates including but not limited to the presence of calcite and / or calcium carbonate plates and / or scales and / or silica or opal cell walls, whether remineralization process increases or decreases sinking rates, nutrient uptake and / or transport efficiency, carbon-fixing ability, carbon export ability, and / or adaptability to changing carbon dioxide concentrations.

[0027] The desired organisms may be created with biotechnology, genetic modification, gene editing, and / or other techniques that enable change, creation, limitation, and / or increase in single or multiple traits, characteristics, behaviors, activities, growth rates, compositions, sinking rates, nutrient uptake, nutrient release, and / or interaction with other biologies or non-biologics. The desired organisms may include organisms intentionally bred for specific characteristics, and / or species created and / or modified using processes that can alter their characteristics, genome, and / or other factors, such as but not limited to bioengineering, genetic modification, and / or gene editing.

[0028] It should also be appreciated that the environmental treatment system 10 may be added to (e.g., used in conjunction with) wastewater treatment facilities to help clean water. Indeed, the environmental treatment systems and methods may be added to (e.g., used in conjunction with) any of a variety of facilities, such as industrial processing facilities, chemical processing facilities, plastics manufacturing facilities, construction facilities, mining facilities, agricultural facilities, power plants, and so forth. In some such cases, the environmental treatment system 10 may be used to return the treated water to the facilities (e.g., for re-use).

[0029] In certain embodiments, the environmental treatment system 10 may be operated to treat the intake fluid for eventual distribution (e.g., as the treated fluid) into an aquatic environment (e.g., human-made and / or natural (or not human-made) aquatic environment; coastal marine, nearshore marine, open ocean, deep ocean, lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, bays, wetlands, and / or estuaries). Introduction of the treated fluid into the aquatic environment may be entirely or partially intended to induce an effect, condition, change, lack of change, and / or stasis in the aquatic environment and / or in a related environment impacted by the aquatic environment. For example,the introduction of the treated fluid into the aquatic environment may be intended to decrease aquatic hypoxia, increase aquatic oxygenation, increase export of materials to depth, enhance fisheries, treat harmful algal bloom, address red tide, address climate change, address eutrophication, and / or address environmental changes associated with commercial presence. The introduction of the treated fluid into the aquatic environment may operate to create conditions favorable to biologic growth in the aquatic environment, as well as to create conditions favorable to capture of carbon dioxide and / or or other carbon-based materials, elements, and / or molecules, with or without the intent to sequester said carbon for some period of time. For example, release of the treated fluid may increase a capacity for carbon storage by water in the aquatic environment, thus increasing a potential for carbon removal by the water in the aquatic environment. This may occur due to increased quality of the water in the aquatic environment, which enables an increase in pH and / or provides other factors that enable higher presence of carbonate and / or silicate species in the water in the aquatic environment. Thus, the introduction of the treated fluid into the aquatic environment may generally improve a condition of the aquatic environment (e.g., as compared to release of fluid not treated by the environmental treatment system 10 and / or as compared to no introduction of the treated fluid). Additionally, it should be appreciated that the environmental treatment system 10 may be utilized to extract and treat water from the aquatic environment, and then to return the treated water to the aquatic environment (e.g., near-shore locations).

[0030] With the foregoing in mind, it should be appreciated that the carbon container 12 may be located on-shore (e g., in a warehouse on-shore; distribution of the treated water for re-use in a commercial process and / or to a land-locked aquatic environment, such as a retention pond, or to a near-shore aquatic environment, such as an estuary). In some cases, the carbon container 12 may be located off-shore, including on an aquatic vessel (e.g., a traveling vessel, such as passenger ship, cruise ship, ferry, fishing boat; a fixed or anchored vessel, such as a dock that extends over a volume of water or a floating structure, an offshore oil and gas platform / rig, an offshore wind turbine structure; distribution of the treated water into the aquatic environment). It should be appreciated that other locations and combinations of locations (e g., for treatment and distribution) are envisioned.

[0031] The biomass may also be distributed and handled in various manners. For land-based treatment operations, the biomass may be buried underground, transferred to and sunk within an aquatic environment, or any other suitable process. For off-shore treatment operations, the biomass may be sunk within the aquatic environment, transferred to and buried underground, or any other suitable process. Transfer of the biomass may be carried out via an aquatic vessel, a land-based vessel, an aircraft, an unmanned vehicle (e.g., remotely-controlled vehicle, autonomous vehicle), and / or any other suitable vessel that is capable of carrying and / or distributing the biomass. In certain embodiments, the biomass may be provided and / or processed for conversion into biofuels (e.g., such as through hydrogenation, transesterification, and / or hydrogenolysis). In certain embodiments, the biomass may be provided and / or processed for other commercial purposes, including for use in health products (e.g., pharmaceuticals), beauty products (e.g., cosmetics), nutritional products (e.g., vitamins, supplements), construction materials (e.g., concrete), research materials (e.g., medical research), and so forth.

[0032] In certain embodiments, the environmental treatment system 10 may monitor parameters of the biomass, such as via the one or more sensors 24. For example, the parameters of the biomass may include nutrient concentrations, pH, conductivity, color, nitrogen content, phosphorus content, silica content, metal concentration (e.g., copper, boron, arsenic, tin, zinc), titration indices, isotropic measurements, environmental DNA, and / or phytoplankton species characterization. The parameters of the biomass may be monitored with any suitable frequency and in any suitable manner. For example, a sample of biomass may be extracted from each batch of the biomass generated by the photobioreactor 14, and some or all of these parameters may be obtained for each sample of biomass. Alternatively, a sample of biomass may be extracted from one batch of the biomass among multiple batches of the biomass generated by the photobioreactor 14, such as one sample of biomass per day, per week, per month, or other time period, and some or all of these parameters may be obtained for each sample of biomass. The parameters may indicate (e.g., confirm) that the biomass is appropriate for use in certain commercial processes (e g., via matching target biomass parameters), and in some embodiments, the environmental treatment system 10 may provide outputs (e.g., via a display) of the parameters and / or an indication regarding whether the biomass is appropriate for use in certain commercial processes.

[0033] While the carbon container 12 is described herein as including (e.g., surrounding or housing) the photobioreactor 14, the filter system 18, and the biomass handling system 22, it should be appreciated that components of the carbon container 12 may be distributed and housed in any suitable manner. For example, at least certain aspects of the biomass handling system 22 may be performed outside of the carbon container 12 (e.g., the biomass is transferred from the carbon container 12 to a separate facility to be freeze dried and buried underground; for conversion to biofuels and / or other products; for testing and analysis). Further, the one or more sensors 24, the one or more nutrient sources 26, the one or more organism sources 28, the one or mechanical components 30, and / or the power source 32 may be distributed and housed in any suitable manner. For example, at least one of the one or more sensors 24 may be positioned at the fluid source 16 or along a conduit external to the carbon container 12. As another example, the one or more nutrient sources 26 and / or the one or more organism sources 28 may be positioned external to the carbon container 12, such as to enable efficient access, inspection, refill operations, and / or sharing between multiple carbon containers 12. Additionally, as described herein, it should be appreciated that the carbon container 12 may include multiple photobioreactors 14 and / or that multiple carbon containers 12 may be utilized together (e.g., located near one another and / or connected to one another) to facilitate efficient operations.

[0034] For example, multiple photobioreactors 14 (e.g., two, three, four, five, six, or more) may be designed to share certain components for efficiency with respect to processes and / or cost savings with respect to structural components. In certain embodiments, the multiple photobioreactors 14 may share at least one filter system 18 and / or at least one biomass handling system 22. In this way, certain processes described herein may be carried out in parallel, such as operating the biomass handling system 22 to process biomass extracted from a first photobioreactor of the multiple photobioreactors 14 (and optionally in combination with biomass extracted from one or more additional respective photobioreactors of the multiple photobioreactors 14), while also treating fluid within a second photobioreactor of the multiple photobioreactors 14 (and optionally while also treating fluid within one or more additional respective photobioreactors of the multiple photobioreactors 14). Then, at a later time, the environmental treatment system 10 may proceed with operating the biomass handling system 22 to process biomass extracted fromthe second photobioreactor of the multiple photobioreactors 14 (and optionally in combination with biomass extracted from one or more additional photobioreactors 14 of the multiple photobioreactors), while also treating fluid within the first photobioreactor 14 of the multiple photobioreactors (and optionally while also treating fluid within one or more additional photobioreactors of the multiple photobioreactors 14).

[0035] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of the photobioreactor 14 that may be utilized in the environmental treatment system 10 of FIG. 1, such as within the carbon container 12 of the environmental treatment system 10 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the photobioreactor 14 may include structural features and components to facilitate growth of the desired organisms and treatment of the fluid within the photobioreactor 14. For example, the photobioreactor 14 may include a light system 34 (e.g., light sources; light emitters) and / or an air system 36 (e.g., air pumps). For example, the light system 34 may include one or more light sources 35 mounted to walls 37 that define an interior chamber 39 of the photobioreactor 14 (e.g., to illuminate the interior chamber 39 of the photobioreactor 14). In certain embodiments, the one or more light sources 35 may be arranged along one or more cables 41 (e.g., strings), and in such cases, the one or more light sources 35 may be applied to the walls 37 via fastening the one or more cables 41 to the walls 37 in a manner that wraps the one or more cables 41 circumferentially about the interior chamber 39 of the photobioreactor 14. The light system 34 may be arranged to place the one or more light sources 35 in discrete rows that are spaced apart (e.g., extend horizontally; spaced apart vertically) between a bottom portion or edge of the interior chamber 39 and an upper portion or edge of the interior chamber 39. Further, the light system 34 may include any suitable number of light sources 35 with any suitable characteristics (e.g., emit white light; full spectrum; mimic sunlight). The light system 34 may include a connector 43 that is configured to connect to the power source 32. In some embodiments, the walls 37 may include at least one reflective surface (e.g., foil surface or reflective insulation) that faces toward the interior chamber 39 of the photobioreactor 14.

[0036] In certain embodiments, the photobioreactor 14 may include a treatment container 45 (e.g., removable tank) that is positioned within the walls 37 that define the interior chamber 39, and the treatment container 45 holds the fluid and the desired organisms within the photobioreactor14. The treatment container 45 may be formed from any suitable material, such as plastic, glass, polycarbonate, some form of metal, and / or any combination thereof. The treatment container 45 may be formed from a transparent material that allows light (e.g., from the one or more light sources 35 and / or ambient light, including sunlight) to pass through the treatment container 45. In some embodiments, the transparent material may permit 80 to 93 percent, 85 to 90 percent, or about 90 percent of visible light to pass through a wall or external shell of the treatment container 45. In some embodiments, the transparent material may provide light transmittance values of 1200 to 1500 lux (e.g., measured within the treatment container 45 at a distance of 5 to 45 centimeters (cm) from the wall or external shell of the treatment container 45; without the contents in the treatment container 45). Further, a dimension 47 (e.g., diameter; width) of the treatment container 45 may be equal to or less than approximately 50 centimeters (cm), 40 cm, 30 cm, or 35 cm. In some embodiments, the dimension 47 of the treatment container 45 may be between approximately 12 to 50 centimeters (cm), 20 to 40 cm, 25 to 35 cm, or 27 to 30 cm. The dimension 47 may be selected to enable light penetration to an interior (e.g., center) of the treatment container 45 to promote growth of the desired organisms in the treatment container 45, such as even when the treatment container 45 is fdled with contents (e.g., the desired organisms, nutrients, water).

[0037] The air system 36 includes a pump 49 (e.g., air pump) and a tubing assembly 51. The tubing assembly 51 includes tubing 53 and a backflow preventer 55, wherein the tubing 53 extends from the pump 49, to the interior chamber 39, and into the treatment container 45 that holds the fluid and the desired organisms. For example, the tubing 53 may pass through one or more openings formed in a lid (e.g., cover) of the treatment container 45. The tubing 53 may include or be coupled to one or more weights 57 and one or more air distribution devices 59 (e.g., one or more air stones). The one or more weights 57 may be formed from any suitable material, such as metal, that is heavy enough to draw a respective section of the tubing 53 and a respective air distribution device 59 toward a bottom surface of the treatment container 45. The one or more air distribution devices 59 may be formed from any suitable material, such as a porous stone, bonded glass beads, synthetics (e.g., fiberglass), and so forth, to enable distribution of the air from the pump 49 into the contents in the treatment container 45. In some embodiments, the air system 36 provides mixing and agitation to the contents in the treatment container 45 (e.g., via the distributionof the air from the one or more air distribution devices 59), and the photobioreactor 14 does not include any agitators other than the one or more air distribution devices 59 (e.g., at distal end(s) of the tubing 53). It should be appreciated that the air system 36 may have any of a variety of parts, configurations, and / or features to provide air flow to the treatment container 45. In certain embodiments, the treatment container 45 is not airtight, which may facilitate additional air flow (e g., to support growth of the desired organism).

[0038] In certain embodiments, the photobioreactor 14 may include one or more outlets 58 to facilitate extraction or removal of the intake fluid and / or other contents of the photobioreactor 14. For example, the one or more outlets 58 may include a valve that adjusts (e.g., moves from open to closed positions) to enable draining of the treated fluid from the photobioreactor 14. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more outlets 58 may include an access door that adjusts (e.g., moves from open to closed positions) to enable access to and / or removal of the biomass to the biomass handling system 22. In some cases, a screen 67 (e.g., filter; tray) may be placed along the bottom surface to collect the biomass, and the screen may be removable to wash or to scrape the biomass into the biomass handling system 22 (e.g., manually by an operator; automatically via electronically-controlled components of the biomass handling systems 22, such as a robotic scraper and / or wash system). As described herein, the photobioreactor 14 may include one or more inlets 52 to receive the intake fluid and / or one or more inlets 56 to receive the desired organisms, the nutrients, and so forth. Further, the one or more sensors 24 may be positioned within or at the photobioreactor 14 in any suitable location to monitor contents of the photobioreactor 14, for exampl e.+

[0039] It should also be appreciated that other configurations to package components, share components, and provide efficient operations are envisioned. For example, the light system 34 may include the one or more light sources 35 applied to housing walls of the carbon container 12 (e.g., a housing of the carbon container 12; in a manner that surrounds the photobioreactor 14), and / or the walls 37 may define the interior chamber 39 that holds (e.g., contacts; contains; functions as a treatment container) the fluid and the desired organisms within the photobioreactor 14. In such cases, the walls 37 may be formed from any suitable transparent material that allows light (e.g., from the one or more light sources 35 and / or ambient light, including sunlight) to reachthe interior chamber 39 of the photobioreactor 14. In certain embodiments, the light system 34 may include the one or more light sources 35 that are suspended (e.g., via one or more cables; submerged) within the fluid in the treatment container (e.g., the treatment container 45; the interior chamber 39 that holds the fluid and the desired organisms).

[0040] Returning to FIG. 1, the environmental treatment system 10 includes or is associated with a controller 40 (e.g., electronic controller; processing system) that includes a processor 42, a memory device 44, a communication component 46, and an output device 48. The controller 40 may control certain operations of the environmental treatment system 10. The processor 42 may be any suitable type of computer processor or microprocessor capable of executing computerexecutable code. The processor 42 may also include multiple processors that may perform the operations described herein, and certain operations may be distributed between the processor 42 and one or more remote servers (e.g., controller 40 may be a distributed controller with components located both locally at the carbon container 12 and remotely from the carbon container 12 to distribute processing to carry out techniques disclosed herein).

[0041] The memory device 44 may be any suitable articles of manufacture that can serve as media to store processor-executable code, data, or the like. These articles of manufacture may represent computer-readable media (e.g., any suitable form of memory or storage) that may store the processor-executable code used by the processor 42 to perform the presently disclosed techniques. The memory device 44 may also be used to store data, various other software applications, and the like. The memory device 44 may represent non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., any suitable form of memory or storage) that may store the processor-executable code used by the processor 42 to perform various techniques described herein. The communication component 46 may facilitate communication with other devices and / or systems. The output device 48 may include a display screen, a speaker, and / or any other suitable device that is configured to provide information, alerts, and / or notifications. It should be appreciated that the output device 48 may also be configured to operate as an input device (e.g., touch screen display screen), or the controller 40 may include or be coupled to a separate input device.

[0042] The controller 40 may be configured to control operational parameters of the photobioreactor 14, such as the light system 34 and / or the air system 36 (e.g., air pumps). For example, the controller 40 may be configured to operate the light system 34 to emit light according to a schedule (e.g., on / off schedule, such as on for 20 hours and off for 4 hours on a repeating schedule during treatment of the intake fluid; continuous during treatment of the intake fluid). The controller 40 may be configured to receive inputs that indicate and / or enable the controller 40 to determine the operational parameters (e.g., adjustments and / or appropriate target operational parameters). For example, the operator may provide the inputs of the operational parameters, such as inputs indicative of one or more parameters of the fluid at the fluid source, one or more inputs indicative of one or more parameters at a fluid destination for the treated fluid, one or more inputs indicative of one or more target parameters of the treated fluid, one or more target parameters of the biomass, an intended purpose (e.g., commercial purpose) for the biomass, and so forth. As another example, the controller 40 may access a database that stores (e.g., in a lookup table) appropriate target operational parameters for the intake fluid, the type of the desired organisms in the photobioreactor 14, the intended purpose for the biomass, and / or to otherwise achieve or match the operational parameters indicated by various inputs described herein.

[0043] The controller 40 may be configured to receive sensor inputs from the one or more sensors 24. For example, the one or more sensors 24 may include a fluorometer and the sensor inputs may indicate a level of phycocyanin, phycoerythrin, and / or chlorophyll within the photobioreactor 14. The controller 40 may process this information to determine growth within the photobioreactor 14 and adjust the operational parameters of the photobioreactor accordingly. The controller 40 may provide recommendations and / or alerts (e.g., text messages on the output device 48) based on the inputs from the operator, the sensor inputs, and / or other information (e.g., stored programs and schedules). It should be appreciated that the controller 40 may provide the recommendations and / or the alerts via the output device 78, which may be located locally at (e.g., proximate to) the carbon container 12 and / or located remotely from the carbon container 12 (e.g., remote laboratory).

[0044] In some embodiments, the controller 40 may be communicatively coupled to the one or more mechanical components 30 to enable the controller 40 to provide control signals to provideadditional desired organisms and / or nutrients to the photobioreactor 14, transfer the fluid (e.g., the intake fluid and / or the treated fluid) within the carbon container 12, and so forth, based on analysis of the inputs from the operator, the sensor inputs, and / or the other information. Thus, the environmental treatment system 10 may have any suitable level of automation and / or operator involvement to facilitate aspects of the treatment processes described herein. It should be appreciated that the environmental treatment system 10, via the controller 40, may implement any of a variety of algorithms, including machine learning and / or artificial intelligence, to determine appropriate (e.g., effective) treatment parameters. For example, the appropriate treatment parameters may include types and / or quantities of desired organisms, types and / or quantities of nutrients, temperature, lighting level (e.g., wavelength, timing scheme), treatment time, and so forth, that are determined and / or predicted to result in target outputs (e.g., the treated fluid with target characteristics and / or the biomass with target characteristics) given certain inputs (e.g., the intake fluid with certain characteristics, available desired organisms, available nutrients, and / or light sources (e.g., intensity and / or wavelengths of light)). As used herein, machine learning refers to algorithms (e.g., models) that may be used to perform a specific task without using explicit instructions, relying instead on patterns and inference. In particular, machine learning generates a mathematical model based on data (e.g., sample or training data, historical data) in order to make predictions or decisions without being explicitly programmed to perform the task. Thus, as treatment processes are performed, patterns in the outputs and the inputs may be used to update the algorithms to accurately determine the appropriate treatment parameters.

[0045] Advantageously, a structure of the environmental treatment system 10 and / or control features provided by the controller 40 enable the environmental treatment system 10 to grow a wide variety of desired organisms in a wide variety of nutrients for a wide variety of purposes (e.g., to treat a wide variety of intake fluids in a wide variety of contexts). For example, the environmental treatment system 10 may grow certain types of desired organisms with certain nutrient mixes for treatment of intake fluid obtained from one type of commercial process (e.g., land-based agricultural process), and the environmental treatment system 10 may also grow other types of desired organisms with other nutrient mixes for treatment of intake fluid obtained from another type of commercial process (e.g., off-shore industrial process).

[0046] Further, the environmental treatment system 10 may grow certain types of desired organisms with certain nutrient mixes for treatment of intake fluid obtained from one type of commercial process (e.g., land-based agricultural process) to provide biomass that is suitable or targeted for one purpose (e.g., heath products), and the environmental treatment system 10 may also grow other types of desired organisms with other nutrient mixes for treatment of intake fluid obtained from the one type of commercial process (e.g., land-based agricultural process) to provide different biomass that is suitable or targeted for one purpose (e.g., construction materials). Indeed, the environmental treatment system 10 may select and utilize certain types of desired organisms and / or certain nutrient mixes based on characteristics of the intake fluid (e.g., source of the intake fluid, commercial process that produced the intake fluid, sensor data indicative of characteristics of the intake fluid), based on desired use for biomass provided via treatment of the intake fluid with the desired organisms, or both. In this way, the environmental treatment system 10 may consider and / or analyze multiple factors (e.g., the characteristics of the intake fluid and / or the desired use for the biomass) to determine and to select the desired organisms, the nutrient mix, and other treatment parameters (e.g., schedule for the light system 34, schedule for the air system 36, treatment time of the intake fluid within the photobioreactor 14, filtration technique (e.g., sand filter, screen filter, or combination thereof), biomass handling technique (e.g., testing protocols, extraction method), and so forth).

[0047] FIG. 3 is perspective view of an embodiment of the carbon container 12 that may be utilized in the environmental treatment system 10, wherein the carbon container 12 is in a vertical orientation. In the vertical orientation, the photobioreactor 14 may be stacked or arranged vertically above the filter system 18, the biomass handling system 22, and / or the fluid drain (e.g., along a vertical axis 50; relative to a gravity vector). The carbon container 12 may have any features shown or described with reference to FIG. 1, and the photobioreactor 14 may have any features shown or described with references to FIGS. 1 and 2, for example.

[0048] In operation, a new batch of the intake fluid may pass through the one or more inlets 52 formed in a frame 54 (e.g., housing; outer housing) of the carbon container 12. The intake fluid may be delivered to the photobioreactor 14 (e.g., to an interior chamber of the photobioreactor 14). In certain embodiments, the nutrients and / or the desired organisms may be present in thephotobioreactor 14 (e.g., remaining or left over after prior treatment processes). However, in some cases, the nutrients and / or the desired organisms may be delivered to the photobioreactor 14 (e.g., to replenish the nutrients and / or the desired organisms; to supplement the remaining nutrients and / or desired organisms). The intake fluid, the nutrients, and / or the desired organisms may be provided to the photobioreactor 14 via the one or more inlets 56. In certain embodiments, the photobioreactor 14 may include the one or more outlets 58 to facilitate extraction or removal of the intake fluid and / or other contents of the photobioreactor 14. As described herein, the controller may receive sensor inputs and select the nutrients, the desired organisms, and / or control operational parameters based on the sensor inputs and / or other factors to facilitate growth of the desired organisms to support removal of pollutants or contaminants from the intake fluid and / or to prepare the biomass for certain purposes.

[0049] The intake fluid may be delivered to and held within the photobioreactor 14 for a period of time, such as about 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96, or more hours, or between about 2 to 96, 12 to 72, 24 to 48, 24 to 72, or 24 to 48 hours. The period of time may be set (e.g., preset; fixed) based on a type of the intake fluid, the type of the desired organism, and / or other factors. Thus, once the intake fluid has been held within and / or exposed to the desired organism within the photobioreactor 14 for the period of time, the intake fluid and / or other contents of the photobioreactor 14 may be removed from the photobioreactor 14 as described herein. However, in some cases, the period of time may be dynamically calculated (e.g., by the controller) based on sensor inputs indicative of progression of the treatment process and / or other factors.

[0050] In certain embodiments, the carbon container 12 may have any suitable size and / or shape. In some cases, the carbon container 12 may be a shipping container that is repurposed for use within the environmental treatment system 10. The photobioreactor 14 may have any suitable size and may be designed to hold any suitable volume of fluid, such as equal to or greater than about 3,000, 10,000, 18,000, 25,000, 50,000, 100,000, 125,000, or 150,000 liters, or between about 3,000 to 150,000, 10,000 to 125,000, 18,000 to 100,000, or 25,000 to 50,000 liters. It should be appreciated that the carbon container 12 and components therein, including the photobioreactor 14 may be scaled up or down (e.g., the photobioreactor 14 may be smaller or greater than exemplary sizes and / or ranges provided herein) based on project and / or site design. Additionally, the carboncontainer 12 may include more than one of any of the components described as being present within the carbon container 12, such as multiple photobioreactors 14 (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, or more). In some such cases, the multiple photobioreactors 14 may each be coupled to a respective dedicated filter system 18 and / or a respective dedicated biomass handling system 18. However, it should be appreciated that the multiple photobioreactors 14 may share certain components, such as at least some components of the filter system 18, at least some components of the biomass handling system 22, and so forth.

[0051] After completion of treatment of the intake fluid with the desired organisms (e.g., as determined by the controller based on timing schedules and / or based on sensor inputs obtained within the photobioreactor 14), the treated fluid may be released from the photobioreactor 14 and directed into the filter system 18. For example, the controller may open a valve to enable the treated fluid to travel via gravity into the filter system 18 (e.g., into a filter container 64 of the filter system 18). In some embodiments, the controller may operate a pump to pump the treated fluid into the filter system 18. In any case, the filter system 18 may filter particles including the desired organisms from the treated fluid. The filter system 18 may include one or more filters 66, which may include one or more layers of material (e.g., sand, olivine, dolomite, ceramic) through which the treated fluid passes to filter the treated fluid (e.g., to remove the particles includes the desired organisms from the treated fluid or to increase water quality of the treated fluid). In some cases, the one or more filters may include the one or more layers of material selected to induce certain (e.g., beneficial) chemical reactions in the treated fluid. Then, the treated fluid (e.g., filtered and treated fluid) may be released from the filter system 18 and directed out of the carbon container 12 via one or more outlets 60. For example, the controller may open a valve to enable the treated fluid to travel via gravity out of the carbon container 12. In some embodiments, the controller may operate a pump to pump the treated fluid out of the carbon container 12. It should be appreciated that the one or more sensors may monitor parameters of the treated fluid prior to re-use and / or distribution of the treated fluid (e.g., the treated fluid may be circulated through the carbon container 12 again, if the parameters do not correspond to target parameters). Further, the parameters of the intake fluid and / or the treated fluid may be utilized (e.g., by the controller) to make changes and / or selections of the desired organisms, the nutrients, the operational parametersof the photobioreactor 14, and so forth (e.g., dynamically adapt to effectively treat the intake fluid and improve effectiveness of treatment of the intake fluid over time).

[0052] The desired organisms that are filtered at the filter system 18 may be referred to herein as “biomass” and may be passed to the biomass handling system 22 (e.g., via a conduit that couples to and extends between the filter system 18 and the biomass handling system 22, as shown). For example, the controller may open a valve and / or operate a pump or other mechanical component (e.g., apply a wash; scrape a filter surface) to direct the biomass from the filter system 18 to the biomass handling system 22 (e.g., via the conduit). The biomass handling system 22 may process the biomass, such as by increasing a density (e.g., via a processing device 65, such as a centrifuge, vacuum pump, or dynamic settler), freeze drying, and so forth. In certain embodiments, the biomass handling system 22 may include multiple types of processing devices and may dynamically select one processing device based on the type of desired organism(s), such as a centrifuge for one type and a vacuum pump for another type. Then, the biomass handling system 22 may direct the biomass and release the biomass from the carbon container 12 via one or more outlets 62. As noted herein, in certain embodiments, the biomass handling system 22 may process the biomass to facilitate use of the biomass in certain commercial processes. Further, in certain embodiments, the biomass handling system 22 may test the biomass (e.g., via one or more sensors). For example, the biomass handling system 22 may test the biomass to obtain parameters of the biomass, which may be utilized to determine an appropriate use for the biomass (e.g., distribute to land, collect for use in certain commercial processes, and so forth). For example, the parameters of the biomass may indicate that the biomass meets standards or target parameters that make the biomass suitable for use in certain commercial processes, and then the biomass handling system 22 may provide an indication of this (e.g., via the display) and / or dispense the biomass in a manner that is suitable for collection for use in the certain commercial processes. However, if the parameters of the biomass indicate that the biomass does not meet standards or target parameters that support use of the biomass in certain commercial processes, then the biomass handling system 22 may provide an indication of this (e.g., via the display) and / or dispense the biomass in a manner that is suitable to discard the biomass (e.g., via burying underground or sinking in the aquatic environment). The parameters of the biomass may be utilized (e.g., by the controller) to makechanges and / or selections of the desired organisms, the nutrients, the operational parameters of the photobioreactor 14, and so forth (e.g., dynamically adapt to provide the biomass with the standards or target parameters that support use of the biomass in certain commercial processes, while also effectively treating the intake fluid).

[0053] As noted herein, the desired organisms may form biomass that accumulates in the photobioreactor 14 (e.g., at a bottom surface relative to the vertical axis 50). Thus, the carbon container 12 may include features that enable removal of the biomass from the photobioreactor 14, such as periodically (e.g., according to timing schedules and / or sensor inputs). For example, the one or more outlets 58 may be positioned to enable release of the biomass to the biomass handling system 22. In some embodiments, the one or more outlets 58 may include an access door that adjusts (e.g., moves from open to closed positions) to enable access to and / or removal of the biomass to the biomass handling system 22. In some cases, a screen 67 (e.g., filter) may be placed along the bottom surface to collect the biomass, and the screen may be removable to wash or to scrape the biomass into the biomass handling system 22. In any case, the biomass from the filter system 18 and the biomass taken directly from the photobioreactor 14 may be collected and processed at the biomass handling system 22.

[0054] The treated fluid may pass through the one or more outlets 60 to the fluid drain, such as for re-use and / or distribution. Further, the biomass may be removed, such as by being buried underground, sunk in bodies of water, transferred for conversion into biofuels, transferred for use in various commercial processes, and so forth. In some cases, the environmental treatment system 10 may be operated to efficiently, sequentially process multiple batches of the intake fluid. For example, upon completion of the treatment of a first batch of the intake fluid, the controller may initiate release of some percentage (e.g., about 10, 15, 20, or 25 percent; siphon from a top portion of the photobioreactor 14 relative to the vertical axis 50) of the contents from the photobioreactor 14 into a storage container 68 (e.g., photobioreactor for temporary storage; may have a smaller size and be designed to hold a smaller volume that the photobioreactor 14). Then, the photobioreactor 14 may release a remainder of the contents (e.g., the remainder of the first batch of the intake fluid to the filter system 18 and the biomass accumulated at the bottom surface to the biomass handling system 22). Then, the desired organisms may be returned to the photobioreactor14 from the storage container 68 to provide an initial set to treat a second batch of the intake fluid. This process may be repeated to efficiently provide an initial set of the desired organisms for each new batch of intake fluid. As another example, upon completion of the treatment of the first batch of the intake fluid, the controller may initiate release of some percentage (e.g., about 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 percent or more) of the contents from the photobioreactor 14 (e.g., the first batch of the intake fluid to the filter system 18 and the biomass accumulated at the bottom surface to the biomass handling system 22). Then, a new set of desired organisms may be provided to the photobioreactor 14 from another source, such as the storage container 68 (e.g., which in this case provides a readily available source for distribution to the photobioreactor 14), to provide the initial set to treat the second batch of the intake fluid. This process may be repeated to efficiently provide the initial set of the desired organisms for each new batch of intake fluid.

[0055] FIG. 4 is perspective view of an embodiment of the carbon container 12 that may be utilized in the environmental treatment system 10, wherein the carbon container 12 is in a horizontal orientation. In the horizontal orientation, the photobioreactor 14 may be arranged side- by-side with the filter system 18, the biomass handling system 22, and / or the one or more outlets 60 (e.g., along a horizontal axis 80; orthogonal or transverse to the vertical axis 50 and the gravity vector). The carbon container 12 may have any features shown or described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, and the photobioreactor 14 may have any features shown or described with references to FIGS. 1-3, for example. Accordingly, certain features shown or described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 are also shown with numerical indicators in FIG. 4.

[0056] In the horizontal orientation, the carbon container 12 may include additional pumps and / or suitable layout (e.g., placement of inlets and / or outlets) to facilitate fluid flow. For example, a pump may be provided between the photobioreactor 14 and the filter system 18 (or other suitable location) to pump and transfer the contents of the photobioreactor to the filter system 18 to facilitate filtration of the contents of the photobioreactor 14. As another example, if it is desirable to provide the one or more outlets 60 at a side wall of the frame 54 of the carbon container 12, then a drain pump may be provided between the filter system 18 and the one or more outlets 60 (or other suitable location) to pump and transfer the fluid from the filter system 18 through the one or more outlets 60.

[0057] Further, as described herein and as shown in FIG. 4, multiple photobioreactors 14 (e.g., two, three, four, five, six, or more) may be configured to share certain components for efficiency with respect to processes and / or cost savings with respect to structural components. For example, as shown, the carbon container 12 may include the multiple photobioreactors 14 that may share one filter system 18 and / or one biomass handling system 22 (e.g., each of the multiple photobioreactors 14 are coupled to the filter system 18 and / or the biomass handling system 22 via conduits, such as pipes that provide flow paths, as shown). In this way, certain processes described herein may be carried out in parallel, such as operating the biomass handling system 22 to process biomass extracted from a first photobioreactor of the multiple photobioreactors 14 (and optionally in combination with biomass extracted from one or more additional respective photobioreactors of the multiple photobioreactors 14), while also treating fluid within a second photobioreactor of the multiple photobioreactors 14 (and optionally while also treating fluid within one or more additional respective photobioreactors of the multiple photobioreactors 14). Then, at a later time, the environmental treatment system 10 may proceed with operating the biomass handling system 22 to process biomass extracted from the second photobioreactor of the multiple photobioreactors 14 (and optionally in combination with biomass extracted from one or more additional photobioreactors 14 of the multiple photobioreactors), while also treating fluid within the first photobioreactor 14 of the multiple photobioreactors (and optionally while also treating fluid within one or more additional photobioreactors of the multiple photobioreactors 14). For example, a typical treatment time to treat the intake fluid in one photobioreactor 14 may be a first duration (e.g., several days), while a typical filtration / biomass collection time to filter and collect the biomass with one filter system 18 and one biomass handling system 22 may be a second duration (e.g., hours). Thus, it may be appropriate to fluidly couple 5 to 20 photobioreactors 14 to one filter system 18 and one biomass handling system 22. In this way, treating the intake fluid and filtering / generating the biomass may be carried out in parallel and in an efficient manner. It should be appreciated that the carbon container 12 may include conduits, manifolds, actuators, valves, and / or pumps to enable connections and / or disconnections described herein, as well as to enable operations described herein (e.g., coordinated, such as sequential and / or simultaneous, transfer of the treated fluid from the multiple photobioreactors 14 to the filter system 18; coordinated, suchas simultaneous or sequential, collection of the biomass from the multiple photobioreactors 14 and / or the filter system 18).

[0058] To facilitate maintenance, storage, stacking, transport, assembly, manufacturing, and / or control operations, the multiple photobioreactors 14, the filter system(s) 18, and / or the biomass handling system(s) 22 (or portions thereof) may be housed or contained within one carbon container 12 (e.g., within the frame 54 of one carbon container 12). For example, the carbon container 12 may be modular and stackable (e.g., on top of another carbon container 12) at a treatment site, and the carbon container 12 may be separately accessed, stopped for maintenance, removed for maintenance, replaced as needed, and so forth without disrupting operation of other carbon container(s) 12 (and the photobioreactor(s) 14 in the other carbon container(s) 12).

[0059] In certain embodiments, the multiple photobioreactors 14 may also share at least some portions of the light system, the air system, the nutrient sources, the organism sources, the controller, the power source, and / or other features. For example, the controller may control delivery of the intake fluid and the nutrient mix to each of the multiple photobioreactors 14 according to techniques disclosed herein, as well as control fdtration and collection of biomass according to techniques disclosed herein. The controller may control such processes in a coordinated manner among the multiple photobioreactors 14. Further, the multiple photobioreactors 14 may the intake fluid from a common source or related sources (e.g., at one commercial processing facility) and / or distribute the treated fluid to a common fluid destination.

[0060] In certain embodiments, the multiple photobioreactors 14 may be fluidly coupled to one another (e.g., via conduits, such as pipes that provide flow paths), such as to enable efficient processing of multiple batches of the intake fluid. For example, a first photobioreactor of the multiple photobioreactors 14 may process a first batch of the intake fluid. Then, upon completion of the treatment of the first batch of the intake fluid, the controller may initiate release of some percentage (e.g., about 10, 15, 20, or 25 percent) of the contents from the first photobioreactor of the multiple photobioreactors 14 to a second photobioreactor of the multiple photobioreactors 14 (e.g., that is empty or devoid of desired organisms). In this way, the second photobioreactor of the multiple photobioreactors 14 may, at least in some operations, replace the storage container 68shown in FIG. 3. Then, the first photobioreactor 14 of the multiple photobioreactors 14 may release a remainder of the contents (e.g., the remainder of the first batch of the intake fluid to the filter system 18 and the biomass accumulated at the bottom surface to the biomass handling system 22). Further, the desired organisms may be utilized in the second photobioreactor of the multiple photobioreactors 14 to provide an initial set to treat a second batch of the intake fluid. This process may be repeated (e.g., back and forth between the first and second photobioreactors) and / or extended (e.g., to third, fourth, fifth, or more photobioreactors in a chain) to efficiently provide an initial set of the desired organisms for each new batch of intake fluid, to efficiently remove contents from a respective photobioreactor 14, and so forth.

[0061] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of multiple carbon containers 12 that may be utilized together in the environmental treatment system 10, wherein the multiple carbon containers 12 are in a horizontal orientation. In the horizontal orientation, each of the multiple carbon containers 12 may include one or more photobioreactors 14 side-by-side with the filter system 18, the biomass handling system 22, and / or the one or more outlets 60 (e.g., along a horizontal axis 80; orthogonal or transverse to the vertical axis 50 and the gravity vector). To facilitate discussion, in FIG. 5, one carbon container of the multiple carbon containers 12 is shown with walls removed to show four photobioreactors 14 contained within the one carbon container 12; however, it should be appreciated that the one carbon container 12 may include any suitable number of photobioreactors 14. Further, other carbon containers of the multiple carbon containers 12 may include any suitable number of photobioreactors 14. Each of the multiple carbon containers 12 may have any features shown or described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, and each of the photobioreactors 14 may have any features shown or described with references to FIGS. 1-4, for example. Accordingly, certain features shown or described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4 are also shown with numerical indicators in FIG. 5.

[0062] In the horizontal orientation, each of the multiple carbon containers 12 may include additional pumps and / or suitable layout (e.g., placement of inlets and / or outlets) to facilitate fluid flow. For example, one or more pumps may be provided between each of the one or more photobioreactors 14 and the filter system 18 to pump and transfer the contents of each of the one or more photobioreactors 14 to the filter system 18 (e.g., along conduits, such as pipes that provideflow paths between each of the one or photobioreactors 14 and the filter system 18, as shown) to facilitate filtration of the contents of the one or more photobioreactors 14. Further, it should be appreciated that the multiple carbon containers 12 may include at least one carbon container 12 in the vertical orientation and at least one carbon container 12 in the horizontal orientation to accommodate different site plans, for example.

[0063] In certain embodiments, each of the multiple carbon containers 12 may operate independently and / or be fully self-contained (e.g., house respective nutrient sources, organism sources, controller, and / or power source). Thus, even if placed to receive the intake fluid from a common source or related sources (e.g., at one commercial processing facility) and / or to distribute the treated fluid to a common fluid destination, the multiple carbon containers 12 may be separately operated and / or controlled. This may allow for efficient maintenance procedures (e.g., if one is under repair, the others may continue to operate), configurability (e.g., layout and number of carbon containers 12 specific to a site), and so forth.

[0064] However, in certain embodiments, the multiple carbon containers 12 may operate together and / or share resources, such as the one or more nutrient sources, the one or more organism sources, at least certain aspects of the filter system 18, at least certain aspects of the biomass handling system 22, and / or the controller. In certain embodiments, the multiple carbon containers 12 may have dedicated nutrient sources and / or organism sources, but share the filter system 18 and / or the biomass handling system 22 (e.g., the one or more photobioreactors 14 of the multiple carbon containers are coupled to the filter system 18 and / or the biomass handling system 22 via conduits, such as pipes that provide flow paths, as shown). Further, in certain embodiments, the multiple carbon containers 12 may be fluidly coupled to one another (e.g., via conduits, such as pipes that provide flow paths), such as to enable efficient processing of multiple batches of the intake fluid. For example, a respective photobioreactor 14 of a first carbon container 12 may process a first batch of the intake fluid. Then, upon completion of the treatment of the first batch of the intake fluid, the controller may initiate release of some percentage (e.g., about 10, 15, 20, or 25 percent) of the contents from the respective photobioreactor 14 of the first carbon container 12 to a respective photobioreactor of a second carbon container 12 (e.g., that is empty or devoid of desired organisms). In this way, the respective photobioreactor 14 of the second carbon container12 may, at least in some operations, replace the storage container 68 shown in FIG. 2. Then, the respective photobioreactor 14 of the first carbon container 12 may release a remainder of the contents (e.g., the remainder of the first batch of the intake fluid to the respective filter system 18 and the biomass accumulated at the bottom surface to the respective biomass handling system 22). Further, the desired organisms may be utilized in the respective photobioreactor 14 of the second carbon container 12 to provide an initial set to treat a second batch of the intake fluid. This process may be repeated (e.g., back and forth between the first and second carbon containers 12) and / or extended (e.g., to third, fourth, fifth, or more carbon containers 12 in a chain) to efficiently provide an initial set of the desired organisms for each new batch of intake fluid, to efficiently remove contents from the respective photobioreactor 14, and so forth.

[0065] It should be appreciated that other configurations to package components, share components, and provide efficient operations are envisioned. For example, one carbon container 12 may include multiple photobioreactors 14 that each have a respective filter system 18 and a respective biomass handling system 22. As another example, one carbon container 12 may include multiple photobioreactors 14 that each have a respective filter system 18, but share one biomass handling system 22. As yet another example, one carbon container 12 may include multiple photobioreactors 14 that share multiple filter systems 18 (e.g., one with one type of filter, such as for one type of desired organism and / or one targeted use of the biomass; and another with another type of filter, such as for another type of desired organism and / or another targeted use of the biomass) and / or multiple biomass handling systems 22 (e.g., one with one type of processing device, such as for one type of desired organism and / or one targeted use of the biomass; and another with another type of filter, such as for another type of desired organism and / or another targeted use of the biomass) As yet another example, multiple carbon containers 12 may each include one or more photobioreactors 14 that each have a respective filter system 18, but the multiple carbon containers 12 share one biomass handling system 22. As yet another example, multiple carbon containers 12 may each include one or more photobioreactors 14 that share multiple filter systems 18 and / or multiple biomass handling system 22. Further, nutrient sources, desired organism sources, pumps, power sources, and so forth may be provided separately for each photobioreactor 14, across multiple photobioreactors 14 in one carbon container 12, acrossmultiple photobioreactors 14 in multiple carbon containers 12, or any combination thereof. For example, nutrient sources and / or desired organism sources may be shared across multiple photobioreactors 14 and / or multiple carbon containers 12, while pumps and / or power sources may be dedicated to a particular photobioreactor 14 and / or a particular carbon container 12.

[0066] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method 90 of operating an environmental treatment system. Blocks of the method 90 may be performed or implemented via control signals from a controller (e.g., in an automated manner). It should be understood that the blocks of the method 90 may be performed in any suitable order, that certain blocks may be omitted, and / or that certain blocks may be added.

[0067] In block 92, the method 90 may begin with receiving an intake fluid (e.g., polluted or contaminated water) at a photobioreactor of a carbon container. The intake fluid may be provided by a fluid source, such as an industrial, agricultural, and / or other commercial facility. In block 92, the method 90 may continue with treating the intake fluid via desired organisms in the photobioreactor. For example, the intake fluid may be exposed to the desired organisms (e.g., held within a chamber with the desired organisms) as the desired organisms grow in the photobioreactor via supply of light and / or nutrients. The desired organisms may carry out photosynthesis and other natural processes that consume pollutants and contaminants (e.g., chemical compounds) to treat the intake fluid, thereby generating a treated fluid.

[0068] In block 96, the method 90 may continue with filtering the treated fluid with a filter system. In block 98, the method 90 may continue with releasing the treated fluid from the carbon container. The treated fluid may be released for re-use (e.g., in an industrial, agricultural, and / or other commercial process) and / or distribution (e.g., to an aquatic environment). In block 100, the method 90 may continue with processing biomass, which may include particles removed from the treated fluid at the filter system and / or particles that accumulate within the photobioreactor. The biomass may be condensed, dried, contained, processed, pressed, converted such as through hydrogenation, transesterification, and / or hydrogenolysis, and / or removed, such as discarded (e.g., via burying underground or sinking in the aquatic environment) and / or extracted for commercial purposes (e.g., health products, beauty products, energy products such as bio-crude or biodiesel,nutritional products, construction materials, research materials). As described herein, the method 90 may include features to provide dynamic treatment processes, such as by selecting the desired organisms, adjusting conditions within the photobioreactor (e.g., via nutrients, light, air, and / or time), adjusting filtering, adjusting biomass handling, and so forth based on any of a variety of factors including but not limited to sensor inputs, operator inputs, weather conditions, aquatic environment conditions (e.g., fluid flow conditions), one or more parameters of the fluid upstream of the photobioreactor, one or more parameters of the fluid within the photobioreactor, one or more parameters of the treated fluid downstream of the photobioreactor, one or more parameters of the biomass, one or more parameters at a destination for the treated fluid, target parameters for the treated fluid, target parameters for the destination for the treated fluid, target parameters for the biomass, an intended use or purpose for the biomass, or any combination thereof. Further, as described herein, the method 90 may include features to enable multiple carbon containers to work efficiently as a unit or group to facilitate treatment processes.

[0069] While only certain features have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the disclosure. It should be appreciated that the environmental treatment systems disclosed herein may be and / or operate as a bioreactor system (e.g., with light sources turned on or off to encourage growth, depending on the desired organism). Further, any features shown and / or described with reference to FIGS. 1-6 may be combined in any suitable manner.

[0070] The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and applied to material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature that demonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are not abstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claims appended to the end of this specification contain one or more elements designated as “means for [perform]ing [a function]...” or “step for [perform]ing [a function]...”, it is intended that such elements are to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). However, for any claims containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f).

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A carbon container system, comprising: a photobioreactor, comprising: a container configured to hold a desired organism; at least one inlet configured to provide a fluid to the container; at least one light source configured to emit light into the container to facilitate growth of the desired organism; and at least one outlet configured to release the fluid from the container as a treated fluid; and a filter configured to filter the treated fluid to filter the desired organism from the treated fluid.

2. The carbon container system of claim 1, comprising a biomass handling system configured to collect a biomass of the desired organism from the container, the filter, or both.

3. The carbon container system of claim 2, comprising one or more sensors configured to monitor one or more parameters of the biomass, wherein the one or more parameters comprise nutrient concentration, pH, conductivity, color, nitrogen content, phosphorus content, silica content, metal concentration, titration indices, isotropic measurements, environmental DNA, phytoplankton species, or any combination thereof.

4. The carbon container system of claim 3, comprising: a processing system comprising one or more processors; and memory storing instructions, that when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to: select a nutrient to provide to the container with the desired organism during a subsequent treatment process based on the one or more parameters of the biomass.

5. The carbon container system of claim 1 , comprising one or more sensors configured to monitor one or more parameters of the fluid upstream of the container, wherein the one or more parameters comprise density, temperature, light level, nutrient concentration, chlorophyll level, oxygen level, carbon dioxide (CO2) level, pH, conductivity, water color, dissolved solids, nitrogen content, phosphorus content, silica content, metal concentration or any combination thereof.

6. The carbon container system of claim 5, comprising: a processing system comprising one or more processors; and memory storing instructions, that when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to: select a type of the desired organism based on the one or more parameters of the fluid upstream of the container.

7. The carbon container system of claim 6, wherein the one or more parameters comprise weather conditions at a fluid source of the fluid, water flow conditions at the fluid source of the fluid, or any combination thereof, and the instructions, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to: select the type of the desired organism based on the one or more parameters at the fluid source of the fluid.

8. The carbon container system of claim 1, comprising an outlet downstream of the filter and configured to release the treated fluid to an environment.

9. The carbon container system of claim 8, wherein the environment comprises a natural aquatic environment.

10. The carbon container system of claim 1, wherein the container is stacked vertically above the filter relative to a gravity vector.

11. The carbon container system of claim 1, comprising: an additional photobioreactor, comprising: an additional container configured to hold an additional sample of the desired organism; at least one additional inlet configured to provide additional fluid to the additional container; an additional plurality of light sources configured to emit light into the additional container to facilitate growth of the additional sample of the desired organism; and at least one additional outlet configured to release the additional fluid from the additional container as additional treated fluid; wherein the filter is configured to filter the additional treated fluid to filter the additional sample of the desired organism from the additional treated fluid; wherein the photobioreactor, the additional photobioreactor, and the filter are supported within one housing.

12. A method of operating a carbon container system, the method comprising: providing a desired organism to a container; providing a fluid from a fluid source to the container; instructing at least one light source to emit light into the container to facilitate growth of the desired organism within the container; and discharging the fluid from the container as a treated fluid; and filtering the treated fluid to filter the desired organism from the treated fluid.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising collecting a biomass of the desired organism from the container, the filter, or both.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising monitoring, using one or more sensors, one or more parameters of the biomass, wherein the one or more parameters comprise nutrient concentration, pH, conductivity, color, nitrogen content, phosphorus content, silicacontent, metal concentration, titration indices, isotropic measurements, environmental DNA, phytoplankton species, or any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising selecting a nutrient to provide to the container with the desired organism during a subsequent treatment process based on the one or more parameters of the biomass.

16. The method of claim 13, comprising: receiving an input indicative of target parameters for a biomass output; and selecting a type of the desired organism based on the target parameters for the biomass output.

17. The method of claim 12, comprising monitoring, using one or more sensors, one or more parameters of the fluid upstream of the container, a destination fluid at a destination for the treated fluid, or any combination thereof, wherein the one or more parameters comprise weather conditions, fluid flow conditions, density, temperature, light level, nutrient concentration, chlorophyll level, oxygen level, carbon dioxide (CO2) level, pH, conductivity, water color, dissolved solids, nitrogen content, phosphorus content, silica content, metal concentration or any combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising selecting a type of the desired organism based on the one or more parameters of the fluid upstream of the container, the destination fluid at the destination for the fluid, or any combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising: selecting a nutrient based on the one or more parameters of the fluid upstream of the container, the destination fluid at the destination for the fluid, or any combination thereof; and providing the nutrient to the container with the desired organism and the fluid.

20. A carbon container system, comprising: a plurality of containers each comprising one or more photobioreactors, wherein each photobioreactor of the one or more photobioreactors comprises: a container configured to hold a desired organism; at least one inlet configured to provide a fluid to the container; at least one additional inlet configured to provide a nutrient to the container; at least one light source configured to emit light into the container to facilitate growth of the desired organism within the container; and at least one outlet configured to release the fluid from the container as a treated fluid; at least one filter configured to filter the treated fluid to filter the desired organism from the treated fluid; and at least one biomass handling system configured to collect a biomass of the desired organism from the plurality of containers, the at least one filter, or both.

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