Supply system and supply method

Abstract

When a valuable material is produced in a bioreactor using chemosynthetic bacteria, the present invention makes it possible to avoid a decline in the production efficiency. This supply system includes: a hydrogen dissolution facility that dissolves, into a culture medium, hydrogen contained in a first gas generated by a prescribed plant; and a carbon dioxide control facility that controls the amount of carbon dioxide, which is contained in a second gas, to be supplied to a bioreactor loaded with a culture medium containing chemosynthetic bacteria. The supply system supplies the culture medium with hydrogen dissolved therein and the carbon dioxide to the bioreactor. The hydrogen dissolution facility includes: a culture medium tank loaded with a culture medium; a first gas supply path for supplying the first gas to the culture medium tank; and a first gas return path for returning the first gas discharged from the culture medium tank to the source from which the first gas has been generated.

Description

Supply system and supply method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a delivery system and a delivery method.

[0002] One known technology for reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere is to supply a hydrogen-containing gas and a carbon dioxide-containing gas to a culture medium in a bioreactor and produce valuable materials using chemosynthetic bacteria contained in the culture medium. If this technology could be put into practical use, it would be possible to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and produce valuable materials (e.g., ethanol) at a high yield using less energy than chemical processes that use industrial catalysts, etc.

[0003] Special Publication No. 2000-513233

[0004] On the other hand, hydrogen has low solubility in water, and if a gas containing hydrogen is supplied to the culture medium in a bioreactor, the dissolution of hydrogen into the culture medium in the bioreactor may become rate-limiting, resulting in a decrease in the efficiency of producing valuable materials.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention aims to avoid a decrease in production efficiency when producing valuable substances using chemosynthetic bacteria in a bioreactor.

[0006] One aspect is a supply system that includes: a hydrogen dissolution facility that dissolves hydrogen contained in a first gas generated from a specified plant into a culture medium; and a carbon dioxide control facility that controls the amount of carbon dioxide contained in a second gas that is supplied to a bioreactor loaded with a culture medium containing chemosynthetic bacteria, and supplies the culture medium with dissolved hydrogen and the carbon dioxide to the bioreactor, wherein the hydrogen dissolution facility has: a culture medium tank loaded with the culture medium; a first gas supply path that supplies the first gas to the culture medium tank; and a first gas return path that returns the first gas discharged from the culture medium tank to the source of the first gas.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to avoid a decrease in production efficiency when producing valuable substances using chemosynthetic bacteria in a bioreactor.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a method for generating valuable resources in a bioreactor. FIG. 2 is a first diagram showing an example of the configuration of a valuable resource generation system. FIG. 3A is a first diagram showing an example of the configuration of a hydrogen dissolution facility. FIG. 3B is a second diagram showing an example of the configuration of a hydrogen dissolution facility. FIG. 4A is a first diagram showing an example of the configuration of a carbon dioxide control facility. FIG. 4B is a second diagram showing an example of the configuration of a carbon dioxide control facility. FIG. 5 is a first diagram for explaining an overview of a method for managing a flow rate using an information processing device. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device. FIG. 7 is a first diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an information processing device. FIG. 8 is a second diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an information processing device. FIG. 9 is a second diagram showing an example of the configuration of a valuable resource generation system. FIG. 10A is a third diagram showing an example of the configuration of a carbon dioxide control facility. FIG. 10B is a fourth diagram showing an example of the configuration of a carbon dioxide control facility. FIG. 11 is a second diagram for explaining an overview of a method for managing a flow rate using an information processing device. FIG. 12 is a third diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an information processing device. Fig. 13 is a fourth diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an information processing device. Fig. 14 is a third diagram showing an example of the configuration of a valuable resource generation system.

[0009] Hereinafter, each embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0010] [First embodiment] <Outline of method for producing valuable resources in a bioreactor> First, an outline of the method for producing valuable resources in a bioreactor will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the method for producing valuable resources in a bioreactor. In the first embodiment, the method for producing valuable resources in a bioreactor includes, as shown in Fig. 1, a medium production and supply step of producing a medium having hydrogen dissolved therein and supplying the medium to the bioreactor, a carbon dioxide supply step of supplying carbon dioxide to the bioreactor, and a valuable resource production step of generating valuable resources.

[0011] (1) Culture medium production and supply process In the culture medium production and supply process, a hydrogen-containing gas (referred to as the first gas) is blown into the culture medium of the chemosynthetic bacteria to produce a culture medium in which hydrogen is dissolved. The produced culture medium is supplied to the bioreactor.

[0012] (2) Carbon dioxide supply step In the carbon dioxide supply step, a gas containing carbon dioxide (referred to as the second gas) is supplied to the bioreactor. The carbon dioxide contained in the supplied second gas is dissolved in the culture medium in the bioreactor, and a gas not containing carbon dioxide is discharged from the bioreactor.

[0013] (3) Valuable resource production process The hydrogen and carbon dioxide (dissolved gas components) dissolved in the culture medium in the bioreactor are taken up by the chemosynthetic bacteria in the bioreactor and used to grow the chemosynthetic bacteria in the bioreactor or to produce valuable resources. The valuable resources produced are extracted together with the culture medium and the chemosynthetic bacteria, and are then extracted in a subsequent process.

[0014] <Configuration of Valuable Resource Generation System> Next, the configuration of a valuable resource generation system that executes the above-mentioned steps will be described. Fig. 2 is a first diagram showing an example configuration of a valuable resource generation system. As shown in Fig. 2, a valuable resource generation system 200 has a gas generation region 210, a supply system 220, and a reaction system 230.

[0015] The gas generation region 210 includes various plants in various industrial processes such as refineries, steel mills, power plants, petrochemical complexes, petrochemical plants, etc. The low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 211 represents a plant that discharges a low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas containing a low concentration of hydrogen.

[0016] The low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas discharged from the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas source 211 may be, for example, a gas containing unreacted hydrogen in a plant that uses hydrogen as a raw material. Specifically, the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas may be a gas discharged from a hydrodesulfurization unit in a petrochemical complex.

[0017] Alternatively, examples of the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas discharged by the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 211 include gases containing hydrogen in plants that do not use hydrogen.Specific examples include gases discharged from coke ovens in steel mills, gases discharged by naphtha thermal cracking in petrochemical plants, and gases discharged by fluid catalytic cracking in oil refineries.

[0018] In the first embodiment, the gas discharged from the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas source 211 is supplied to the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 as the first gas in the culture medium production and supply process.

[0019] The low-concentration carbon dioxide containing gas generation source 212 represents a plant that emits a low-concentration carbon dioxide containing gas containing a low concentration of carbon dioxide.

[0020] Examples of the gas discharged by the low-concentration carbon dioxide-containing gas generation source 212 include gas discharged from manufacturing equipment for producing various industrial products, and gas discharged from heating furnaces, boilers, incinerators, etc. The various industrial products referred to here include not only products provided to consumers, but also parts of products provided to consumers, materials for the parts, raw materials used in manufacturing the materials, etc.

[0021] In the first embodiment, the gas discharged by the low concentration carbon dioxide containing gas generation source 212 is supplied to the carbon dioxide control equipment 222 as the second gas in the carbon dioxide supply step.

[0022] The supply system 220 includes a hydrogen dissolving facility 221 and a carbon dioxide control facility 222, which are installed near the gas generation region 210. The supply system 220 also includes an information processing device 223 that manages the hydrogen dissolving facility 221 and the carbon dioxide control facility 222.

[0023] The hydrogen dissolution equipment 221 is equipment that executes the culture medium production and supply process. The hydrogen dissolution equipment 221 has a culture medium tank, and by blowing the first gas supplied from the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 211 into the culture medium loaded in the culture medium tank, the hydrogen contained in the first gas is dissolved in the culture medium. In this way, the hydrogen dissolution equipment 221 produces a culture medium in which hydrogen is dissolved.

[0024] In order to maximize the amount of hydrogen dissolved in the culture medium under a predetermined pressure and temperature (to achieve saturated solubility), the hydrogen dissolution equipment 221, for example, makes the first gas into as small bubbles as possible and brings it into contact with the culture medium by bubbling. This is because increasing the contact area increases the amount of hydrogen dissolved in the culture medium.

[0025] Furthermore, the hydrogen dissolution equipment 221 repeatedly blows the first gas into the culture medium, for example, to maximize the amount of hydrogen dissolved in the culture medium under a predetermined pressure and temperature (to achieve saturated solubility). This is because the amount of hydrogen dissolved in the culture medium can be increased by increasing the number of contacts.

[0026] The hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 includes a heating and cooling device (not shown) that controls the pressure and temperature in the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 so that they are approximately the same as those in the bioreactor, for example. The hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 also returns the first gas containing hydrogen that did not dissolve in the culture medium under the pressure and temperature to the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 211. In the gas generation region 210, the gas discharged by the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 211 is originally configured to be reused in the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 211, etc. Therefore, by returning the first gas containing hydrogen that did not dissolve in the culture medium to the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 211, the first gas can also be reused in the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 211, etc.

[0027] The hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 supplies the culture medium produced in the culture medium tank, in which hydrogen is dissolved, to any one of the plurality of bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n included in the reaction system 230.

[0028] The carbon dioxide control equipment 222 is equipment that executes the carbon dioxide supply step. The carbon dioxide control equipment 222 blows the second gas supplied from the low-concentration carbon dioxide-containing gas generation source 212 into the bioreactor, thereby dissolving the carbon dioxide contained in the second gas into the culture medium in the bioreactor. At this time, the carbon dioxide control equipment 222 blows the second gas into any one of the multiple bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n included in the reaction system 230.

[0029] The carbon dioxide control equipment 222 controls the amount of the second gas blown into the bioreactor so that the amount of carbon dioxide supplied to the bioreactor corresponds to the amount of hydrogen dissolved in the culture medium, which is supplied to the bioreactor by the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221. The carbon dioxide control equipment 222 has a heating / cooling device (not shown), and controls the pressure and temperature in the carbon dioxide control equipment 222 when blowing in so that they are, for example, approximately the same as the pressure and temperature inside the bioreactor.

[0030] The information processing device 223 manages the culture medium production and supply process executed by the hydrogen dissolution equipment 221. For example, the information processing device 223 calculates the amount of hydrogen to be supplied to the bioreactor in order to realize the amount of chemosynthetic bacteria necessary to produce a predetermined target amount of valuable substances. The information processing device 223 also controls the hydrogen dissolution equipment 221 so that the calculated amount of hydrogen is supplied to the bioreactor under a predetermined pressure and temperature.

[0031] The information processing device 223 also manages the carbon dioxide supply process executed by the carbon dioxide control equipment 222. For example, the information processing device 223 controls the carbon dioxide control equipment 222 so that an amount of carbon dioxide corresponding to the calculated amount of hydrogen is supplied to the bioreactor under predetermined pressure and temperature.

[0032] The reaction system 230 , like the feed system 220 , includes multiple bioreactors 230 _ 1 to 230 _n located near the gas generation region 210 .

[0033] Each of the multiple bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n is a facility that performs a valuable resource production process and contains chemosynthetic bacteria. Any chemosynthetic bacteria can be used as the chemosynthetic bacteria contained in each of the multiple bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n, as long as they are capable of synthesizing valuable resources by fermenting hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Examples of the optional chemosynthetic bacteria include the Clostridium genus and Moorella genus, which synthesize ethanol. Further examples of the optional chemosynthetic bacteria include the Acetobacterium genus and Moorella genus, which synthesize acetic acid. Further examples of the optional chemosynthetic bacteria include the Acetonema genus, which synthesizes propionic acid, and the Acetobacterium genus, which synthesizes acetone. Furthermore, examples of any chemosynthetic bacteria include the genus Hydrogenophilus, which synthesizes butanol, and the genus Eubacterium and genus Clostridium, which synthesize butyric acid. Furthermore, examples of any chemosynthetic bacteria include the genus Hydrogenovibrio, which produces proteins and amino acids, the genus Hydrogenophilus, which produces lipids, and the genus Cupriavidus, which produces polymers. The above-mentioned chemosynthetic bacteria are merely examples, and are not limited to these. Furthermore, each genera may include, for example, mesophilic bacteria, thermophilic bacteria, or genetically modified organisms. Furthermore, the type of chemosynthetic bacteria contained in each bioreactor is not limited to one type, and multiple types of chemosynthetic bacteria may be contained (i.e., the bioreactor may contain multiple types of chemosynthetic bacteria in a co-culture system).

[0034] In the first embodiment, known bioreactors are used for each of the multiple bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n. Known bioreactors include bioreactors equipped with various devices, such as stirred tank reactors, column fermenters containing immobilized or suspended chemosynthetic bacteria, continuous flow reactors, and high-pressure reactors, but any of these bioreactors may be used. Each of the multiple bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n may also be equipped with various devices, such as a stirrer, a heating / cooling device, a pressure gauge, a thermometer, a pH meter, a COD meter, a hydrogen concentration meter, and a carbon dioxide concentration meter.

[0035] In this embodiment, the multiple bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n are described as switching between each other to perform the valuable resource production process, but some of the multiple bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n may perform the valuable resource production process in parallel.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reaction system 230 has a plurality of bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n, but the reaction system 230 may have only one bioreactor.

[0037] <Details of Supply System> Next, the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221, the carbon dioxide control equipment 222, and the information processing device 223 included in the supply system 220 will be described in detail.

[0038] (1) Details of the Hydrogen Dissolving Facility First, we will explain the details of the hydrogen dissolving facility 221. Fig. 3A is a first diagram showing an example of the configuration of the hydrogen dissolving facility.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 3A, the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 includes culture medium tanks 310_1 and 310_2, a pump 321, a control valve 322, and a flow meter 323.

[0040] A first gas supply path is connected to the culture medium tanks 310_1 and 310_2, and the first gas is supplied alternately from the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 211. For example, while the culture medium produced in the culture medium tank 310_2 and having hydrogen dissolved therein is being supplied to one of the plurality of bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n, the hydrogen contained in the first gas is dissolved in the culture medium in the culture medium tank 310_1.

[0041] Specifically, by switching to the culture medium tank 310_1, the first gas is blown into the culture medium in the culture medium tank 310_1 and comes into contact with the culture medium by bubbling. The first gas containing hydrogen that has not dissolved in the culture medium is circulated through the first gas circulation path and blown into the culture medium in the culture medium tank 310_1 again. The first gas containing hydrogen that has not dissolved in the culture medium is repeatedly blown into the culture medium in the culture medium tank 310_1, and then returned to the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 211 via the first gas return path.

[0042] By configuring the system so that a sufficient amount of hydrogen is dissolved in the culture medium in this way, it is possible to avoid a situation in which "the dissolution of hydrogen into the culture medium in the bioreactor becomes rate-limiting, and the amount of valuable materials produced is low compared to the amount of hydrogen supplied to the bioreactor (i.e., the efficiency of producing valuable materials decreases)" (in other words, "the efficiency of producing valuable materials decreases" here refers to a situation in which the amount of valuable materials produced is low compared to the amount of hydrogen supplied to the bioreactor). In addition, the effect of reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere can be improved.

[0043] A switching valve is provided at the connection between the first gas circulation path and the first gas return path, and the switching valve is controlled to switch between circulation and return. In the example of FIG. 3A , the first gas return path is connected to the first gas circulation path, and a switching valve is provided at the connection. However, the first gas return path may be directly connected to, for example, the culture medium tank 310_1. In this case, an on-off valve may be provided in each of the first gas circulation path and the first gas return path, and the circulation and return may be switched by switching the on-off valves. Furthermore, when the first gas return path is directly connected to, for example, the culture medium tank 310_1, the culture medium tank 310_1 may not be provided with a first gas circulation path.

[0044] On the other hand, the culture medium produced in the culture medium tank 310_2 and having hydrogen dissolved therein is supplied by a pump 321 to any one of the plurality of bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n via a first culture medium supply path.

[0045] A control valve 322 installed in the first culture medium supply path controls the flow rate of the culture medium being supplied. The flow rate of the culture medium is measured by a flow meter 323 and transmitted to the information processing device 223. The information processing device 223 then calculates the valve opening at which the measured flow rate of the culture medium becomes a target flow rate. The control valve 322 operates based on the calculated valve opening, thereby controlling the flow rate of the culture medium to the target flow rate.

[0046] The first medium supply path after branching is provided with an on / off valve (not shown), and the on / off valve of the first medium supply path after branching, which is connected to the bioreactor to which the medium is supplied, is fully opened, while the other on / off valves are fully closed. This allows the medium supply destination to be switched. The timing for switching the medium supply destination can be, for example, when the amount of valuable material (e.g., ethanol) produced in the bioreactor at the supply destination decreases. A decrease in the amount of valuable material produced refers, for example, to a decrease in the concentration of the valuable material when the produced valuable material is extracted from the bioreactor.

[0047] The culture medium produced in the culture medium tank 310_2 and having hydrogen dissolved therein is supplied to the bioreactor, and when the amount of the culture medium in the culture medium tank 310_2 decreases, the culture medium tank 310_2 is filled with new culture medium.

[0048] The culture medium tanks 310_1, 310_2 are equipped with the following: - various sensors (thermometers, pressure gauges, pH meters, COD meters, hydrogen concentration meters, etc.) for measuring the temperature, pressure, pH of the culture medium, chemical oxygen demand of the culture medium, and hydrogen concentration of the culture medium in the culture medium tanks 310_1, 310_2; - various devices (various control valves, heating / cooling devices, etc.) for controlling the temperature, pressure, and hydrogen concentration of the culture medium in the culture medium tanks 310_1, 310_2 to a predetermined temperature, predetermined pressure, and predetermined hydrogen concentration of the culture medium, which are controlled appropriately.

[0049] Next, other details of the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 will be described. Fig. 3B is a second diagram showing an example of the configuration of the hydrogen dissolving equipment. The difference from the first diagram shown in Fig. 3A is that the second diagram shown in Fig. 3B has a removal equipment 330 on the first gas supply path.

[0050] The removal equipment 330 removes solid impurities contained in the first gas. The removal equipment 330 also removes repellents to chemosynthetic bacteria contained in the first gas. Examples of repellents to chemosynthetic bacteria contained in the first gas include sulfur, nitrogen, ammonia, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides. The removal equipment 330 removes solid impurities and repellents using, for example, a filter function.

[0051] (2) Details of the Carbon Dioxide Control Facility Next, we will explain the details of the carbon dioxide control facility 222. Fig. 4A is a first diagram showing an example of the configuration of the carbon dioxide control facility.

[0052] As shown in Figure 4A, the carbon dioxide control equipment 222 has a control valve 411 and a flow meter 412. The control valve 411 installed in the second gas supply path controls the flow rate of the second gas supplied to the bioreactor. The flow rate of the second gas is measured by the flow meter 412 and transmitted to the information processing device 223. The information processing device 223 then calculates the valve opening degree at which the measured flow rate of the second gas becomes a target flow rate. The control valve 411 operates based on the calculated valve opening degree, thereby controlling the flow rate of the second gas to the target flow rate.

[0053] The second gas supply path branches, and each of the branched second gas supply paths is connected to one of the multiple bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n via an on / off valve (not shown). The destination of the second gas is switched by fully opening the on / off valve of the branched second gas supply path connected to the bioreactor to which the second gas is supplied and fully closing the other on / off valves. The timing of switching the destination of the second gas is the same as the timing of switching the destination of the culture medium in the hydrogen dissolution equipment 221, and may be, for example, when the amount of valuable material (e.g., ethanol) produced in the bioreactor at the supply destination decreases. A decrease in the amount of valuable material produced refers, for example, to a decrease in the concentration of the valuable material when the produced valuable material is extracted from the bioreactor.

[0054] 4A, the second gas supplied from the low-concentration carbon dioxide-containing gas source 212 is supplied directly to the bioreactor via the second gas supply path. However, a storage tank may be provided in the second gas supply path, and the second gas supplied from the low-concentration carbon dioxide-containing gas source 212 may be temporarily stored in the storage tank before being supplied to the bioreactor.

[0055] In this case, the storage tank is equipped with the following: - various sensors (thermometer, pressure gauge, carbon dioxide concentration meter, etc.) for measuring the temperature and pressure inside the storage tank and the carbon dioxide concentration contained in the second gas; - various devices (various control valves, heating and cooling devices, etc.) for controlling the temperature and pressure inside the storage tank to a predetermined temperature and pressure, and these will be controlled appropriately.

[0056] Next, other details of the carbon dioxide control equipment 222 will be described. Fig. 4B is a second diagram showing an example of the configuration of the carbon dioxide control equipment. The difference from the first diagram shown in Fig. 4B is that the second diagram shown in Fig. 4B has a removal equipment 330 on the second gas supply path.

[0057] The removal equipment 420 removes solid impurities contained in the second gas. The removal equipment 420 also removes repellents to chemosynthetic bacteria contained in the second gas. Examples of repellents to chemosynthetic bacteria contained in the second gas include sulfur, nitrogen, ammonia, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides.

[0058] (3) Details of the Information Processing Device Next, we will explain the details of the information processing device 223. As described above, the information processing device 223 manages multiple items for the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 and the carbon dioxide control equipment 222. Here, we will explain how to manage the following: the flow rate of the culture medium supplied by the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221, and the flow rate of the second gas supplied by the carbon dioxide control equipment 222.

[0059] (3-1) Overview of Management Method by Information Processing Device First, we will explain the overview of the method for managing the flow rate of the culture medium and the flow rate of the second gas by the information processing device 223. Figure 5 is a first diagram for explaining the overview of the method for managing the flow rates by the information processing device.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 5, the valuable resource generation system 200 is constructed based on a target production amount of valuable resources, and the amount of chemosynthetic bacteria required for the target production amount of valuable resources is calculated in advance.

[0061] The information processing device 223 calculates the amount of hydrogen required to produce the target amount of valuable material. Next, the information processing device 223 calculates the saturation solubility, which is the amount of hydrogen that can be dissolved in the culture medium, based on the pressure and temperature in the culture medium tanks 310_1 and 310_2. Next, the information processing device 223 calculates the amount of culture medium required to supply the amount of hydrogen required to produce the target amount of valuable material, under the assumption that hydrogen is dissolved at the calculated saturation solubility.

[0062] Next, the information processing device 223 calculates a target flow rate of the culture medium based on the calculated amount of culture medium.

[0063] Furthermore, the information processing device 223 calculates an appropriate amount of carbon dioxide according to the amount of hydrogen required for the target amount of valuable material to be produced.

[0064] Next, the information processing device 223 calculates a target flow rate of the second gas for supplying an appropriate amount of carbon dioxide based on the pressure, temperature, and carbon dioxide concentration of the second gas.

[0065] In this way, by calculating an appropriate amount of carbon dioxide according to the amount of hydrogen and then calculating the target flow rate of the second gas, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the amount of valuable materials generated is small compared to the amount of carbon dioxide supplied to the bioreactor (i.e., the efficiency of generating valuable materials decreases) (in other words, "the efficiency of generating valuable materials decreases" here refers to a situation in which the amount of valuable materials generated is small compared to the amount of carbon dioxide supplied to the bioreactor).

[0066] (3-2) Hardware Configuration of Information Processing Device Next, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 223. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device.

[0067] 6, the information processing device 223 includes a processor 601, a memory 602, an auxiliary storage device 603, a connection device 604, a communication device 605, and a drive device 606. The processor 601, the memory 602, the auxiliary storage device 603, the connection device 604, the communication device 605, and the drive device 606 of the information processing device 223 are interconnected via a bus 607.

[0068] The processor 601 has various computing devices such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The processor 601 reads various programs (for example, information processing programs, etc.) into the memory 602 and executes them.

[0069] The memory 602 has a main storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The processor 601 and the memory 602 form a so-called computer, and the processor 601 executes various programs read onto the memory 602, causing the computer to realize various functions.

[0070] The auxiliary storage device 603 stores various programs and various information used when the various programs are executed by the processor 601 .

[0071] The connection device 604 is a connection device for connecting an operation device 611 and a display device 612, which are examples of external devices, with the information processing device 223.

[0072] The communication device 605 is a communication device for communicating with various devices via a network.

[0073] The drive device 606 is a device for setting a recording medium 613. The recording medium 613 here includes media that record information optically, electrically, or magnetically, such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, etc. The recording medium 613 may also include semiconductor memories that record information electrically, such as ROMs, flash memories, etc.

[0074] The various programs to be installed in the auxiliary storage device 603 are installed, for example, by setting the distributed recording medium 613 in the drive device 606 and reading out the various programs recorded on the recording medium 613. Alternatively, the various programs to be installed in the auxiliary storage device 603 may be installed by being downloaded from a network via the communication device 605.

[0075] (3-3) Functional Configuration of Information Processing Device for Realizing the Management Method, Part 1 Next, the functional configuration of the information processing device 223 for realizing the above-described management method will be described. Fig. 7 is a first diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device. As described above, an information processing program is installed in the information processing device, and by executing the information processing program, the information processing device 223 functions as a culture medium amount calculation unit 701, a target flow rate calculation unit 702, a difference calculation unit 703, and a valve opening control unit 704. The information processing device 223 also functions as a carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711, a target flow rate calculation unit 712, a difference calculation unit 713, and a valve opening control unit 714.

[0076] The medium amount calculation unit 701 acquires the amount of hydrogen required for the target production amount of valuable materials. The medium amount calculation unit 701 also acquires the pressure and temperature inside the medium tanks 310_1 and 310_2 and calculates the saturation solubility based on the acquired pressure and temperature. The medium amount calculation unit 701 also calculates the amount of medium required to supply the acquired amount of hydrogen, assuming that hydrogen is dissolved at the calculated saturation solubility, and notifies the target flow rate calculation unit 702 of the amount.

[0077] The target flow rate calculation unit 702 sets a target flow rate of the culture medium based on the amount of culture medium notified by the culture medium amount calculation unit 701 .

[0078] The difference calculation unit 703 calculates the difference between the set target flow rate of the culture medium and the flow rate of the culture medium measured by the flow meter 323 installed in the first culture medium supply path, and notifies the valve opening control unit 704 of the calculated difference value.

[0079] The valve opening control unit 704 calculates the valve opening of the control valve 322 installed in the first culture medium supply path based on the difference value notified by the difference calculation unit 703, and notifies the control valve 322 of the calculated valve opening.

[0080] The carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711 acquires the amount of hydrogen required for the target production amount of valuable materials. The carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711 also calculates an appropriate amount of carbon dioxide according to the acquired amount of hydrogen and notifies the target flow rate calculation unit 712 of the amount.

[0081] The target flow rate calculation unit 712 calculates and sets the target flow rate of the second gas based on the pressure, temperature, and carbon dioxide concentration of the second gas, in order to supply the appropriate amount of carbon dioxide notified by the carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711.

[0082] The difference calculation unit 713 calculates the difference between the set target flow rate of the second gas and the flow rate of the second gas measured by the flow meter 412 installed in the second gas supply path, and notifies the valve opening control unit 714 of the calculated difference value.

[0083] The valve opening control unit 714 calculates the valve opening of the control valve 411 installed in the second gas supply path based on the difference value notified by the difference calculation unit 713, and notifies the control valve 411 of the calculated valve opening.

[0084] (3-4) Functional Configuration of Information Processing Device for Realizing the Management Method, Part 2 Next, another functional configuration of the information processing device 223 for realizing the above management method will be described. FIG. 8 is a second diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device. In the first diagram shown in FIG. 7, the amount of hydrogen dissolved in the culture medium was described as an amount corresponding to the saturated solubility. In contrast, the example of FIG. 8 differs from the example of FIG. 7 in that the target flow rate of the culture medium is set based on the actual amount of hydrogen dissolved in the culture medium, and the target flow rate of the second gas is set based on the actual amount of hydrogen dissolved in the culture medium.

[0085] Specifically, in the example of Fig. 8, the information processing device 223 functions as a medium amount calculation unit 701' instead of the medium amount calculation unit 701, and the information processing device 223 newly functions as a hydrogen amount prediction unit 710. Also, in the example of Fig. 8, the information processing device 223 functions as a carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711' instead of the carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711.

[0086] The medium amount calculation unit 701′ acquires the amount of hydrogen required for the target production amount of valuable materials. The medium amount calculation unit 701′ also acquires the hydrogen concentration of the medium loaded in the medium tanks 310_1 and 310_2, calculates the amount of medium required to supply the acquired amount of hydrogen based on the acquired hydrogen concentration, and notifies the target flow rate calculation unit 702.

[0087] The hydrogen amount prediction unit 710 obtains the hydrogen concentration of the culture medium loaded in the culture medium tanks 310_1 and 310_2, and predicts the amount of hydrogen being supplied to the bioreactor based on the obtained hydrogen concentration and the flow rate of the culture medium measured by the flow meter 323 installed in the first culture medium supply path. The hydrogen amount prediction unit 710 notifies the carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711′ of the predicted amount of hydrogen.

[0088] The carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711′ obtains the predicted amount of hydrogen from the hydrogen amount prediction unit 710. The carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711′ also calculates an appropriate amount of carbon dioxide according to the predicted amount of hydrogen, and notifies the target flow rate calculation unit 712 of the calculated amount.

[0089] <Summary> As is clear from the above explanation, the supply system 220 according to the first embodiment includes: a hydrogen dissolution facility 221 that dissolves hydrogen contained in the first gas into the culture medium; a carbon dioxide control facility 222 that controls the amount of carbon dioxide contained in the second gas that is supplied to the bioreactor; and a medium in which hydrogen has been dissolved and carbon dioxide that are supplied to the bioreactor.

[0090] As a result, the supply system 220 according to the first embodiment can avoid a decrease in production efficiency when valuable materials are produced using chemosynthetic bacteria in a bioreactor.

[0091] [Second Embodiment] In the supply system 220 according to the first embodiment, the carbon dioxide control equipment 222 directly supplies the carbon dioxide contained in the second gas to the bioreactor. In contrast, in the supply system according to the second embodiment, the carbon dioxide control equipment dissolves the carbon dioxide contained in the second gas in a culture medium, and supplies the culture medium with dissolved carbon dioxide to the bioreactor together with the culture medium with dissolved hydrogen. The second embodiment will be described below, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0092] <Configuration of Valuable Resource Generation System> First, the configuration of the valuable resource generation system will be described. Fig. 9 is a second diagram showing an example of the configuration of a valuable resource generation system. The difference from the valuable resource generation system 200 shown in Fig. 2 is that the valuable resource generation system 900 in Fig. 9 has a supply system 920 including carbon dioxide control equipment 922 instead of the carbon dioxide control equipment 222.

[0093] The carbon dioxide control equipment 922 performs a culture medium production and supply process. In the second embodiment, the culture medium production and supply process performed by the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 is a process of producing a culture medium in which carbon dioxide is dissolved by blowing a second gas into a culture medium for chemosynthetic bacteria.

[0094] Specifically, the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 has a culture medium tank, and dissolves the carbon dioxide contained in the second gas into the culture medium by blowing the second gas supplied from the low-concentration carbon dioxide-containing gas generation source 212 into the culture medium loaded in the culture medium tank. In this way, the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 produces a culture medium in which carbon dioxide is dissolved.

[0095] In order to maximize the amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in the culture medium under a predetermined pressure and temperature (to achieve saturated solubility), the carbon dioxide control equipment 922, for example, makes the second gas into as small bubbles as possible and brings it into contact with the culture medium by bubbling. This is because increasing the contact area makes it possible to increase the amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in the culture medium.

[0096] Furthermore, the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 may, for example, repeatedly blow the second gas into the culture medium in order to maximize the amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in the culture medium under a predetermined pressure and temperature (to achieve saturated solubility). This is because the amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in the culture medium can be increased by increasing the number of contacts.

[0097] The carbon dioxide control equipment 922 has a heating and cooling device (not shown) and controls the pressure and temperature in the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 to be approximately the same as the pressure and temperature in the bioreactor, for example. The carbon dioxide control equipment 922 also returns the second gas containing carbon dioxide that has not dissolved in the culture medium under the pressure and temperature to the low-concentration carbon dioxide-containing gas generation source 212. The returned second gas is treated using an exhaust gas treatment equipment (not shown) that treats the gas discharged by the low-concentration carbon dioxide-containing gas generation source 212. The exhaust gas treatment equipment includes, for example, a collective chimney, flue gas desulfurization / denitrification equipment, etc.

[0098] The carbon dioxide control equipment 922 supplies the culture medium containing dissolved carbon dioxide, which is produced in the culture medium tank, to the first culture medium supply path, whereby the culture medium containing dissolved carbon dioxide is supplied to any one of the plurality of bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n of the reaction system 230 together with the culture medium containing dissolved hydrogen.

[0099] <Details of Supply System> Next, the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 included in the supply system 920 will be described in detail.

[0100] (1) Details of the Carbon Dioxide Control Equipment Fig. 10A is a third diagram showing a configuration example of a carbon dioxide control equipment. As shown in Fig. 10A, the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 has culture medium tanks 1010_1 and 1010_2, a pump 1021, a control valve 411, and a flow meter 412. Of these, the control valve 411 and the flow meter 412 have already been explained using Fig. 4A in the first embodiment, and therefore explanations thereof will be omitted here.

[0101] A second gas supply path is connected to the culture medium tanks 1010_1 and 1010_2, and the second gas is supplied alternately from the low-concentration carbon dioxide-containing gas generation source 212. For example, while the culture medium produced in the culture medium tank 1010_1 and having carbon dioxide dissolved therein is being supplied to the first culture medium supply path, the carbon dioxide contained in the second gas is dissolved in the culture medium in the culture medium tank 1010_1.

[0102] Specifically, by switching to the culture medium tank 1010_1, the second gas is blown into the culture medium in the culture medium tank 1010_1 and comes into contact with the culture medium by bubbling. The second gas containing carbon dioxide that has not dissolved in the culture medium is circulated through the second gas circulation path and blown into the culture medium in the culture medium tank 1010_1 again. The second gas containing carbon dioxide that has not dissolved in the culture medium is repeatedly blown into the culture medium loaded in the culture medium tank 1010_1, and then returned to the low-concentration carbon dioxide-containing gas generation source 212 via the second gas return path.

[0103] A switching valve is provided at the connection between the second gas circulation path and the second gas return path, and the switching valve is controlled to switch between circulation and return. In the example of FIG. 10A , the second gas return path is connected to the second gas circulation path, and a switching valve is provided at the connection. However, the second gas return path may be directly connected to, for example, the culture medium tank 1010_1. In this case, an on-off valve may be provided in each of the second gas circulation path and the second gas return path, and the circulation and return may be switched by switching the on-off valves. Furthermore, when the second gas return path is directly connected to, for example, the culture medium tank 1010_1, the culture medium tank 1010_1 may not be provided with a second gas circulation path.

[0104] Meanwhile, the culture medium in which carbon dioxide is dissolved, which is produced in the culture medium tank 1010_2, is supplied to the first culture medium supply path via the second culture medium supply path by the pump 1021. As a result, the culture medium in which carbon dioxide is dissolved is supplied to any one of the plurality of bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n together with the culture medium in which hydrogen is dissolved.

[0105] A control valve 411 installed in the second culture medium supply path controls the flow rate of the culture medium being supplied. The flow rate of the culture medium is measured by a flow meter 412 and transmitted to the information processing device 223. The information processing device 223 then calculates the valve opening at which the measured flow rate of the culture medium becomes a target flow rate. The control valve 411 operates based on the calculated valve opening, thereby controlling the flow rate of the culture medium to the target flow rate.

[0106] The culture medium produced in the culture medium tank 1010_2 and containing dissolved carbon dioxide is supplied to the bioreactor via the first culture medium supply path, and when the amount of culture medium loaded in the culture medium tank 1010_2 decreases, new culture medium is loaded into the culture medium tank 1010_2.

[0107] The culture medium tanks 1010_1 and 1010_2 are equipped with the following: - various sensors (thermometers, pressure gauges, pH meters, COD meters, carbon dioxide concentration meters, etc.) for measuring the temperature, pressure, pH of the culture medium, chemical oxygen demand of the culture medium, and carbon dioxide concentration of the culture medium in the culture medium tanks 1010_1 and 1010_2; - various devices (various control valves, heating and cooling devices, etc.) for controlling the temperature, pressure, and carbon dioxide concentration of the culture medium in the culture medium tanks 1010_1 and 1010_2 to a predetermined temperature, predetermined pressure, and predetermined carbon dioxide concentration of the culture medium, which are controlled appropriately.

[0108] Next, other details of the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 will be described. Fig. 10B is a fourth diagram showing a configuration example of the carbon dioxide control equipment. The difference from the third diagram shown in Fig. 10A is that the fourth diagram shown in Fig. 10A has a removal equipment 1020 on the second gas supply path.

[0109] The removal equipment 1020 removes solid impurities contained in the second gas. The removal equipment 1020 also removes repellents to chemosynthetic bacteria contained in the second gas. Examples of repellents to chemosynthetic bacteria contained in the second gas include sulfur, nitrogen, ammonia, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides. The removal equipment 1020 removes solid impurities and repellents using, for example, a filter function.

[0110] (3) Details of the Information Processing Device Next, we will explain the details of the information processing device 223. As in the first embodiment, the information processing device 223 manages multiple items for the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 and the carbon dioxide control equipment 922. Here, we will explain how to manage the following: - the flow rate of the culture medium supplied by the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221, and - the flow rate of the culture medium supplied by the carbon dioxide control equipment 922.

[0111] (3-1) Overview of Management Method by Information Processing Device First, we will explain the overview of the management method of the culture medium flow rate by the information processing device 223. Fig. 11 is a second diagram for explaining the overview of the management method of the flow rate by the information processing device.

[0112] As shown in FIG. 11, the valuable resource generation system 900 is constructed based on a target production amount of valuable resources, and the amount of chemosynthetic bacteria required for the target production amount of valuable resources is calculated in advance.

[0113] The information processing device 223 calculates the amount of hydrogen required to produce the target amount of valuable material. Next, the information processing device 223 calculates the saturation solubility, which is the amount of hydrogen that can be dissolved in the culture medium, based on the pressure and temperature in the culture medium tanks 310_1 and 310_2. Next, the information processing device 223 calculates the amount of culture medium required to supply the amount of hydrogen required to produce the target amount of valuable material, under the assumption that hydrogen is dissolved at the calculated saturation solubility.

[0114] Next, the information processing device 223 calculates a target flow rate of the culture medium based on the calculated amount of culture medium.

[0115] Furthermore, the information processing device 223 calculates an appropriate amount of carbon dioxide according to the amount of hydrogen required for the target amount of valuable material to be produced.

[0116] Next, the information processing device 223 calculates the saturation solubility, which is the amount of carbon dioxide that can be dissolved in the culture medium, based on the pressure and temperature inside the culture medium tanks 1010_1 and 1010_2. Next, the information processing device 223 calculates the amount of culture medium required to supply an appropriate amount of carbon dioxide, on the assumption that carbon dioxide is dissolved at the calculated saturation solubility.

[0117] Next, the information processing device 223 calculates a target flow rate of the culture medium based on the calculated amount of culture medium.

[0118] In this way, by calculating the appropriate amount of carbon dioxide according to the amount of hydrogen and then calculating the target flow rate of the culture medium, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the amount of valuable materials produced is low compared to the amount of carbon dioxide supplied to the bioreactor (i.e., the efficiency of producing valuable materials decreases) (in other words, "the efficiency of producing valuable materials decreases" here refers to a situation in which the amount of valuable materials produced is low compared to the amount of carbon dioxide supplied to the bioreactor).

[0119] (3-2) Functional Configuration of Information Processing Device for Realizing the Management Method, Part 3 Next, the functional configuration of the information processing device 223 for realizing the above management method will be described. Fig. 12 is a third diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device. The difference from the first diagram described using Fig. 7 in the first embodiment is that in Fig. 12, the information processing device 223 functions as a culture medium amount calculation unit 1211, a target flow rate calculation unit 1212, and a difference calculation unit 1213.

[0120] The medium amount calculation unit 1211 acquires the appropriate amount of carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711. The medium amount calculation unit 1211 also acquires the pressure and temperature inside the medium tanks 1010_1 and 1010_2, and calculates the saturation solubility based on the acquired pressure and temperature. The medium amount calculation unit 1211 also calculates the amount of medium necessary to supply the acquired appropriate amount of carbon dioxide, assuming that carbon dioxide is dissolved at the calculated saturation solubility, and notifies the target flow rate calculation unit 1212 of the amount.

[0121] The target flow rate calculation unit 1212 sets a target flow rate of the culture medium based on the amount of the culture medium notified by the culture medium amount calculation unit 1211 .

[0122] The difference calculation unit 1213 calculates the difference between the set target flow rate of the culture medium and the flow rate of the culture medium measured by the flow meter 412 installed in the second culture medium supply path, and notifies the valve opening control unit 714 of the calculated difference value.

[0123] (3-3) Functional Configuration of Information Processing Device for Realizing the Management Method, Part 4 Next, another functional configuration of the information processing device 223 for realizing the above management method will be described. FIG. 13 is a fourth diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device. In the third diagram shown in FIG. 12, the amounts of hydrogen and carbon dioxide dissolved in the culture medium were described as amounts corresponding to saturation solubility. In contrast, the example of FIG. 13 differs from the example of FIG. 12 in that the target flow rate of the culture medium is set based on the actual amount of hydrogen dissolved in the culture medium, and the appropriate amount of carbon dioxide is calculated based on the actual amount of hydrogen dissolved in the culture medium. The example of FIG. 13 also differs from the example of FIG. 12 in that the target flow rate of the culture medium is set based on the actual amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in the culture medium.

[0124] 13, the information processing device 223 functions as a medium amount calculation unit 701' instead of the medium amount calculation unit 701, and the information processing device 223 newly functions as a hydrogen amount prediction unit 710. Also, in the example of FIG. 13, the information processing device 223 functions as a carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711' instead of the carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711, and functions as a medium amount calculation unit 1211' instead of the medium amount calculation unit 1211.

[0125] The medium amount calculation unit 701′ acquires the amount of hydrogen required for the target production amount of valuable materials. The medium amount calculation unit 701′ also acquires the hydrogen concentration of the medium loaded in the medium tanks 310_1 and 310_2, calculates the amount of medium required to supply the acquired amount of hydrogen based on the acquired hydrogen concentration, and notifies the target flow rate calculation unit 702.

[0126] The hydrogen amount prediction unit 710 obtains the hydrogen concentration of the culture medium loaded in the culture medium tanks 310_1 and 310_2, and predicts the amount of hydrogen being supplied to the bioreactor based on the obtained hydrogen concentration and the flow rate of the culture medium measured by the flow meter 323 installed in the first culture medium supply path. The hydrogen amount prediction unit 710 notifies the carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711′ of the predicted amount of hydrogen.

[0127] The carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711′ obtains the predicted amount of hydrogen from the hydrogen amount prediction unit 710. The carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711′ also calculates an appropriate amount of carbon dioxide according to the predicted amount of hydrogen, and notifies the medium amount calculation unit 1211′.

[0128] The medium amount calculation unit 1211′ acquires an appropriate amount of carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 711′. The medium amount calculation unit 1211′ also acquires the carbon dioxide concentration of the medium loaded in the medium tanks 1010_1 and 1010_2, calculates the amount of medium required to supply the acquired amount of carbon dioxide based on the acquired carbon dioxide concentration, and notifies the target flow rate calculation unit 1212.

[0129] <Summary> As is clear from the above explanation, the supply system 920 according to the second embodiment: -Has a hydrogen dissolution facility 221 that dissolves hydrogen contained in the first gas into the culture medium. -Has a carbon dioxide control facility 922 that dissolves carbon dioxide contained in the second gas into the culture medium. -Supplies the culture medium in which hydrogen has been dissolved and the culture medium in which carbon dioxide has been dissolved to the bioreactor.

[0130] As a result, the supply system 920 according to the second embodiment can avoid a decrease in production efficiency when valuable materials are produced using chemosynthetic bacteria in a bioreactor.

[0131] [Third Embodiment] In the second embodiment, the hydrogen dissolution equipment 221 and the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 are arranged in parallel, and the second culture medium supply path is connected to the first culture medium supply path. However, the connection direction is not limited to this, and the first culture medium supply path may be connected to the second culture medium supply path. In this case, branch paths to multiple bioreactors are formed in the second culture medium supply path of the carbon dioxide control equipment 922.

[0132] In the second embodiment, the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 and the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 are arranged in parallel. However, the arrangement of the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 and the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 is not limited to this, and they may be arranged in series.

[0133] Furthermore, when the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 and the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 are arranged in series, the order of arrangement is arbitrary. They may be arranged in the order of the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 → the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 (in the culture medium supply path, the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 is arranged upstream and the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 is arranged downstream), or they may be arranged in the order of the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 → the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 (in the culture medium supply path, the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 is arranged upstream and the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 is arranged downstream).

[0134] That is, the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 may inject the second gas into the culture medium in which hydrogen has been dissolved and which has been supplied from the hydrogen dissolution equipment 221, thereby dissolving carbon dioxide. Alternatively, the hydrogen dissolution equipment 221 may inject the first gas into the culture medium in which carbon dioxide has been dissolved and which has been supplied from the carbon dioxide control equipment 922, thereby dissolving hydrogen. In either case, the culture medium in which hydrogen and carbon dioxide have been dissolved at a predetermined ratio is supplied to one of the multiple bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n.

[0135] 14 is a third diagram showing a configuration example of a valuable resource generation system. The example of Fig. 14 shows a valuable resource generation system 1400 having a supply system 1420 in which a hydrogen dissolution facility 221 and a carbon dioxide control facility 922 are arranged in series in this order.

[0136] 14, in the supply system 1420, branch paths to the plurality of bioreactors 230_1 to 230_n are formed in the second culture medium supply path of the carbon dioxide control equipment 922. Also, culture medium in which hydrogen is dissolved is supplied from the hydrogen dissolving equipment 221 and loaded into the culture medium tanks 1010_1 and 1010_2 of the carbon dioxide control equipment 922.

[0137] In this way, by arranging the hydrogen dissolution equipment 221 and the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 in series, according to the third embodiment, the supply path for the culture medium up to the branch point is unified, thereby simplifying the supply system.

[0138] [Other Embodiments] In the above embodiments, the first gas supplied to the hydrogen dissolving facility 221 is described as a low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generated in the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 211. However, the first gas supplied to the hydrogen dissolving facility 221 may be a gas (hydrogen-containing gas) containing high-purity (e.g., 100%) hydrogen. In the above embodiments, in consideration of economic efficiency, a low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas that is only useful as a heat source is supplied to the hydrogen dissolving facility 221. However, if the price of low-carbon intensity hydrogen (green hydrogen) drops, it may also be possible to supply the green hydrogen.

[0139] In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the first gas containing hydrogen that was not dissolved in the culture medium, among the first gases supplied to the hydrogen dissolution equipment 221, was described as being returned to the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 211 via the first gas return path. However, the first gas containing hydrogen that was not dissolved in the culture medium is not limited to being returned to the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 211, and may be secondarily supplied to, for example, combustion equipment (e.g., a boiler, a heating furnace, etc.). This is because the first gas can be used as a heat source by combustion. In this case, the first gas is secondarily supplied to the combustion equipment via a first gas secondary supply path (not shown).

[0140] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the second gas containing carbon dioxide that was not dissolved in the culture medium, among the second gases supplied to the carbon dioxide control equipment 922, was described as being returned to the low-concentration carbon dioxide-containing gas generation source 212 via the second gas return path. However, the return destination is not limited to the low-concentration carbon dioxide-containing gas generation source 212, and the second gas may be returned to an exhaust gas treatment facility (for example, a collective chimney, a flue gas desulfurization / denitrification device, etc.). Alternatively, if all of the carbon dioxide contained in the second gas supplied to the carbon dioxide control equipment 922 is dissolved in the culture medium, the second gas may be released into the atmosphere without being returned.

[0141] Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 211 and the low-concentration carbon dioxide-containing gas generation source 212 are described as being separate generation sources, but the two may be the same generation source.

[0142] Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, large-scale facilities such as refineries, steel mills, power plants, and petrochemical complexes have been exemplified as the gas generation region 210, but the gas generation region 210 is not limited to large-scale facilities. For example, the gas generation region 210 may be a small-scale business establishment (e.g., a municipal incinerator, a small-scale factory, etc.) where it is difficult to take measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

[0143] In the first embodiment, the gas discharged from the bioreactor does not contain carbon dioxide and is therefore discharged into the atmosphere (see, for example, FIG. 1). On the other hand, if the carbon dioxide control equipment 222 does not have the removal equipment 420 (see, for example, FIG. 4A), the gas discharged from the bioreactor may contain air pollutants other than carbon dioxide (sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, etc.). Therefore, the gas discharged from the bioreactor may be configured to be returned to the low-concentration carbon dioxide-containing gas source 212 or the like instead of being discharged into the atmosphere.

[0144] In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the information processing device 223 has been described as being realized by a single device, but it may be realized by multiple devices. For example, each functional unit realized by the information processing device 223 may be realized in a distributed manner in multiple devices.

[0145] The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments, but may be combined with other elements, etc. These aspects can be changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and can be appropriately determined depending on the application form.

[0146] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-088551 filed on May 31, 2024 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-217056 filed on December 11, 2024, and the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0147] 200: Valuable resource generation system 210: Gas generation region 211: Low-concentration hydrogen-containing gas generation source 212: Low-concentration carbon dioxide-containing gas generation source 220: Supply system 221: Hydrogen dissolution equipment 222: Carbon dioxide control equipment 223: Information processing device 230: Reaction system 230_1 to 230_n: Bioreactor 310_1, 310_2: Culture medium tank 321: Pump 322: Control valve 323: Flow meter 330: Removal equipment 411: Control valve 412: Flow meter 420: Removal equipment 701, 701': Culture medium amount calculation unit 702: Target flow rate calculation unit 703: Difference calculation unit 704: Valve opening control unit 710: Hydrogen amount prediction unit 711, 711': Carbon dioxide amount calculation unit 712: Target flow rate calculation unit 713: Difference calculation unit 714: Valve opening control unit 920: Supply system 922: Carbon dioxide control equipment 1010_1, 1010_2: Culture medium tank 1021: Pump 1020: Removal equipment 1211, 1211': Culture medium amount calculation unit 1212: Target flow rate calculation unit 1213: Difference calculation unit

Claims

1. A supply system comprising: hydrogen dissolution equipment that dissolves hydrogen contained in a first gas generated at a specified plant into a culture medium; and carbon dioxide control equipment that controls the amount of carbon dioxide contained in a second gas that is supplied to a bioreactor loaded with a culture medium containing chemosynthetic bacteria, and supplies the culture medium with dissolved hydrogen and the carbon dioxide to the bioreactor, wherein the hydrogen dissolution equipment has: a culture medium tank loaded with the culture medium; a first gas supply path that supplies the first gas to the culture medium tank; and a first gas return path that returns the first gas discharged from the culture medium tank to the generation source of the first gas.

2. The supply system according to claim 1, wherein the hydrogen dissolving equipment has a first gas circulation path that circulates the first gas discharged from the culture medium tank back to the culture medium tank.

3. The supply system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the culture medium having the hydrogen dissolved therein and the carbon dioxide in an amount corresponding to the amount of hydrogen dissolved in the culture medium are supplied to the bioreactor.

4. The supply system according to claim 3, wherein the carbon dioxide control equipment controls the flow rate of the second gas for supplying the amount of carbon dioxide corresponding to the amount of hydrogen dissolved in the culture medium to the bioreactor, based on the concentration of the carbon dioxide contained in the second gas.

5. A supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the carbon dioxide control equipment comprises a removal equipment for removing a repellent substance for chemosynthetic bacteria contained in the culture medium loaded into the bioreactor from the second gas.

6. The supply system according to claim 2, wherein the first gas return path returns a portion of the first gas circulating through the first gas circulation path to a source of the first gas.

7. The supply system according to claim 2, wherein the hydrogen dissolving facility has a first gas secondary supply path that supplies a portion of the first gas circulating through the first gas circulation path to a combustion facility.

8. A supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the hydrogen dissolving equipment comprises a removal equipment for removing a repellent substance for chemosynthetic bacteria contained in the culture medium loaded into the bioreactor from the first gas.

9. A supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the hydrogen dissolving equipment comprises: a plurality of first culture medium supply paths connected to the plurality of bioreactors, respectively, as first culture medium supply paths for supplying the culture medium in which hydrogen has been dissolved to the bioreactors.

10. The supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the hydrogen dissolving equipment controls the flow rate of the culture medium in which hydrogen is dissolved and supplied to the bioreactor.

11. The supply system according to claim 10, wherein the hydrogen dissolving facility controls the flow rate of the culture medium in which the hydrogen has been dissolved based on the amount of hydrogen required to achieve a predetermined target amount of valuable material production.

12. The supply system according to claim 11, wherein the hydrogen dissolving equipment controls the flow rate of the culture medium in which the hydrogen has been dissolved based on the saturated solubility of the hydrogen under the temperature and pressure in the culture medium tank.

13. A supply system comprising: hydrogen dissolution equipment for dissolving hydrogen contained in a first gas generated at a specified plant into a culture medium; and carbon dioxide control equipment for dissolving carbon dioxide contained in a second gas generated at a specified plant into the culture medium, and supplying the culture medium in which the hydrogen has been dissolved and the culture medium in which the carbon dioxide has been dissolved to a bioreactor loaded with a culture medium containing chemosynthetic bacteria, wherein the hydrogen dissolution equipment has: a culture medium tank loaded with the culture medium; a first gas supply path for supplying the first gas to the culture medium tank; and a first gas return path for returning the first gas discharged from the culture medium tank to the source of the first gas.

14. The supply system according to claim 13, wherein the hydrogen dissolving equipment has a first gas circulation path that circulates the first gas discharged from the culture medium tank back to the culture medium tank.

15. The supply system according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the hydrogen dissolving equipment and the carbon dioxide control equipment are arranged in parallel or in series, and the culture medium in which the hydrogen and the carbon dioxide are dissolved is supplied to the bioreactor.

16. The supply system according to claim 14, wherein the carbon dioxide control equipment comprises: a culture medium tank filled with a culture medium; a second gas supply path for supplying the second gas to the culture medium tank; and a second gas return path for returning the second gas discharged from the culture medium tank to a source of the second gas.

17. The supply system according to claim 16, wherein the carbon dioxide control equipment has a second gas circulation path that circulates the second gas discharged from the culture medium tank back to the culture medium tank.

18. A supply system as described in claim 17, wherein the first gas return path returns a portion of the first gas circulating through the first gas circulation path to a source of the first gas, and the second gas return path returns a portion of the second gas circulating through the second gas circulation path to a source of the second gas.

19. A supply system according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the hydrogen dissolution equipment comprises a removal equipment that removes from the first gas a repellent substance to chemosynthetic bacteria contained in the culture medium loaded into the bioreactor, and the carbon dioxide control equipment comprises a removal equipment that removes from the second gas a repellent substance to chemosynthetic bacteria contained in the culture medium loaded into the bioreactor.

20. A supply system according to any one of claims 13 to 19, wherein the hydrogen dissolution equipment comprises: a plurality of first culture medium supply paths connected to each of the plurality of bioreactors as first culture medium supply paths for supplying the culture medium in which the hydrogen has been dissolved to the bioreactor; and the carbon dioxide control equipment comprises: a plurality of second culture medium supply paths connected to each of the plurality of bioreactors as second culture medium supply paths for supplying the culture medium in which the carbon dioxide has been dissolved in an amount corresponding to the amount of hydrogen dissolved in the culture medium to the bioreactor.

21. A supply system according to any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein the hydrogen dissolving equipment controls the flow rate of the culture medium containing dissolved hydrogen to be supplied to the bioreactor, and the carbon dioxide control equipment controls the flow rate of the culture medium containing dissolved carbon dioxide to be supplied to the bioreactor.

22. The supply system described in claim 21, wherein the hydrogen dissolving equipment controls the flow rate of the culture medium in which the hydrogen has been dissolved based on the amount of hydrogen required to achieve a predetermined target amount of valuable substance to be produced, and the carbon dioxide control equipment controls the flow rate of the culture medium in which the carbon dioxide has been dissolved based on the amount of hydrogen required to achieve a predetermined target amount of valuable substance to be produced.

23. The supply system of claim 22, wherein the hydrogen dissolution equipment controls the flow rate of the culture medium having the dissolved hydrogen based on the saturated solubility of the hydrogen under the temperature and pressure in the culture medium tank, and the carbon dioxide control equipment controls the flow rate of the culture medium having the dissolved carbon dioxide based on the saturated solubility of the carbon dioxide under the temperature and pressure in the culture medium tank.

24. A supply method in a supply system comprising: hydrogen dissolution equipment that dissolves hydrogen contained in a first gas generated from a specified plant into a culture medium; and carbon dioxide control equipment that controls the amount of carbon dioxide contained in a second gas supplied to a bioreactor loaded with a culture medium containing chemosynthetic bacteria, wherein the hydrogen dissolution equipment has: a culture medium tank loaded with a culture medium; a first gas supply path that supplies the first gas to the culture medium tank; and a first gas return path that returns the first gas discharged from the culture medium tank to the source of the first gas, wherein the supply method supplies the culture medium in which hydrogen has been dissolved and the carbon dioxide to the bioreactor.

25. A supply method in a supply system comprising: hydrogen dissolution equipment for dissolving hydrogen contained in a first gas generated at a specified plant into a culture medium; and carbon dioxide control equipment for dissolving carbon dioxide contained in a second gas generated at a specified plant into the culture medium, wherein the hydrogen dissolution equipment has: a culture medium tank loaded with a culture medium; a first gas supply path for supplying the first gas to the culture medium tank; and a first gas return path for returning the first gas discharged from the culture medium tank to the source of the first gas, wherein the culture medium in which hydrogen has been dissolved and the culture medium in which carbon dioxide has been dissolved are supplied to a bioreactor loaded with a culture medium containing chemosynthetic bacteria.

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