Method of synthesizing a biological product and related pipe arrangement for performing the method

Abstract

A method of synthesizing a biological product (1) is presented. The method comprises (S1) supplying process water (2) to a pipe arrangement (10) with a plurality of pipe sections (11ij), wherein the pipe sections (11) are cascaded in a descending order, (S2) providing microalgae (3) to the process water (2), (S3) retaining the microalgae-enhanced process water (2, 3) in and letting it run through the pipe sections (11) consecutively, wherein the process water (2, 3) first enters an elevated pipe section (1111) and then enters a lower pipe section (1112) driven by gravity, and (S4) exposing the process water (2) in the pipe sections (11ij) to an irradiation (4) such that the microalgae (3) are allowed to grow under the irradiation (4), wherein a part of the water (H2O) evaporates. Moreover, a related pipe arrangement is presented.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Method of synthesizing a biological product and related pipe arrangement for performing the method

[0003] The present invention relates to a method of producing or synthesizing a biological product or resource, like naturally grown algae, particularly by using renewable energy sources and plentiful and sustainable assets. Moreover, the present invention relates to a pipe arrangement for performing the mentioned synthesis.

[0004] The invention aims particularly at a novel process or concept at large (industrial) scale, thereby having the potential to strongly the renewable energy transition and counteracting climate change. The presented technical solution actually stands out for having a plurality of additional merits and value streams reaching beyond the mere production of algae or biological matter. To this effect, as will be described in detail herein, the presented concept bears significant environmental, economic, social and ethical benefits.

[0005] Replacing fossil fuels is crucial for effectively avoiding climate change. For an effective prevention of a global climate change, it is crucial to apply industries and technical solutions in a territorial broad ( supra-regional ) way, and in a way to make use of available resources without interfering with pending environmental, ethical, and social implications, boundary conditions, and without depleting natural resources for the mere sake of profit or for the mere sake of a different (sustainable) resource.

[0006] So far, attempts to sustainably include (i.e. without depleting or destroying huge areas) desert countries as a provider of resources in the global energy landscape and energy transition, like in the supply chain or synthesis of biofuels, largely failed. While desert countries are evidently predestined as a supplier of solar energy, it has ever been di f ficult to establish energy technology around such renewable sources in a suf ficient way due to environmental , social and / or political boundaries .

[0007] In the past , winning of resources and energy carriers was always closely linked to deserti fication, natural depletion, wastelands and unavailability of areas on the long-term . Hence related energy solutions failed to be truly sustainable .

[0008] Hence , there is a stringent demand to include developing countries in the supply chain of sustainable energy systems such as biological fuel synthesis in compliance with social and environmental rules . I f , on the contrary, social and environmental aspects were not accounted for suf ficiently on the contrary, this would further push natural and economic imbalances and calamities , like natural disasters , poverty, extinction of species , flows of refugees , such as from the African continent towards other areas .

[0009] Assuming the importance of biofuels ( as an alternative to pure hydrogen production) or biologically produced resources for a global decarboni zed production, related industrial processes and related value streams , it is critically now to lead a discourse among technical experts on whether or not suf ficient amounts of sustainable biofuels can be produced for the global demand in future .

[0010] Using first generation biofuels , e . g . derived from agricultural products , protein and fat utili zation, and so- called second-generation biofuels , like derived from biomass in forestry, is both is deemed either impractical , unsustainable , unaf fordable or nor really reliable at large scale . This is because of both of these approaches compete either with food production or naturally protected habitats or nature reserves . Until today, no economically viable solution for this so-called third generation biofuel based on algae and / or cyanobacteria has been demonstrated .

[0011] Today, the vast maj ority of biofuels are produced from the first or the second-generation stock .

[0012] Provided that a spread of revolutionary technical solutions and measures fostering the energy transition and counteracting climate change does not occur and related measures fail to implement sustainable energy solutions in the near future , an environmental crisis will arise even stronger than it already does today, as currently reported by experts in the field in the related fora, intergovernmental panels , and congresses . Concludingly, the mentioned third generation biofuels , based on biological matter, like algae or bacteria, are required throughout and at large scale .

[0013] Algae synthesis is a conventional method, usually employing so-called pond tracks or raceway ponds , wherein algae can be cultivated and wherein a paddle wheel may be used to generate a slight flow of algae-enhanced water around the circuit . This solution, however, fails to control concentration of ingredients and therewith the biological process and growth kinetics in a suf ficient way, as the pool in the pond is by default subj ected to contaminants from the environment .

[0014] In an alternative solution, closed glass pipes may be used in which an arti ficial , however well-controlled, slurry in terms of additives , nutrients , and fertili zers etc . is retained and cultivated for the synthesis of algae species , such as for food or medical technology . These rather " in-vitro" conditions , including arti ficial irradiation, however, require huge equipment expenditures . Hence , these approached are hardly suitable for the production or synthesis of biological species ( algae , cyanobacteria ) at the required industrial scale .

[0015] It is hence an obj ect of the present invention to provide means that tackle and solve the above-described problems and dilemma by a new concept of producing biological resources . More particularly, the presented solution comprises an inventive process and a related plant arrangement for performing the method at large scale , low cost and low level of technical complexity . In yet more detail , the presented solution af fords several industrial and trans formative value streams at the expense of plenti ful and sustainable resources . The inventive solution allows this in compliance with high ESG standards .

[0016] The mentioned obj ect is achieved by the subj ect-matters of the independent claims . Advantageous embodiments are subj ectmatter of the dependent claims .

[0017] An aspect of the present invention relates to a method of synthesi zing a biological or naturally grown product or resource .

[0018] The method comprises supplying or employing a process water, like an industrial water, raw water, preferably marine water or seawater, to a pipe arrangement , wherein the pipe arrangement comprises a plurality of pipe sections , segments or elements , and wherein the pipe sections are cascaded or stepped in a descending order, e . g . such that water can flow or trickle down from an elevated level towards a level of lower ( gravitational ) potential .

[0019] The method further comprises providing microalgae , embryonic algae or ( cyano- ) bacteria to the supplied process water . The process water can for instance be doped or enhanced in a related way such as with a particular amount of an algae seed or nucleus to one or several of the pipe sections .

[0020] The method further comprises retaining the microalgae- enhanced or bacteria-enhanced process water in and letting it run through the pipe sections consecutively, wherein the process water first enters - either by retainment or running through - an elevated pipe section and then enters , flows or moves down one or more lower pipe sections as compared to the elevated pipe section and driven by gravity .

[0021] The process step of providing the microalgae can - within the course of the method - actually occur during or after the step of the retaining . In other words , the microalgae may be added to the process upfront and only then supplied to the pipe sections , or the microalgae may be provided to it while the water is already retained in the pipe sections .

[0022] The method further comprises exposing a portion of the process water in the pipe sections to an irradiation, such that the microalgae are allowed to (biologically) grow and multiply under (preferably solar ) irradiation, wherein a part of the water evaporates .

[0023] Evidently, when applied at an industrial scale , the concept excels in capturing huge amounts of carbon dioxide by way of the algae growth . On the one hand, the carbon dioxide is naturally available in the pipe sections and may as well be added to them in an arti ficial way . To this ef fect , the method may be perceived as a carbon capture and storage method, ef fectively counteracting global warming and climate change by the related potential to reduce CO2 in the environment . In the face of the expected future green energy or CO2 certi fication business , monetary incentives arise in the countries , where the presented energy solutions are employed . Moreover, the rather low-cost and low-technological implementation and ef fort of the method, as will be described further below by way of the various embodiments , enables it to be employed in developing, economically barren and desert countries by low education workforce , thereby of fering potentially employment infrastructure and value to poor regions .

[0024] Evidently, and as will be pointed out herein, bio-based oil can be produced which can in turn be used as fuel for conventional power generation purposes , such as in gas turbines , or the like . Moreover, the method bears the potential to deliver ( distilled) fresh water as a byproduct of the oil synthesi zing process . Through the evaporation of the process water, the potential is af forded to mine precious minerals from seawater . Hence the method may as well or in part be perceived as a mining approach of so far untapped resources , like rare earth elements , platinum group metals , lithium, copper, cobalt , silver, gold and the like .

[0025] Notably the described upsides and merits of the process go at the utili zation of ( only) plenti ful assets like of economically barren and poor regions . The mentioned assets are seawater, air, CO2 , open wasteland and intense solar irradiation, for instance . Further renewable "drivers" of the process e . g . pertain to gravity, elevated terrain, and free or low educational workforce . With these assets , as will become evident also by the present study results , it is possible to develop an " industry" that does not interfere with other precious resources , like rain forests and thereby supports sustainable measures like natural habitat reservation and reservation . The process may even counteract poverty-induced migration and support economic progress also in poor or agricultural regions .

[0026] In an embodiment the irradiation is solar irradiation, like ( thermal ) sunlight , which is a renewable energy source . Whereas it is basically possible to implement the present solution with artificial irradiation or artificial light, a large-scale production is expected to require true renewable solar-thermal energy. The inventive advantages manifest best, when the process is performed in an open environment with the presence sunlight.

[0027] A preferred embodiment foresees use of (marine) seawater as process water in the course of the method. Evidently, seawater poses a plentiful asset that is quasi-inf initely available in coastal areas around the globe. Though, the method further works with other process water sources, such as waste and sewage water. However, seawater evidently facilitates a reproducible and continuous production of algae growth due to its foreseeable composition, constant salt content and the potential to mine precious and scarce materials from it.

[0028] An elevated level of the first (elevated) pipe section is, according to an embodiment of the invention, established by an uphill or upstairs arrangement of the related pipe section(s) , and / or e.g. an arrangement on buildings or towers, like towers of an onshore wind power plant. The pipe arrangement can e.g. be arranged uphill according to a topographic specification of the area, the solution of the present application is applied to.

[0029] According to a preferred embodiment, the invention intends to let the process water (slowly) run or flow downwards through the pipe sections, preferably in a stepwise and consecutive or cascaded manner. Thereby, the process water becomes ever more concentrated, inter alia in salt content, due to the solar irradiation and the affected evaporation of parts of water. Simultaneously, a slurry of energy thereby becomes ever more yielding or dense. Expediently a type or species of the algae is chosen such that it matches best to the predefined and expected growth conditions and temperature ranges in the pipe sections . In the desert or warmer regions , the method may e . g . be performed by algae that grow best in a temperature domain of above 28 ° C, for instance . Whereas it might as well be possible to apply the method in desert or highland regions with lower ambient temperature , such that algae with optimal growth conditions of only 15 ° C or below are deployed .

[0030] A dwelling time of a content of the pipe sections ( forming a batch) , comprising the dissolved microalgae in the process water is chosen such that an algae or production yield approximately doubles every day or every few days . This rate shall serve as an example , whereas it is apparent for the skilled person that the production rate may be tailored in any other way without departing from the inventive idea . Also , the mentioned rate may be construed as an average , as it is evident that the algae growth might be slow a first phase , and it might turn into a quasi-exponential growth at a later stage and depending on the position and elevation of the batch in the pipe arrangement .

[0031] In an embodiment , each pipe section, which may have a length of approximately ten m, retains its content of algae slurry for a period between approximately 30 minutes and several hours , preferably about one hour . Likewise , this measure shall only give an estimation as the skilled person readily contemplates adj usting the dwelling or retention time to the plenty of parameters , like volume of process water, ambient temperature , CO2 content , inclination angle and the composition of the initial liquid, forming the first batch, j ust to name a small number of parameters .

[0032] According to an embodiment , ( gaseous ) carbon dioxide is added to the algae-water mixture which further supports the biological algae growth . This measure might be necessary as the ambient CO2, such as in a gaseous volume of the pipe sections, may be consumed rapidly by the algae vegetation so that an addition of carbon dioxide becomes necessary. To this effect, the method essentially presents a CCS "Carbon Capture and Storage" function.

[0033] In a particular embodiment, the method comprises injection of carbon dioxide, such as in a gaseous form into the pipe sections in regular temporal intervals. This means in other words that the carbon dioxide is preferably distributed in and / or mixed to the process water in bubbles permeating through it. It is also contemplated that the carbon dioxide may be let into only some of the pipe sections being spaced by a certain distance during the gravitational run of the liquid growth batches.

[0034] Further agents may - according to continuative embodiments - be added to the algae slurry in the pipe. E.g., fertilizing agents, nutrients, vitamins or other agents may be used as additives in order to establish a favorable growth environment for the species, and leading to a preferably high output of the product. In particular sewage water, being e.g. accumulated as a reject, may be utilized as a fertilizer, irrespective of the composition of the process water.

[0035] At the end of the process or cascaded, as described herein, an algae product is expediently obtained from the content of the related (e.g. the most downstream or lowest) pipe section. The product can e.g. be obtained or separated by filters, centrifugal vortex extraction means, with or without chemical additional agents, by flocculation, by the use of solvents, or the like. This separation can as well be done in separate or consecutive method steps.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment, an oil is extracted or separated from the algae product so synthesized, preferably by pressing or similar methods . In a preferred embodiment , the obtained oil is a vegetable oil or bio-oil .

[0037] The oil is preferably suitable and / or used as a resource for synthesi zing a fuel . In contrast to the first- and second- generation biofuels mentioned above , this obtained oil is a resource for a true third-generation biological fuel which may be conventionally combusted in engines or gas turbines .

[0038] Additionally or alternatively, cellulose and / or a salty biomass residue is accumulated and can advantageously be extracted from the algae product as a still further resource . The cellulose product will be remaining from the process as a green cake that can also be used as a resource , such as when it is further processed via pyrolysis or fermentation in order to yield bitumen, biochar, bio asphalt , biological crude oil and / or a biological alcohol component , such as methanol or ethanol .

[0039] In embodiment , a salty residue is further processed to a building material , like bricks for houses . Hence , the process even delivers plenty of valuable resources in economically barren regions and can be of great value in arid countries . Likewise , pure salt or sodium chloride may be separated from the process and taken as a resource or reactant for the related industry branches .

[0040] As a further resource , at the end of the process or cascaded, concentrated seawater is obtained from a content of the related pipe section or plurality of pipe sections . The mentioned seawater is , due to the evaporation of H2O in the pipe sections , concentrated in salt and minerals .

[0041] Consequently, the process provides a very favorable basis for mining precious minerals or scarce materials . It is evident that this can be of invaluable benefit for poorer countries and as well for economies which are poor in other mineral resources . In other words , these precious minerals , like platinum group metals , rare earth materials , lithium, copper, cobalt etc . may be mined in line with the other value streams of the presented method . Therewith the stage is set for a fully new route of mining minerals from seawater as a byproduct , which is currently yet untapped .

[0042] Still further, condensate water is collected in or during the process , e . g . by partly cooling the pipe sections or at night , when a algae slurry preferably rests in the pipe sections without being exposed to radiation . These results can in turn be used for agriculture , forestry and natural restoration initiatives , as a cooling medium or cooling agent and / or as a drinking water source , such as in areas where clean fresh water it is extremely scarce . The condensate water can e . g . be collected via related conducts , tunnels or (downhill ) channels in the arrangement .

[0043] In an embodiment an overheating or excessive salt concentration the biological algae growth could not stand is counteracted in the pipe section by the inlet of freshwater into one or several of the pipe sections . By these means it is advantageously possible to maintain a favorable growth environment in the pipe sections at modest personal and technological ef fort .

[0044] The presented method is preferably conducted in a continues manner at an industrial scale , wherein it is possible to reinitiate the process with traces of algae that have already been produced . Moreover, the process may be fully continuous , or it may in parts be conducted as a batch-like process , wherein the composition of the single volume of liquid and / or gas in the pipe sections develops per batch in the downhill gravitational run, and is not intermixed with other batches .

[0045] A further aspect of the present invention relates to a pipe facility or pipe arrangement for performing the method as described . The arrangement is hence suitable for synthesi zing the biological product according to the described method . Therefore , the arrangement comprises a plurality of , preferably at least ten or even up to 30 or more cascaded pipe sections . These pipe sections may be slightly tilted in order to allow for a slight downward flow of liquid . The pipe sections are further arranged in a descending order from an elevated pipe section towards lower pipe sections , wherein the pipe sections are further configured to retain a process water for the synthesis and expose the retained process water to ( solar ) irradiation, and wherein pipe arrangement is further configured to control a gravitational run of the process water downwards through the pipe sections .

[0046] In another embodiment , the pipe sectors are configured to be made gastight and / or watertight and have a diameter or semiaxis between 0 . 5 m and 2 m, preferably of about 1 m .

[0047] In embodiment , the pipe sections are made of or comprise large windows of acrylic glass to let the irradiation transmit into the interior .

[0048] In an embodiment of the arrangement , the pipe sections are set up such that a gravitational run of the process water through the pipe sections traverses an elevation, i . e . preferably a height or vertical distance , of at least one meter per 100 m of hori zontal extension . In an alternative , e . g . at least 5 to ten meters per 100 m of hori zontal extension could be traversed to allow for a bit more throughput and to shorten the mentioned dwelling time . Such embodiments may, as stated above , depend on and be chosen and adj usted according to the boundary conditions , premises and types of algae .

[0049] Moreover, according to embodiment , the pipe sections are - according to the intended operation of the agreement - filled up to approximately 50 % (hal f ) of its height with ( salty) process water . More speci fically, and as will be described in more detail below, each pipe section or at least a maj ority of pipe sections may be filled with approximately 4 m3of process water, preferably marine seawater .

[0050] The pipe sections are approximately extended to about 10 m in length .

[0051] The pipe sections are in turn preferably elliptical or oval in cross-section, wherein a semi-axis of hori zontal width is greater than a semi-axis of eight . Alternatively, the pipe sections may be fully transparent to the thermal transmission and / or solar radiation from sunlight . The latter embodiment may be advantageous when a mirror or reflector arrangement is contemplated .

[0052] According to this embodiment , the arrangement comprises reflectors or mirrors , wherein the arrangement is configured - and the mirrors are preferably arranged - to focus ( solar ) irradiation from the surrounding through a side wall of the pipe sections into its interior . A fully transparent pipe section features the advantages that radiation may be reflected into the pipe sections also from a bottom part , and not only from an upper part of the pipe sections .

[0053] Anyway, the part of one or preferably all of the pipe sections which is intended to transmit thermal radiation or sunlight , such as a transparent or translucent part of the pipe sections , can be li fted of f to allow for easy cleaning and / or maintenance .

[0054] The arrangement preferably further comprises an agitation mechanism, such as by turning, shaking and / or vibrating a content of the pipe section to support and algae growth . In more detail , the arrangement may be configured to turn the related pipe section upside down in order to agitate growth, to stir the liquid through or to shake it , such as by a small vibrating or agitation drive .

[0055] According to an embodiment of the arrangement , the pipe sections are segmented and the arrangement comprises a locking element , such as sliders or locks , being configured to establish a watertight lock between adj acent pipe sections , such as to retain and increase dwelling time of the process water into ease service or maintenance of the pipe sections , such as without having to empty all sections and ramp down the whole system .

[0056] In order to configure the arrangement such that any of the above-described method steps can be carried out , the pipe sections preferably comprise internal collecting pipes . The pipes are configured for recovery of a water condensate , wherein the collecting pipes are slightly arranged above the intended process water level . According to this embodiment , the evaporated condensed water can be gathered most expediently .

[0057] In a more speci fic embodiment , there may be two collecting pipes or two halves of collecting pipes adj acent to one another and extending preferably over almost the whole length of the pipe sections , respectively .

[0058] In a particular embodiment , these water collectors may span e . g . more than 80% of the pipe width to collect as much as dripping down condensate water as possible .

[0059] In an embodiment , drainage pipes are coupled to the arrangement during which the collected condensate water is drained of , collected, or tunneled and conveyed towards an agricultural or industrial use .

[0060] The arrangement may, according to a further embodiment , comprise a device , such as spiral conveyors or an Archimedes Screw or economic or gentle pumps driven by eco- friendly renewable power . By way of this device , the process water can be brought to the elevated level in order to start the gravitational run . The device may be a conveying or pumping device with which the process water is brought to a higher gravitational potential , in other words .

[0061] The arrangement may further comprise an extraction facility, wherein the extraction facility comprises mechanical filtering stages in which the algae product can be filtered out , while concentrated seawater is e . g . further conveyed to a mining facility . Assuming that more or less all chemical elements are dissolved in the seawater, but in natural concentration on a very limited concentration, this mining approach is very promising in order to mine and separate the above-mentioned precious minerals as a by-product .

[0062] At the bottom of the pipe sections , a carbon dioxide conduct or pipe may be provided . To this ef fect , the arrangement preferably comprises related valves to provide additional gaseous carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide bubbles for the synthesis , as described above .

[0063] In a further embodiment , the arrangement comprises a mechanical support or sti f fening element for ( each of ) the pipe section ( s ) for mechanically supporting the arrangement against external influences , such as weather conditions and storms . This mechanical support may be any mechanical scaf folding or reinforcement structure that evidently protects the arrangement against harsh weather conditions which may otherwise damage the arrangement . Hence , li fetime of the whole plant , and reliability of the underlying process may advantageously be increased and optimi zed .

[0064] According to a further embodiment of the arrangement , the same may comprise at least two consecutive stages of pipe section or cascades , wherein each stage comprises a plurality, preferably at least ten, pipe sections and wherein a second stage is arranged downstream of a first stage . Said term "downstream" may relate to a later point along the gravitational run and along the overall flow or movement of process water .

[0065] Without loss of generality, the arrangement may comprise in principle any number of pipe sections per stage and even a number of stages , and is hence easily scalable . E . g . , it may be comprised of ten to 30 or even more pipe sections per stage .

[0066] Advantages and embodiments relating to the described method are valid or pertain likewise to the pipe arrangement and vice versa .

[0067] Further, features and advantageous embodiments become apparent from the following description of the exemplary embodiment in connection with the Figures .

[0068] Figure 1 shows a schematic flow chart of an algae production process and a related post-processing sequence indicating related value streams .

[0069] Figure 2 indicates by way of a simple flowchart , method steps of the inventive solution .

[0070] Figure 3 indicates , in a schematic, part of an inventive pipe arrangement , being suitable to perform the inventive method as described herein .

[0071] Figure 4 shows an inventive pipe arrangement being suitable to conduct the steps of the inventive method as described herein . Figure 5 shows in greater detail , a pipe cross-section outlining more speci fic embodiments of the inventive approach .

[0072] Like elements , elements of the same kind and identically acting elements may be provided with the same reference numerals in the figures . The Figures are not necessarily depicted true to scale and may be scaled up or down to allow for a better understanding of the illustrated principles . Rather, the described Figures are to be construed in a broad sense and as a qualitative base which allows a person skilled in the art to apply the presented teaching in a versatile way .

[0073] The term „and / or" as used herein shall mean that each of the listed elements may be taken alone or in conj unction with two or more of further listed elements .

[0074] Figure 1 indicates by way of a schematic process chart , value streams and di f ferent method steps of an algae synthesis from which inter alia a biological fuel is gained as a resource . Parts of this process or single sub-steps thereof steps may form part of the prior art . The general process flow is indicated by the various arrows in this scheme .

[0075] On the left it is shown that water 2 is added to an algae production pond ( cf . reference 6 ) . This pond may be a conventional raceway or algae synthesis pond . Moreover, carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) is added, either via the ambient air or via captured carbon, such as from industrial processes . Still further, nutrients 5 are added to the algae slurry 6 .

[0076] The slurry 6 in the algae pond is irradiated with sunlight , as indicated by the pictogram of the sun and reference 4 .

[0077] After a certain period of algae growth, the algae 3 may be harvested and settled . The settling of the algae 3 is indicated by the test glass 41. To this test glass of settling 41, a flocculent 40 may be added optionally. Afterwards, the separated, settled or precipitated algae product may be further dissolved in an air flotation 43.

[0078] The substeps 41, 42 and 43 may be performed such that water from these steps may be recycled (cf. numeral 42) and fed back to the algae slurry 6 in the pond. Likewise, any byproducts may be blown down (cf. numeral 51) after a centrifuging step.

[0079] After the dissolution, the related product may be passed on to a centrifuge 44, wherein further separation steps may be carried out, such as treated with specific solvents 46. In line with this step or in a subsequent step, lipids may be extracted (cf. reference 47) from the (centrifuged) product. A product from this sub-steps may be passed to a further phase separation and solvent recovery 48, wherein a part of the solvent may be passed back to the lipid extraction 47.

[0080] As indicated by reference 1, a raw oil or biologic oil is obtained as an (intermediate) product. Upon a subsequent hydrotreatment, this order may further be hydrogenated (cf. reference 45 and HVO "Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil") in order to synthesize a biological fuel, for example. Even though this is not explicitly indicated, further method steps may then follow until naphtha, diesel, kerosene or the like is obtained .

[0081] Directly or indirectly after the mentioned phase separation 48, the product 1 may be subjected to an anaerobic digestion is indicated by reference 50. From this, the biogas may be split or separated which can then be combusted, e.g. in a turbine 49, with which sustainable energy E or a related mechanical power P can be generated and made available to the demanding application. In turn, a flue gas from the gas combustion in the turbine 49 may even be fed back to the algae growth in the pond 6 and recycled .

[0082] The inventive solution, as will be described by way of Figure

[0083] 2 onwards , is similar to this process scheme and may deploy di f ferent similar sub-steps . As a di f ference , however, a plurality of additional values and merits can be provided, wherein almost solely sustainable asserts are used . As will be described, the method may as well function as carbon capture and storage technology .

[0084] Figure 2 shows a very simple and schematic flowchart of inventive method steps . The inventive method is a method of synthesi zing a biological product 1 comprising S I supplying process water 2 to a pipe arrangement 10 with a plurality of pipe sections l ip , wherein the pipe sections 11 are cascaded in a descending order ( cf . also Figure 4 ) .

[0085] The method further comprises in step S2 providing microalgae

[0086] 3 to the process water 2 .

[0087] The method further comprises in step S3 retaining the microalgae-enhanced process water 2 , 3 in and letting it run through the pipe sections 11 consecutively, wherein the process water 2 , 3 first enters an elevated pipe section l lu and then enters a lower pipe section I I12 driven by gravity .

[0088] Moreover, the method further comprises step S4 exposing the process water 2 in the pipe sections l ip to an irradiation 4 such that the microalgae 3 are allowed to grow under the irradiation 4 , wherein a part of the water (H2O) evaporates .

[0089] The following figures will describe further embodiments of the invention, i . e . the inventive method and the inventive pipe arrangement , along with more details . Similarly, the di f ferent value streams are described and possible application scales discussed in terms of the related algae production capabilities and carbon dioxide capturing potentials .

[0090] Particularly six different value streams VI to V6 are referred to herein briefly, which may e.g. be exploited when the further method steps (cf. S5, S6 and S7) are appended to the core inventive steps SI to S4.

[0091] At first to mention is VI, in which the oil 1 is extracted in a first value stream VI from the algae product 1, preferably by pressing, as may fall under step S5.

[0092] Moreover, the obtained oil is a suitable resource and further processed for synthesizing a fuel HVO (cf . Figure 1) . As a byproduct of further resource, cellulose and / or a salty residue accumulates, which can be extracted from the algae product 1 as a further resource in value stream V2.

[0093] The cellulose and / or the residue may then be processed via pyrolysis and / or fermentation (cf. S6, 50) in order to yield bitumen, asphalt, a biological char, and / or a biological alcohol compound, such as a methanol or ethanol. All these possibilities are summarized under value stream V3, for example .

[0094] Also, as shall be indicated by way of value stream V4, a salty residue is further processed to a building material, like bricks for houses.

[0095] At the end of the process or cascade, furthermore concentrated seawater is obtained from a content of the related pipe section (s) ll±j, wherein the concentrated seawater has enriched levels of precious minerals which are further mined in value stream V5 and in method step S7, for example . Still further, water condensate is collected in the pipe sections l lij which is further used for agriculture , forestry, as a cooling medium or cooling agent , and / or as a drinking water source V6 .

[0096] Figure 3 shows part of an inventive pipe arrangement 10 , more particularly a cross-section of a pipe . The related pipe section being representative for all pipe section of the arrangement 10 , comprise a width W and a height H' . It is preferred that the pipe section ( s ) have an oval or elliptical shape , wherein the width of the greater semi-axis W is greater than the height H' . This embodiment poses the advantage that a preferably large ratio of sunlight or solar irradiation 4 can enter the pipe section, whereas it maintains a good mechanical stability and favorable retention of process or seawater 2 .

[0097] The dashed hori zontal line 21 shall indicate a fill level of microalgae-enhanced process water 2 . It is shown that the fill level preferably and approximately amounts to 50 % of the total capacity of the related pipe section 11 . This means that - during the intended operation of the arrangement 10 - the pipe sections 11 are preferably filled up to approximately 50 % of its height with process water 2 .

[0098] It is further shown that at both lateral sides ( cf . left and right in figure 3 ) the wall of the pipe section, being expediently transparent or translucent for the irradiation, is embodied slightly stronger than a top and bottom part . This reinforced or stronger wall thickness of the pipe sections 11 may function as a sti f fener or supporting element . Said supporting or sti f fening element is described in addition in Figure 4 and indicated therein by reference 14 . In the alternative , an additional sti f fening element or reinforcement scaf fold may be contemplated . Expediently ( each of ) the pipe section is further configured gastight and / or watertight in order to be able to reliably control the ingredients of the process water, and hence the algae growth . It is apparent for the skilled person that the dimension of the pipe sections may be altered without departing from the inventive idea . However, j ust to give an example , a diameter or one of the mentioned semi-axes of the pipe sections may amount to between 0 . 5 m and 2 m, preferably of about 1 m .

[0099] It is further shown in Figure 3 that the arrangement 10 comprises mirrors 12 or a mirror arrangement . Said mirrors 12 are preferably arranged and / or the arrangement configured to focus solar irradiation from a surrounding or lateral side of the pipe sections l ip into its interior . To this ef fect , an upper part of the pipe sections is preferably transparent to the related ( solar ) irradiation . Additionally or alternatively, also a bottom side of the sections may be transparent to sunlight or a related thermal spectrum of sunlight in order to increase ef ficiency of the process .

[0100] Figure 4 indicates the inventive approach in much greater detail and by way of an inventive pipe arrangement 10 comprising a plurality of the described pipe sections l ip .

[0101] The pipe arrangement 10 is suitable to perform the described method of synthesi zing a biological product 1 . To this ef fect , the arrangement 10 comprises , preferably at least ten , cascaded pipe sections l ip , wherein the pipe sections l ip are arranged in a descending order from an elevated pipe section l lu, I I22 towards lower pipe sections l ip , wherein the pipe sections l ip are further configured to retain the process water 2 and to expose the retained process water 2 to the solar irradiation 4 .

[0102] The pipe arrangement 10 is hence set up to control a gravitational run of the process water 2 in a downward flow and / or interrupted movement downwards through the pipe sections llij .

[0103] It is apparent from the exemplary embodiment of the arrangement 10 in Figure 4 that it preferably comprises a plurality of stages Sti,2- A first stage Stl of cascaded pipe sections llu until lino is shown on the left in Figure 4, while the second, subsequent stage St2 of cascaded pipe sections II21 until II210 is shown on the right in the Figure 4. Expediently, the second stage St2 is arranged downstream of the first stage Stl.

[0104] One of the stages may have a horizontal extension of L as shown by the arrow in Figure 4. As will be further described in greater detail, the length L may amount to 100 m, for example .

[0105] An elevated level of at least the elevated pipe section (s) llii H21, is established by an uphill arrangement 20 of the related pipe section(s) , an arrangement upstairs, or / and buy an installation of the arrangement on buildings or towers. In fact, the different cascades or stages of the arrangement 10 may be adapted to a topography of the area or region, to which the present solution is applied. The stages may e.g. be arranged on top of small hills, such that the process water 2 can move downhill through the pipes 11.

[0106] Elevation devices 18 preferably lift the process water 2 up to an elevation of H = 10 m, whereas a difference in the height h of the pipe sections llij may amount to 50 cm, for example .

[0107] Furthermore, it is intended that only little (renewable or sustainable) energy is consumed for bringing the process water in the gravitational run up to the elevated level. To this effect, an elevation device 18 is used. The elevation device 18 may be formed by spiral conveyors, such as an Archimedes' Screw, or efficient, low power pumps. These elevation devices, e.g. one device per stage is foreseen, could be powered by renewable solar energy, or by mechanical drives, or even driven by farm animals, like donkeys, camels (instead of conventionally powered electric pumps) , or the like .

[0108] It is the intention of the present invention that the process water 2 slowly runs downwards through the pipe sections lip, preferably stepwise, thereby becoming ever more concentrated in salt content due to solar irradiation and a slurry 6 of algae thereby becoming ever more yielding.

[0109] It is further clearly shown in the schema Figure 4, that the the pipe sections lip are segmented and not per se in fluid communication with each other, but that the arrangement 10 comprises locking elements 16 being configured to establish a watertight lock between adjacent pipe sections in order to retain and increase dwelling time of the process water 2 and to ease service, cleaning or maintenance of the pipe sections lip . The locks 16 may be automatically controlled such that, after a given dwelling time, the contents of the related sections are emptied into the next downflow or lower section, either in a consecutive or simultaneous manner.

[0110] The locks 16 further enable in-service maintenance and ease cleaning and repair of a single section, without having to empty the whole system 10.

[0111] In addition, as indicated by the dashed horizontal lines in the related pipe sections 11, a mechanical support or stiffening element 14 mechanically support the arrangement 10 against external influences like wind and weather conditions posing a dynamical load and hazard to the arrangement.

[0112] The stiffening or support elements 14, as shown in Figures 4 and 5 may e.g. be wire stiffeners or reinforcements, to particularly prevent sideway movement of the system during storms .

[0113] Hence , the inventive approach is preferably a continuous process , wherein the process is reinitiali zed by providing microalgae 3 as a portion from the algae product 1 .

[0114] Nevertheless the ( algae ) product 1 may be separated or extracted after the gravitational run through the whole arrangement 30 . Only then, subsequent method steps , like the described steps S5 , S 6 and S7 may follow, and particularly, the products may be passed through an extraction device 30 ( cf . also substeps as shown in Figure 1 ) . The extraction facility 30 may comprises mechanical filtering stages in which algae are filtered out , while concentrated seawater is e . g . further conveyed to a mining facility (not explicitly indicated) . The mining facility may deploy further filtering technology in order to extract precious minerals or valuable elements from the seawater (process ) water, like rare earth elements , platinum group metals , lithium, copper, cobalt , silver and gold, for instance .

[0115] Figure 5 indicate exemplary embodiments of the arrangement 10 and / or the pipe sections 11 , comparable to the perspective of Figure 3 , in yet greater detail . A representative pipe section 11 is shown in a sectional view, wherein the pipes approximately have a round shape and a process water 2 , comprising the addition of the bacteria or microalgae ( cf . slurry 6 ) is shown at the bottom .

[0116] During the biological process , as described throughout herein, the irradiation (preferably solar radiation which is not explicitly indicated in Figure 5 ) is used to let the algae grow, while the algae-water mixture is retained in the sections for a predefined period of time ( dwelling time ) . While it is apparent that further additives , like fertili zers , nutrients and vitamins or any other growth supporting additives can be added to the process water in order to facilitate the algae growth, the algae 6 basically consume CO2 under the favorable growth conditions and multiply upon irradiation .

[0117] Provided that not suf ficient carbon dioxide is provided in the gaseous atmosphere of the part sections , CO2 may be added via a further speci fic piping or pressure conducts 13 as shown at the bottom of the sections . Valves may e . g . provide additional CCy-bubbles for extra algae-growing "boosts" and mixing of the algae soup during the synthesis .

[0118] By way of these installations , ( gaseous ) carbon dioxide can be fit and made available to the algae slurry in a controlled manner, i . e . in regular intervals , such as by an outlet of bubbles which enrich the content of the pipe sections l lij with carbon dioxide , and then support the algae growth .

[0119] According to the above-mentioned value stream V6 , the inventive process allows to exploit or regain a water condensate which evaporates in the pipes as a consequence of the radiative exposure and which may then be collected, in the internal collecting pipes 17 . It is shown in Figure 5 that two identical collecting pipes 17 are arranged side-by- side at the same level slightly arranged above the intended process water ( fill ) level 21 . Preferably, the collectors 17 span more than 80% of the pipe width ( cf . W in Figure 3 ) to collect as much condensate dripping-down into the collectors as possible .

[0120] In suitable intervals , the condensate water is led out of the gravitational run pipe . The condensate water is then ready to be used for drinking, agricultural or industrial purposes . The water condensate may advantageously as well be used for forestry, or as a cooling medium or cooling agent , and / or even as a drinking water source in the related area . The gravitational run and / or algae growth is preferably only taking place during daytime , i . e . during the sunshine hours when suf ficient solar irradiation is available . During the remainder of the day, the algae are supposed to rest in each pipe section l lij .

[0121] Moreover, Figure 5 shows , roughly indicated by reference 15 , a mechanism to agitate 15 , such as by turning, shaking, and / or vibrating, a content of the pipe section l lij to facilitate algae growth .

[0122] The mentioned carbon dioxide ( "CCy-boost" ) addition from below and thus algae activation, however, shall preferably continue at suitable rates even during the remainder of the day . Particularly at night , water condensation could take place due to naturally cool ambient temperatures . As an option, technical devices can be employed that enhance water condensation in suitable intervals along the gravitational run in the pipe , e . g . via de-moisturi zers .

[0123] Also , it may be contemplated in the context of the invention that CCy-enriched air above a seawater or ocean surface of coastal regions is propelled in a suitable way through the sections to support condensate water extraction and add carbon dioxide to the growth environment .

[0124] Furthermore , waste or sewage water usage is possible as a fertili zing agent 5 for the algae growth . To this ef fect , further piping or inlets (not shown) in addition to the CO2 conducts 13 may be provided to tailor or better control the ingredients of the algae slurry in reasonable temporal and / or spatial intervals . Also , by similar means , any overheating or excessive salt concentration in the pipe sections l lij is counter-acted by fresh marine water inlet into one or several of the pipe sections l lij . In the following, the present invention is further described in other words , thereby outlining further embodiments and merits of the invention in greater detail :

[0125] In a preferred embodiment , it is intended to pump readily available natural salty seawater either uphill into mountains of hot climate countries , upstairs on top of houses or inside wind turbine towers . The saltwater is doped or enhanced with embryonic algae - as a synonym for microalgae and / or bacteria of any kind, like also even cyanobacteria .

[0126] Flowing down under intense solar irradiation, the algae grow and multiply - while the water fraction evaporates . As mentioned, the regained ( fresh) water is either used to water agriculture or anti-deserti fication hedges or cool buildings through the evaporated water .

[0127] The algae , however, end in an ever more thickening salty slurry that will be pressed and processed to create bio-oil and a cake of cellulose and salt .

[0128] By carefully choosing the species or mixture of species , added nutrients or other bio chemicals , the properties of the resulting end products can be modi fied as desired .

[0129] Instead of either using a conventional open seawater pond "racetrack" , such as characteri zed by cheap investment , largely no atmospheric or pollution control , and a high permanent consumption of land area on one side , and known "glass algae production" systems characteri zed by high ( capex ) investment cost on the other side , the present innovation is far more than a combination of the known approaches .

[0130] The process water, particularly marine water is pumped to a higher elevation . In an elevated tank, the algae of certain amount , species and fertili zing agent of a certain amount are added in a controlled fashion to the seawater . The mix of the algae , the seawater and the fertili zing or nutrient agent is then continuously or non-continuously released into the piping system ( cf . Figure 4 in the related description in particular ) which is characteri zed by a cross-sectional geometry being greater in hori zontal dimension than along a vertical dimension . Any of the piping or sections may have a certain slope angle of few degrees , like one , two , three , four or five degrees tilted downwards to ease the downhill movement of the slurry .

[0131] The irradiation 4 of the mixture 6 with sunlight leads to a temperature rise and, depending on the partial pressure in the atmospheric volume in the pipe and further parameters , a certain evaporation of water (H20) occurs .

[0132] As an atmospheric volume from the surrounding atmosphere is essentially sealed of f the related pipe sections 11 , evaporated water is trapped and, once the pipe ' s temperature is substantially lower than the evaporated water' s temperature , condensation of ( distilled) water takes place . This distilled / condensed water is collected by suitably attached drainage pipes and e . g . funneled to human, agricultural applications or industrial use .

[0133] During the gravitational run of the water-algae slurry, not only does the volume of the mixture becomes smaller due to the evaporation, but also becomes the mixture ever saltier . The dwelling time under irradiation governs this process of concentration . The longer the pipe 11 at a given slope angle , the higher will an end concentration be as compared to a start concentration .

[0134] At the same time , the amount of algae in the mixture increases , depending mainly on the species of algae , its suitability to grow at the prevailing local conditions , the more or less optimal presence of fertili zing agent and the amount or intensity of solar light . It is not unusual and supported by expert knowledge in the field that the amount of microalgae may doubles during only one single day . I f the enhanced process water mixture is properly managed, then an exponential growth rate of can even be achieved .

[0135] At the end of a given gravitational pipe run, the exponentially increasing amount of algae is extracted from the mixture or slurry, assuming that the fertili zing agent is ef fectively consumed and fully trans formed into biological matter in the form of newly generated algae . In the first approximation remaining fertili zer can be neglected in amount . As an option, dung and / or bio char can be used as a fertili zer .

[0136] The described extraction facility 30 can consist of di f ferent mechanical filtering methods . The algae 3 are filtered out , while the concentrated seawater of concentration is e . g . submitted to a seawater mining facility . It is known in the field that more or less all chemical elements are dissolved in seawater qualitatively and as the concentration of the water increases during the gravitational run due to the evaporated condensate , also concentration of the dissolved elements increases which is favorable for the mining and exploitation .

[0137] The extracted algae are submitted to a raw processing step, aiming at either mechanically crushing the cell membranes , chemically dissolving the same or treating the extracted algae with vortex acceleration . The fatty acids make up for a raw product that can be used in combustion or other processes ; often turning out to be equally suitable as fossil counterparts .

[0138] Aside from the obtained fatty acids , the extracted algae consist of cellulose-rich membrane matter, which is used as the feed stock for a fermentation process , leading to alcoholic matter like methanol or ethanol .

[0139] Another alternative might be the pyrolytic treatment of membrane matter, resulting e . g . in bio char .

[0140] Optional is the segmented nature of the pipe , making the sealing-of f of sections possible for cleaning .

[0141] Optional is also the active cooling of the transparent pipe roof from the outside , thereby accelerating the water condensation .

[0142] Moreover, the stepwise design with locks 16 is optional , letting segments of process water trickle out into the next downhill segment during cleaning .

[0143] As an optional embodiment of the inventive solution, the carbon dioxide content in the atmospheric volume of the pipe sections 11 above the fill level 21 of the slurry 6 is described, boosting the algae growth, potentially beyond growth rates and yields possible under natural atmospheric conditions .

[0144] It is also possible and advantageous to monitor vital parameters as an embodiment of the method inside and outside of the pipe , at single or several dedicated locations .

[0145] As a boundary condition, it is expected that the gravitational run of microalgae-enhance process water 2 , 3 needs at least a di f ference in height of 10 cm per kilometer of hori zontal ( length) dimension in order to work properly .

[0146] The pumping action of the elevation devices 18 should work at low pressure when algae are involved already at that point . As mentioned, in order to guarantee health and vital growth of the algae , e . g . in an Archimede ' s Screw can be used which goes without noteworthy pressure di f ferences .

[0147] The gravitational run happens in a pipe 11 with approximately 1 m of diameter (not explicitly indicated in the figures ) . As mentioned, the pipe 11 is assembled in sections of approximately 10 m in length to enable transport , buildup and simple handling of the arrangement .

[0148] The length of the gravitational pipe run basically determines the scale of the algae growth . Calculations are typically based on length "per kilometer" . It may e . g . be assumed for simplicity that each day of dwelling time inside the pipe sections 11 means a doubling of the number or yield of algae . It is expected that this "rule of thumb" rather poses a conservative estimate and could most probably be signi ficantly exceeded, as a related calculation is based on open ' racetrack ponds ' without the possibility to boost with CO2 , like in a closed system . It is evident that - in open raceway ponds , only natural CO2 levels are available to support the algae growth in the slurry 6 .

[0149] As mentioned above , the temperature of the algae soup is an important parameter which needs to stay inside a certain range . This applies as well for the non-sunlight-irradiated periods of the day . I f overheating turns out to be a threat to a fruitful algae yield, then diluting the warm algae soup with fresh seawater can be an option . The salt concentration of the algae slurry is also crucial and needs to stay inside a reasonable interval . By diluting the slurry with fresh (new) seawater, this parameter can be controlled as desired in favor of an ef ficient algae output .

[0150] The chosen species of algae shall be tolerant against reasonable temperature and salt level variations . At the end of the gravitational run, most of the alga shall be extracted from the remaining seawater.

[0151] The extraction of algae can be realized by various methods (e.g. paper or fabric disc filters, centrifugal vortex extraction, with or without chemical agents or flocculation and solvents) even consecutively in several cascades.

[0152] The initial and foremost aim is to produce e.g. gas turbine fuel of lower quality that is just about to ignite in the process. The lower the combustible value, the lower is usually the technological effort needed. Upon an upgrade of the overall process, on the midterm, possibly further improvements can be carried out and more sophisticated chemical engineering and process technology be applied e.g. by further refining the fuel, towards naphtha, diesel or kerosene .

[0153] As an option, hydrotreatment to obtain HVO' s can be used. In the alternative to the hydrotreatment, also an indirect or derivative route via the extraction of a biogas, such as from an anaerobic digestion, as indicated by numeral 50 in Figure 1) is viable, wherein the gas may also be combusted in a conventional engine or gas turbine 49.

[0154] Anyway, the biological regrown algae directly produced by the method is preferably mechanically pressed and the raw juice (rich in fatty acids) is collected in order to yield the biologic oil.

[0155] A residual cake (green in color) , being further rich in cellulose, can be used in a number of optional and yet to be determined ways, like passing it on to a pyrolysis in order to produce bio char, bio asphalt, bio crude etc. Also, it is possible to pass the residues on to a fermentation (e.g. in order to yield bio-methanol) or to press the cellulose into building bricks as a resource building material for houses. A small portion of the algae 3 is preferably not processed, but rather saved from post-treatment and returned to the beginning of the process , where a new gravitational run is started or initiali zed . The gravitational run as described above is a continuous process and not a genuine batch process like in case of the racetrack pond, where it is impossible to keep track of the age of any of the individual microalgae cohort or seed .

[0156] The closed nature of the process advantageously prevents generation of foreign, unwanted genomes , pollution from external influences , like industry, from the ocean or the surrounding, and contamination of the facility e . g . by sand or debris .

[0157] As a further advantage of the pipe arrangement , maintenance and changing the content or modi fication of the facility is simple and can be performed during a typical gravitational run cycle without loss of biomatter .

[0158] In the following, several aspects , calculations and extrapolations on the facilities scale , algae yield and CO2 consumption are described :

[0159] Although it is evident that the following aspects may of course be varied without departing from the inventive concept , it is assumed in the first place that each pipe section 1 has a length of 10 m, whereas the slurry 6 is assumed to rest in place for about 1 hour in each pipe section 11 . The arrangement 10 may even be extended over various kilometers , wherein then 100 pipe sections are distributed and strung together per length dimension of one kilometer .

[0160] Fresh water extraction per l Om-section is expectedly governed by two main contributors . The first is that the evaporated water ( in gaseous phase ) is either blown away by a moving upper hal f in the pipe and the carbon dioxide is salvaged and, secondly, the vapor condenses at the cool transparent roof (particularly at night ) and drops down into the collector reservoirs 17 .

[0161] Out of each ten sections per cascade of the arrangement 10 , one section is preferably left empty to function as a spot for drainage and / or service .

[0162] The dwelling time or retention time of the slurry in each of the sections 11 is preferably estimated by one hour . A duration of the gravitational run of the slurry 6 through the pipes for each of the stages or cascades ( cf . one algae production day) generally amounts to 10 hours meaning the travel of the batches of 100 m per day . In this context , the upper pipe section releases its water into an empty section of acrylic glass . Therefore , the "batch" is kept intact throughout the whole process .

[0163] Each pipe section is - during the intended operation of the arrangement 10 - preferably filled with four cubic meters of process ( sea ) water . This preferably corresponds to the fill level of 50 % of the volume of each of the pipe section l lij . As mentioned for the above , it is further assumed that the number of algae to double each day under the optimal growth conditions . Hence , after 10 hours of growth and movement of the slurry 6 through the pipes for the day, 14 hours of rest follow during the darker time of the day and at night . Moreover, it is assumed that roughly 60 liters , meaning 0 . 06 m3of water evaporate per day .

[0164] The following table lists for an entry phase of the algae and then 10 consecutive days aspects of the gravitational growth run through the pipes 11 , wherein it is assumed to employ 100 pipe sections , wherein each stage has an elevation of ( additional ) 5 m and the water needs to be elevated or pumped by an elevation of 10 m per stage. In the first five stages, it is assumed that 4 m3need to be lifted or brought to an elevation of 10 meters every hour, whereas in the latter stages, i.e. sections 51 to 100, no lifting or pumping of the water is assumed needed:

[0165] Since the world needs to eliminate usage of fossil resources, the inventive concept enables to provide sustainable energy alternatives along with the described values. In particular, the presented solution is likely to supplement or complete the route of synthesizing green hydrogen for the energy transition. The presented idea particularly bears the potential to scale-up the approach, thereby minimizing operational cost and capital expenditures and simultaneously and significantly increasing the algae / fuel output and CO2 capture .

[0166] With the proposed idea an alternative route to decarbonization on different levels, i.e. "small", "medium" and "large" is studied and offered herein giving exemplary estimates as to the scale and dimension of the idea. It is particularly assumed that small approach employs a pipe arrangement of thirty pipe sections, wherein the medium sized arrangement comprises 50 pipe sections. Ultimately, it is assumed that for the large approach an entirety of 5x100 pipe sections is considered. As will be detailed in the following, the "small" scale solution is expected to capture 240 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.

[0167] The "medium" scale solution is expected to capture 1100 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.

[0168] On the other hand, the "large" scale solution is expected to capture 5 x 37000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.

[0169] "Small scale":

[0170] The following tables: outlines for stage Stl (i.e. i=l, whereas j indicates the different pipe sections per stage) and entered mass of algae in the second line, the overall algae amount after one hour in the third line and at the bottom, the calculated amount of consumed carbon dioxide per hour and pipe section:

[0171] The following table outlines for the second stage St2 (i.e. i=2) an entered mass of algae in the second line, the overall algae amount after one hour in the third line and at the bottom, the calculated amount of consumed carbon dioxide per hour :

[0172] The following table outlines for the third stage St3 of the arrangement (i.e. i=3) an entered mass of algae in the second line, the overall algae amount after one hour in the third line and at the bottom, the calculated amount of consumed carbon dioxide per hour:

[0173] In Stage 1=1, all ten pipe sections hence consume a total of 10 x 1 kg of CO2 each hour, i.e. 10 kg / h.

[0174] In Stage i=2, all ten pipe sections hence consume a total of 10 x 2 kg of CO2 each hour, i.e. 20 kg / h.

[0175] In Stage i=3, all ten pipe sections hence consume a total of 10 x 4 kg of CO2 each hour, i.e. 40 kg / h.

[0176] In sum, 2 = 70 kg carbon dioxide (CO2) are consumed for the growth and hence captured per hour. Provided that 40 kg / h, 5 kg / h are reinvested, a net yield of 35 kg / h of algae results from the small-scale solution. By way of some further estimations and extrapolations, 120 tons of algae raw matter result per year. This amount is then available for the further processing into bio-oil or alternative algae-based products . In line with such an estimation, around 650 m3fresh water ( condensate ) are generated per year and stand available for the above-mentioned purposes and value streams . As mentioned already, this small-scale process allows to capture 240 t of CO2 captured per annum .

[0177] "Medium scale" :

[0178] The following table outlines up to a fi fth stage St5 of the arrangement ( i . e . i=5 ) an entered mass of algae , the overall algae amount after one hour and the calculated amount of consumed carbon dioxide per hour, respectively :

[0179] An amount of algae that results in the last pipe section corresponding to an energy mass of 160 kg ( cf . right column in the above table ) is biologically produced amongst four cubic meters of seawater, meaning 4000 kg of seawater .

[0180] For Stage i=l , all ten pipe sections hence consume a total of

[0181] 10 x 1 kg of CO2 each hour, i . e . 10 kg / h .

[0182] For Stage i=2 , all ten pipe sections hence consume a total of

[0183] 10 x 2 kg of CO2 each hour, i . e . 20 kg / h .

[0184] For Stage i=3 , all ten pipe sections hence consume a total of 10 x 4 kg of CO2 each hour, i . e . 40 kg / h . For Stage i=4, all ten pipe sections hence consume a total of 10 x 8 kg of CO2 each hour, i.e. 80 kg / h.

[0185] For Stage i=5, all ten pipe sections hence consume a total of 10 x 16 kg of CO2 each hour, i.e. 160 kg / h.

[0186] In sum, Z = 310 kg carbon dioxide (CO2) are consumed for the growth and hence captured per hour. Provided that 160 kg / h, 5 kg / h are reinvested, a net yield of 155 kg / h of algae results from the medium scale solution. By way of some further estimations and extrapolations, 550 tons of algae raw matter result per year. This amount is then available for the further processing into bio-oil or alternative algae-based products. In line with such an estimation, around 1150 m3fresh water (condensate) are generated per year and stand available for the above-mentioned purposes and value streams. As mentioned already, this scale allows to capture 1100 t of CO2 captured per annum.

[0187] Large scale":

[0188] Considering the algae growth until the tenth stage StlO of the arrangement (i.e. i=10) , the following yields result consecutively in the sections, respectively: 10 kg / h + 20 kg / h + 40 kg / h + 80 kg / h + 160 kg / h + 320 kg / h + 640 kg / h + 1280 kg / h + 2560 kg / h + 5120 kg / h = 10290 kg / h.

[0189] In stages 1 to 10, all ten pipe sections finally consume a total of around 10.3 tons per year (t / h) . This corresponds to 37000 t / y, whereas an amount of 18000 t of algae can be produced per year.

[0190] In sum, Z = 10290 kg carbon dioxide (CO2) are consumed for the growth and hence captured per hour. Provided that ~5 t / h, 5 kg / h are reinvested, a net yield of around 5 t / h of algae results from the large-scale solution . By way of some further estimations and extrapolations , 5 x 18000 tons of algae raw matter result per year . This amount is then available for the further processing into to bio-oil or alternative algae-based products . In line with such an estimation, around 5 x 2100 m3fresh water ( condensate ) are generated per year and stand available for the above-mentioned purposes and value streams . As mentioned already, this scale allows to capture 5 x 37000 t of CO2 captured per annum .

Claims

Claims1. A method of synthesizing a biological product (1) comprising the steps of:- (SI) supplying process water (2) to a pipe arrangement (10) with a plurality of pipe sections (llij) , wherein the pipe sections (11) are cascaded in a descending order,- (S2) providing microalgae (3) to the process water (2) ,- (S3) retaining the microalgae-enhanced process water (2, 3) in and letting it run through the pipe sections (11) consecutively, wherein the process water (2, 3) first enters an elevated pipe section (llu) and then enters a lower pipe section (II12) driven by gravity,- (S4) exposing the process water (2) in the pipe sections (llij) to an irradiation (4) such that the microalgae (3) are allowed to grow under the irradiation (4) , wherein a part of the water (H2O) evaporates.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation (4) is solar irradiation.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the process water (2) is no fresh water, but seawater.

4. The method according to one of the previous claims, wherein an elevated level of at least the elevated pipe section (llu) is established by an uphill arrangement (20) of the related pipe section (s) , an arrangement upstairs, or / and on buildings or towers.

5. The method according to one of the previous claims, wherein the process water (2) slowly runs downwards through the pipe sections (llij) , preferably stepwise, thereby becoming ever more concentrated due to solar irradiation and a slurry (6) of algae (3) thereby becoming ever more yielding .

6. The method according to one of the previous claims, wherein a dwelling time of a content of each pipe section is chosen such that an amount of algae (3) approximately doubles every day or every few days .

7. The method according to one of the previous claims, wherein each pipe section (llij) retains its content for a period between approximately 30 minutes and several hours, preferably about one hour.

8. The method according to one of the previous claims, wherein carbon dioxide (CO2) is added to the process water(2) which further supports the biological algae growth.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the carbon dioxide (C02) is injected into the pipe sections (ll2j ) in regular intervals.

10. The method according to one of the previous claims, wherein a fertilizing agent (5) and / or specific vitamins or nutrients are added to the microalgae-enhanced process water (2) .

11. The method according to one of the previous claims, wherein waste or sewage water is used as a fertilizing agent (5) for the algae growth.

12. The method according to one of the previous claims, wherein at the end of the process or cascade, an algae product (1) is obtained from a content of the related pipe section ( s ) ( 112□ ) .

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein an oil is extracted (VI) from the algae product (1) , preferably by pressing ( S5 ) .

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the obtained oil is suitable and / or used as a resource for synthesizing a fuel (HVO) .

15. The method according to one of claims 12 to 14, wherein cellulose and / or a salty residue is extracted from the algae product (1) as a further resource (V2) .

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the cellulose and / or the residue is further processed via pyrolysis and / or fermentation (S6, 50) in order to yield bitumen and / or a biological alcohol compound, such as a methanol or ethanol (V3) .

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein a salty residue is further processed to a building material (V4) , like bricks for houses.

18. The method of according to claim 3 and one of claims 12 to 17, wherein at the end of the process or cascade, concentrated seawater is obtained from a content of the related pipe section(s) (lip) , wherein the concentrated seawater has enriched levels of precious minerals which are further mined (V5, S7) .

19. The method according to one of the previous claims, wherein condensate water is collected in the pipe sections (llij) which is further used for agriculture, forestry, as a cooling medium or cooling agent, and / or as a drinking water source (V6) .

20. The method according to one of the previous claims, wherein any overheating or excessive salt concentration in the pipe sections (lip) is counter-acted by an inlet of fresh process water into one or several of the pipe sections (llij) •21. The method according to one of claims 12 to 20, being a continuous process, and wherein the process is reinitialized by providing microalgae (3) as a portion from the algae product ( 1 ) .

22. A pipe arrangement (10) for performing the method of synthesizing a biological product (1) according to one of the previous claims, the arrangement (10) comprising a plurality of, preferably at least ten, cascaded pipe sections (llij) , wherein the pipe sections (ll±j) are arranged in a descending order from an elevated pipe section (llu, II22) towards lower pipe sections (llij) , wherein the pipe sections (ll±j) are further configured to retain a process water (2) and to expose the retained process water (2) to solar irradiation (4) , and wherein the pipe arrangement (10) is further configured to control a gravitational run of the process water (2) downwards through the pipe sections (ll±j) .

23. The arrangement (10) according to claim 22, wherein the pipe sections (ll±j) are configured to be made gastight and / or watertight and have a diameter between 0.5 m and 2 m, preferably of about 1 m.

24. The arrangement (10) according to claim 22 or 23, wherein the pipe sections (ll±j) are set up such that a gravitational run of the process water (2) through the pipe sections (ll±j) traverses an elevation of at least 1 m per 100 m of horizontal extension.

25. The arrangement (10) according to one of claims 22 to 24, wherein the pipe sections (ll±j) are, during the intended operation of the arrangement, filled up to approximately 50 % of its height with process water (2) .

26. The arrangement (10) according to one of claims 22 to 25, wherein the pipe sections (ll±j) are each approximately about 10 m in length.

27. The arrangement (10) according to one of claims 22 to 26, wherein the pipe sections (ll±j) are elliptical or oval in cross-section with at least an upper half being transparent to solar irradiation, and wherein a semiaxis of horizontal width (W) is greater that a semiaxis of height (H' ) .

28. The arrangement (10) according to one of claims 22 to 27, comprising mirrors (12) , wherein the arrangement (10) is configured, and the mirrors (12) are arranged to focus solar irradiation from a surrounding or lateral side of the pipe sections (ll±j) into its interior.

29. The arrangement (10) according to one of claims 22 to 28, wherein, at the bottom of the pipe sections (llij) , a carbon dioxide conduct (13) is provided with related valves to provide additional gaseous carbon dioxide for the synthesis.

30. The arrangement (10) according to according to one of claims 22 to 29, wherein for each pipe section (llij) , there is one mechanical support or stiffening element (14) for mechanically supporting the arrangement (10) against external influences .

31. The arrangement (10) according to according to one of claims 22 to 30, comprising a mechanism to agitate (15) , such as by turning, shaking, and / or vibrating, a content of the pipe section (llij) to support the algae growth.

32. The arrangement (10) according to one of claims 22 to 31, wherein the pipe sections (ll±j) are segmented and the arrangement comprises a locking element (16) being configured to establish a watertight lock between adjacent pipe sections in order to retain and increase dwelling time of the process water (2) and to ease service or maintenance of the pipe sections ( 1 l j ) .

33. The arrangement (10) according to one of claims 22 to 32, wherein a part of at least some of the pipe sections (ll±j) which is transparent to solar irradiation (4) can be lifted off to allow easy cleaning or maintenance.

34. The arrangement (10) according to one of claims 22 to 33, wherein the pipe sections (ll±j) comprise internal collecting pipes (17) for recovery of condensate water, wherein the collecting pipes (17) are slightly arranged above the intended process water level (19) .

35. The arrangement (10) according to one of claims 22 to 34, comprising a device (18) , for bringing the process water in the pipe sections to an elevated level .

36. The arrangement (10) according to one of claims 22 to 35, comprising an extraction facility (30) , wherein the extraction facility comprises mechanical filtering stages in which algae are filtered out, while concentrated seawater is e.g. further conveyed to a mining facility.

37. The arrangement (10) according to one of claims 22 to 36, wherein the arrangement comprises at least two consecutive stages of pipe section cascades, wherein each stage comprises a plurality, preferably at least ten, pipe sections (ll±j) and wherein a second stage (St2) is arranged downstream of a first stage (Stl) .

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