An algae-based greenhouse and a method for it

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for supplying heat, electricity, nutrients and fertilizer from algae in greenhouses (A), in particular container greenhouses (A). This invention is a system for using heat and biomass energy from cultivated algae for heating and lighting a greenhouse (A). The system also uses the biomass as nutrients, fertilizer or growing medium for the plants grown in the greenhouse.

Description

[0001] AN ALGAE-BASED GREENHOUSE AND A METHOD FOR IT

[0002] Technical Field:

[0003] The invention relates to a method for supplying heat, electricity, nutrients and fertilizer from algae in greenhouses, in particular container greenhouses.

[0004] This invention is a system for using heat and biomass energy from cultivated algae for heating and lighting a greenhouse. The system also uses the biomass as nutrients, fertilizer or growing medium for the plants grown in the greenhouse.

[0005] Background Art:

[0006] Greenhouse is the general name given to structures covered with light- permeable materials such as glass, plastic, fiberglass, whose environmental conditions can be controlled or regulated in order to provide suitable conditions for the growth of plants. A container greenhouse is a system in which shipping containers are modified and used for agricultural production. This system allows farming in limited areas and year-round production regardless of weather conditions. The invention disclosed herein describes a system for supplying energy, hot water, nutrients, fertilizers and growing media in greenhouses or container greenhouses using algae.

[0007] By 2050, the world population is expected to increase by another 2 billion people. So it is clear that feeding the world will be a major challenge in the future. Arable land is decreasing day by day due to urbanization. Climate change has devastating impacts on agriculture. All these disadvantages lead to increased investments in indoor vertical farming. Vertical farming has many advantages. These are summarized as follows: • a very high and all-year yield is obtained from a unit area,

[0008] • logistics costs are reduced,

[0009] • farming is done with less water and without the use of herbicides.

[0010] • it requires very small areas compared to traditional agriculture,

[0011] • production can be done in city centers where consumption is high.

[0012] But vertical farming also has disadvantages. Examples of these disadvantages include:

[0013] • high initial facility costs,

[0014] • the use of too many chemicals,

[0015] • rapid spread of fungal diseases,

[0016] • too high electricity they consume depending on the grid.

[0017] For example, the 1 -year electrical energy consumption of a 40-feet container greenhouse is around 85,775 KWh, which accounts for 70-75% of the operating costs of vertical farms based on shipping containers, while increasing the carbon footprint of agricultural activity.

[0018] In existing soilless substrate environments, all the nutrients needed by plants are supplied in the form of so-called nutrient solutions. One of the most important issues in this type of cultivation is the continuous and sufficient nutrition of the plants. This is possible by dissolving macro and micro elements with chemical properties in high quality water, transforming them into nutrient solutions and giving them to plants. In soilless agriculture, however, complex and incomprehensible problems arise in relation to plant nutrition with chemical fertilizers. Since the materials used in soilless cultivation (water and chemical fertilizers) have hardly any buffering properties, a sudden change in PH, salinity, EC and nutrient concentration in the environment causes plants to die. When the temperature of the root zone rises during the hot season, the plant is again damaged. This makes vertical farming with aquaponic and hydroponic methods a risky investment that requires constant monitoring. Today, soilless agriculture is carried out with imported petroleum-derived chemical products such as rock wool, glass wool, polystyrene, styrofoam, perlite and the like, which are considered neutral, and due to the problems experienced with them, with coconut fiber (cocopeat) and peat, which are mostly imported from East Asian countries. The decreasing availability of peat deposits in the world and the high cost of peat have forced researchers to find cheap alternative media that are sustainable and the latest example thereof is Coconut fiber (coir pith, coir fiber or coco peat). Coconut fiber, which is obtained by decaying the fibrous residues of coconut fruit shells, is used in Europe, USA and Australia instead of peat and is imported in large quantities by Turkey. Our agricultural companies also import peat from Germany, Lithuania, France and Belgium and introduce it into the market. Importing these two products causes a continuous loss of foreign currency.

[0019] Summary of the Invention:

[0020] To overcome the disadvantages of vertical farming, the present invention grows microalgae in greenhouses. Heat, electrical energy, hot water, nutrients, fertilizer and growing media are obtained from the microalgae grown. Electrical energy: it is used in lighting equipment and electricity-consuming equipment in greenhouses; hot water: it is used for heating greenhouses; nutrients, fertilizers and growing media: they are used in soilless agriculture cultivation.

[0021] The aim of the invention is to provide a system comprising a bioreactor for growing algae as a secondary agricultural crop in greenhouses and to obtain biomass from algae.

[0022] Another aim of the invention is to obtain electrical energy from the methane gas obtained by burning the biomass obtained from algae, to use the electrical energy obtained by the electricity consuming equipment in the greenhouse, and to operate the greenhouse heating system with the electrical energy obtained therefrom. Another aim of the invention is to ferment the algae grown in the bioreactor with nutrient and thermophilic bacteria and to use the heat released after the fermentation process for heating the greenhouse and O2 in the greenhouse environment.

[0023] A further aim of the invention is to use algal biomass obtained in bioreactors as nutrient or fertilizer in greenhouse plant cultivation, as a growing medium (plug) or plant composite for plant root attachment and rooting in plant root attachment / rooting process.

[0024] Still further aim of the invention is to provide heating and electricity to a greenhouse from algae grown as a secondary crop.

[0025] The most important suggestion of the invention is that that greenhouses (A), which produce their own irrigation water with electrical energy, can meet all the energy needs of heating in winter, cooling in summer, lighting and ventilation in summer and winter with additional bioreactors to be placed inside, on the roof or walls, without using any fossil fuels, as well as eliminating up to 1130 kg of CO2from the atmosphere annually and reducing CO2 emissions up to 2706.85 kg. Bringing carbon emissions in agricultural activities closer to zero is very important for the future of the world as it will support carbon neutral activities.

[0026] Especially in winter, when the heating demand is high, the number of sunny days is low and the UV ratio in the sunlight is low, so energy production with solar systems is very low. This increases the use of energy from the grid. The benefit of the invention is to meet the heating needs of greenhouses during the winter months without the use of exhaustible resources such as electricity, natural gas, wood and the like.

[0027] Natural bioplasma algae use nature (air, water and rock dust) to produce their own nutrients through photosynthesis and reproduce by dividing every 20 minutes. Natural bioplasm algae feed the plant by transferring the nutrients (micro and macro elements, trace elements, proteins, vitamins) that they store in their organic form to the plant from the root and leaf by osmic pressure. In the invention, algae can be used as organic algae fertilizer and live algae fertilizer. Live algae fertilizer is a super effective, economical and safe organic active plasma fertilizer consisting of live algae cells (unicellular algae) that can be easily and rapidly taken up by all plants. By using algae in the nutrient or fertilizer medium of the primary agricultural product in the invention, the following advantages are obtained.

[0028] • It increases product quantity and quality.

[0029] • It provides earlier harvest.

[0030] • It creates healthy root structure, increases germination.

[0031] • It provides growth even in high salinity.

[0032] • It retains 20% moisture in the soil. It extends the shelf life of the product.

[0033] • It provides ease of use, time and labor savings.

[0034] • It can be used for all fertilization process from planting to harvest.

[0035] • It can be applied by soil or foliar application.

[0036] • It is free of chemicals and animal pathogens dangerous to human health.

[0037] • It contains optimum macro and micro elements.

[0038] • It ensures the continuity of biological balance in the soil.

[0039] • Thanks to its active structure, it converts the chemical elements in the soil into organic form.

[0040] • It is fully utilized by the plant.

[0041] • Organically grown products have a better chance of export.

[0042] • It is an environmentally friendly product that does not pollute the environment. It contains live green algae cells in suspension and the following macro- and microelements, vitamins and amino acids:

[0043] Macro and micro elements (mg / l): Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Sulphur (S), Boron (B), Manganese (Mn), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Iron (Fe), Molybdenum (Mo), Cobalt (Co), Zinc (Zn) Vitamins and Amino Acids : Lysin, Methionin, Cystin, Trytophan, Histidine, Isoleucin, Leucin, Phenylanin, Vailin, Arginine, Biotin, A, B1 , B2, C, E.

[0044] The invention aims to produce liquid algal fertilizer with a pH value of 7, i.e. close to neutral and a density value close to 1 .

[0045] Brief Description of the Figures:

[0046] The invention will now be described by referring to the attached figures, whereby the features of the invention will be understood more clearly. However, it is not intended to limit the invention to these particular embodiments. On the contrary, it is aimed to involve all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the attached claims. It should be noted that the details shown herein are only for illustrating the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and for providing the most useful and clear description of both the illustration of methods, and the principles and conceptual features of the present invention. In these drawings,

[0047] Figure - 1 Representative view of the greenhouse of the invention.

[0048] Figure - 2 Front view of the bioreactor used in the greenhouse. Figure - 3 Side view of the bioreactor used in the greenhouse.

[0049] The drawings, which are for ensuring a better understanding of the present invention, are numbered as shown in the attached figures, and the list and description of the said numbers is given below. Reference Numerals:

[0050] 10. Bioreactor

[0051] 11. Space

[0052] 12.Nutrient input line

[0053] 13. Biomass harvesting line

[0054] A. Greenhouse

[0055] B. Primary agricultural product

[0056] Detailed Description of the Invention:

[0057] In this detailed description, algae-based greenhouse system and method of the present invention are described by way of non-limiting examples in order to provide a better understanding of the subject-matter.

[0058] Figure 1 shows a representative view of the greenhouse where the system and method of the invention are used. Accordingly, in the invention, algae is grown as a secondary agricultural product and all or part of the heat, energy, fertilizer, nutrient and growing medium needs of the greenhouse (A) in the cultivation of the primary agricultural product (B) are met by the activity of algae grown therein.

[0059] In the invention, a bioreactor (10) is used to grow algae in a greenhouse (A). Photobioreactors are devices used in the cultivation of a wide variety of algae species, including microalgae, that utilize sunlight or photovoltaic radiation from external light-emitting equipment for their energy needs. Bioreactors (10) produce biomass from algae. Biomass is defined in the literature as the general name for all non-fossilized biological material derived from living or recently lived organisms. Biomass is a source of energy and biomass in the industrial sense is seen as the extraction of fuel from these biological materials. The resulting fuel can be converted into electrical energy through generators. Bioreactors (10) grow algae by photosynthesizing algae with CO2 from any medium and rays from a light source. The bioreactor (10) used in the invention, which is closed volume spaces (11 ) for the placement of algae, comprises a nutrient input line (12) through which the nutrients necessary for the cultivation of the algae are supplied and a biomass harvesting line (13) through which the biomass obtained from the algae is output.

[0060] For the abovementioned bioreactor (10) with an area of 200m2, energy indicators from one year (300 days) of operation are given. (Tabulated information, daily and annual energy consumption of BIQ Building (Kukdamar &

[0061] Ozbalta, 2018)

[0062] The bioreactor (10) used in the invention is an equipment, number, design, dimensions and type of which vary according to the greenhouse (A) in which it is used. The bioreactor (10) can be designed as large conical tubes, or as a flat system, or as a tubular piped system, or as a prism with laminated glass on the outer surface. There are no limitations on the type, number and dimensions mentioned here, and bioreactor (10) can be designed according to the size and needs of the greenhouse (A). However, the following design parameters have been taken into consideration for the design of the bioreactor (10) in the invention, provided that they are not subject to any limitation:

[0063] • Three bioreactors (10) with dimensions of 2.50 x 0.70 are used to ensure that biological and / or biochemical processes in algae cultivation are carried out in controlled environments and operating conditions (pH, temperature, light intensity, nutrient and waste media, etc.) and cover a total area of 5.25 m2. Although the dimensions here vary according to the size of the greenhouse (A), it is deemed appropriate to meet the needs of standard type container greenhouses (A).

[0064] • The tops of the bioreactors (10) are protruded from the ceiling of the container greenhouse (A) and left open, providing a suitable environment for the algae to function as a carbon capture system.

[0065] • Biomass harvesting is carried out through the taps of the biomass harvesting line (13), which is output from the lowest end of the bioreactors (10) by opening it outside the rear face of the greenhouse (A). This eliminates the risk of contamination or odor in the greenhouse (A).

[0066] • The outer surfaces of the bioreactors are covered with laminated safety glass. Between the safety glass is a space (11 ), which is used as a growing medium for algae. In this space (11 ), the growth of algae is ensured by nutrient circulation.

[0067] • Compressed air is introduced into the bottom of each bioreactor (10) at certain time intervals, creating an upward flow of water and turbulence with large air bubbles, stimulating CO2 and light uptake by the algae. The installation and pump equipment required for the supply of compressed air are available in the system of the invention.

[0068] • For the successful culture of algae, an average indoor temperature of 20 degrees Celsius and an average daily light requirement of 15 hours, there is no additional expenditure for heating and lighting in algae cultivation (due to the fact that product 1 in the greenhouse (A) is provided for the cultivation of agri-food crops). According to the calculations made for a standard size container greenhouse (A), the entire heating requirement of the standard size greenhouse (A) in winter can be provided from a 5.25 m2bioreactor (10). Or, with an additional bioreactor (10) on the roof and walls of the greenhouse (A), the algae production area can be increased up to 100 m2in which case the entire energy needs for heating in winter, cooling in summer, lighting in summer and winter, and ventilation can be met without using any fossil fuel. In this case, 10,950 Kwh of energy is saved, which is calculated as 24,090 USD per year at 2.22 TL per unit. The calculation here does not limit the invention. It is only mentioned in the description to understand how effective the bioreactors (10) are.

[0069] A separate calculation related to bioreactors (10) is also made about CO2 emission reduction. Thanks to the ability of algae to act as a carbon capture system, the BIQ building (with a 200 m2 bioreactor) reduces CO2 emissions by 6 tons per year (FOTOBlYOREAKTOR (FBR) SlSTEMLERlN BlNA KABUGUNA BUTUNLE§TlRlLMESlNlN iNCELENMESl, EZGl AVCI). According to this calculation, the 5.25 m2bioreactors (10) in the invention of the description can eliminate 65.62 kg of CO2 per year and reduce CO2 emissions by 157.48 kg. The calculation here does not limit the invention. It is only mentioned in the description to understand how effective the bioreactors (10) are.

[0070] According to the table on page 6, 900 kg / year of biomass per m2is produced per m2of bioreactor (10) area, compared to the baseline data. According to this calculation, the 5,25 m2bioreactors (10) in the invention of the description provide 4725 kg of biomass production per year. It is only mentioned in the description to understand how effective the bioreactors (10) are.

[0071] In the invention, the bioreactor (10) meets both the electricity and heating needs of the greenhouse (A). Two methods are used for this purpose. In the first method, biomass from algae grown in a bioreactor (10) is collected from a biomass harvesting line (13). Biogas, i.e. methane gas, is produced from the biomass collected in the bioreactors (10), as shown in the table on page 6. The resulting biomass, biogas or methane gas is burned to obtain heat. The resulting heat is used to generate steam. Electricity is then generated by passing the steam through turbines. The electrical energy obtained in the invention is used by the lighting equipment and electricity consuming devices in the greenhouse (A) and the air conditioning equipment used for heating the greenhouse. At the same time, the heat obtained by burning the biomass is collected through heat exchangers and fed to a hot water circulation system in the greenhouse (A) to heat the greenhouse (A).

[0072] In the second method, algae grown in a bioreactor (10) are supplied with nutrients and thermophilic bacteria via a nutrient input line (12) and the grown algae are fermented. In the fermentation of algae, carbon atoms in the air or CO2 in the environment are used as nutrients, and heat and oxygen are released into the environment after fermentation. Oxygen accumulated in the bioreactor (10) meets the oxygen demand of the primary agricultural product (B) in the greenhouse (A), while the heat accumulated in the bioreactor (10) is collected through heat exchangers and fed to a hot water circulation system in the greenhouse (A) to heat the greenhouse (A).

[0073] In other words, in the invention, in the first method, the energy obtained by burning biomass is used by converting it into electrical energy, and in the second method, the heat and oxygen obtained from the fermentation of algae are used for the needs of the greenhouse (A) and primary agricultural products (B).

[0074] Another advantage of using algae as a secondary agricultural product in the invention is that the biomass obtained in the bioreactor (10) can be used as nutrient and fertilizer raw material for the primary agricultural product (B). In the invention, this does not require a great deal of effort. Greenhouses (A) already have installations for feeding agricultural products. Instead of nutrients and fertilizers, it is sufficient to supply these installations with the sieved liquid produced during the harvesting of algae.

[0075] Another advantage of using algae as a secondary agricultural product in the invention is that the solid algal biomass formed on the sieve during the harvesting of algae in the bioreactor (10) can be used in the production of plant growing media - plugs for the rooting of agricultural products. The biomass from the bioreactor (10) is placed on a sieve, the upper solid part is used as growing media - plugs, the liquid part below the sieve is used as nutrients, fertilizers and food supplements. Plant growth media is the solid material used for rooting plants. In the invention, biomass from cultivated algae is converted into plugs which are used as growing media or composites for plant roots to attach and root.

[0076] In the invention, it is possible to use the algal biomass extract or powder obtained by bioreactor (10) from algae grown as a secondary agricultural product in the greenhouse (A) as a food supplement for humans and animals, and it is possible to use the sieved medium obtained after biomass harvesting as organic algae fertilizer.

[0077] The system of the invention comprises at least one density sensor for measuring the density of the biomass formed in the bioreactor (10), at least one level sensor for measuring the level of the biomass formed in the bioreactor (10), at least one temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the bioreactor (10), at least one air pump for supplying compressed air to the bottom of the bioreactor (10) at certain time intervals in order to stimulate the CO2 and light uptake of algae by creating an upward water flow and turbulence with large air bubbles, at least one harvesting pump at the outlet of the biomass harvesting line (13) for biomass collection from the bioreactor (10), at least one sterilizer for sterilization of the biomass, at least one mixer for homogeneity, various filters, valves, and fittings for the installations.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method for supplying heat, electricity, nutrients and fertilizers in greenhouses (A), characterized by:• the rapid growth, proliferation and conversion to biomass of algae inoculated in the medium in at least one bioreactor (10) placed in greenhouse (A),• obtaining biomass or biogas or methane gas from algae grown in a bioreactor (10),• the collection of the obtained biomass or biogas or methane gas from the biomass harvesting line (13) located in said bioreactor (10),• the steam generation from the heat generated by the combustion of collected biomass, biogas or methane gas,• passing the steam produced through turbines and generators to generate electrical energy,• supplying the electrical energy obtained to the devices and machines with electricity consumption located in the greenhouse (A),• the use of the electrical energy generated to heat the greenhouse (A) environment.

2. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the heat obtained from the combustion of the collected biomass, biogas or methane gas is transferred to the hot water installation circulating in the greenhouse (A) to heat the greenhouse (A) environment with the help of at least one heat exchanger.

3. A method for supplying heat, electricity, nutrients and fertilizers in greenhouses (A), characterized by:• growing algae in at least one bioreactor (10) placed in greenhouse (A),• the fermentation of algae grown in said bioreactor (10) by introducing nutrient and thermophilic bacteria,• the release of heat and O2 from the fermentation of algae,• heating of the greenhouse interior (A) with waste heat from fermentation,• transferring the heat of the bioreactor (10) to the hot water installation circulating in the greenhouse (A) to heat the greenhouse (A) environment with the help of at least one heat exchanger.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the oxygen released as a result of fermentation in the bioreactor (10) is collected by a vacuum mechanism and air installation and introduced into the greenhouse (A) environment.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sieved liquid generated during the harvesting of algal biomass in the bioreactor (10) is used as liquid nutrient or liquid fertilizer for the first agricultural product (B) in the greenhouse (A) environment.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sieved solid algal biomass generated during the harvesting of algae in the bioreactor (10) is used as raw material for solid plant growing media - plugs, which are used to grow first agricultural products (B) in the greenhouse (A) environment.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sieved solid algal biomass generated during the harvesting of algae in the bioreactor (10) is processed into extracts or powders or solutions for use as food supplements for humans and animals.

8. A system for supplying heat, electricity, nutrients and fertilizers in greenhouses (A), characterized in that:• it contains at least one bioreactor (10) in any part of the greenhouse (A) having a closed volume including a space (11 ) for growing algae using ambient light or sunlight and ambient CO2,• in the space inside the said bioreceptor (10) there are algae that grow, multiply and converted into biomass,• it contains at least one steam turbine and generator to generate electrical energy from the biomass obtained from the algae in said bioreactor (10).

9. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that it includes, at the top of the bioreactor (10), a nutrient input line (12) for feeding the algal culture in the bioreactor (10), and at the bottom of the bioreactor (10), at least one biomass harvesting line (13) for collecting the biomass from the algae in the bioreactor (10).

10. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that it includes nutrients and thermophilic bacteria added to the bioreactor (10) to enable fermentation of the algae in the bioreactor (10).

11. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that it includes at least one heat exchanger that transfers the heat released in the bioreactor (10), which is heated as a result of fermentation in the bioreactor (10), to the water circulation installation of the greenhouse (A).

12. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that it includes at least one vacuum and air circulation installation to transfer O2 released from the bioreactor (10) as a result of fermentation in the bioreactor (10) into the greenhouse (A).

13. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises liquid algal fertilizer made of sieved liquid raw material obtained from biomass inthe bioreactor (10), used for feeding the first agricultural product (B) in the greenhouse (A).

14. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises solid plant growing media made of sieved solid raw material obtained from biomass in the bioreactor (10), used for growing the first agricultural product (B) in the greenhouse (A).15.The system according to claim 8, characterized in that the bioreactor (10) is designed as large conical tubes, or as a flat system, or as a tubular piped system, or as a prism with laminated glass on the outer surface.

16. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that it includes at least one air pump to deliver compressed air to the bottom of the bioreactor (10) at regular intervals to stimulate CO2 and light uptake by algae by creating an upward flow of water and turbulence with large air bubbles.

17. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that it includes at least one density sensor for measuring the density of biomass formed in bioreactor (10), at least one level sensor for measuring the level of biomass formed in bioreactor (10), at least one temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of bioreactor (10).

18. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that it includes at least one harvesting pump at the outlet of the biomass harvesting line (13) that collects biomass from the bioreactor (10).

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