Algae Water Treatment via Segmented Photobioreactor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current water treatment systems using algae or biological organisms face challenges such as low flow rates, high nutrient and pollutant levels, limited light availability, uncontrolled environments, suspended solids buildup, and inability to manage bioavailability, which hinder effective nutrient and trace metal removal.
Innovation Solution
A continuous flow water treatment system that pre-filters and conditions water, blends it with a dense microalgae culture, and passes it through an enclosed photobioreactor for nutrient consumption and pollutant removal, with recycled algae and additional nutrients or trace metals added as needed to maintain optimal growth conditions, and includes UV disinfection and cross-flow filtration for polishing the treated water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If algae-based water treatment systems are used, then nutrient and trace metal removal is achieved, but flow rates are low requiring significant physical footprint
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the treatment process into multiple parallel photobioreactor channels, each treating a portion of the water flow simultaneously. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high flow rates while ensuring adequate contact time between algae and pollutants in each channel, resolving the contradiction between treatment effectiveness and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from traditional two-dimensional surface ponds to three-dimensional vertical photobioreactor structures. By stacking treatment channels vertically and utilizing vertical light distribution, the system dramatically increases treatment capacity per unit footprint, enabling high flow rates without requiring large physical areas.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If algae-based treatment is implemented, then pollutant removal occurs, but unacceptably high levels of nutrients, metals, or other pollutants remain in treated water
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates pre-filtration stages before the photobioreactor treatment to remove suspended solids and preliminary pollutant reduction. This preliminary action ensures that the algae treatment focuses on dissolved nutrients and metals, achieving more complete purification and meeting stringent water quality standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces controlled mineral nutrient additions as intermediaries to stimulate algae growth and enhance pollutant uptake capacity. By carefully managing nutrient levels during treatment, the system optimizes algae metabolic activity for maximum pollutant removal while ensuring treated water meets quality requirements.
3Ease of operation
If open pond or raceway systems are used, then algae treatment is performed, but uncontrolled environments present opportunities for contamination or water chemistry changes
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs enclosed photobioreactor structures with transparent flexible or rigid walls that allow light penetration while providing complete environmental isolation. This enclosure prevents contamination from external sources, maintains controlled water chemistry, and protects algae culture while still enabling photosynthesis, thus achieving both ease of operation and environmental reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a controlled, isolated environment within photobioreactors that functions as an inert system regarding external contaminants. By sealing the treatment chambers and controlling internal conditions (temperature, gas exchange, light), the system eliminates unwanted environmental interactions while maintaining optimal algae growth conditions.
4Productivity
If traditional algae systems are used, then treatment occurs, but suspended solids buildup due to lack of pre-filtration
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements pre-filtration units that remove suspended solids from incoming water before it enters the photobioreactor channels. This preliminary separation prevents solids accumulation during treatment, maintaining system productivity and avoiding clogging or interference with the algae-pollutant interaction.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system achieves efficient nutrient and trace metal removal, reduces pollutants, and maintains a controlled environment for productive algae growth, resulting in high-quality treated water suitable for discharge or reuse, while managing algae density and bioavailability effectively.
Implementation Method 1
blended with a dense microalgae culture, and passed a single time through an enclosed, controlled photobioreactor (PBR)... microalgae in the mixture flow reproduce and take up nutrients and trace metals in the mixture flow
Implementation Method 2
microalgae in the mixture flow reproduce and take up nutrients and trace metals in the mixture flow
Implementation Method 3
The flow from the PBR is separated into a treated water flow, also referred to as the permeate, and a dense microalgae flow, also referred to as the return activated algae (RAA)... cross-flow filtration for polishing the treated water
Implementation Method 4
prior to discharge or re-use, the permeate may pass through additional polishing and disinfection processes such as ultra-violet disinfection
Data Source
AI summary
An advanced water treatment method processes a continuous flow of water in a sequence of stages including pre-filtering to remove solids, conditioning to adjust pH, blending with a recycled dense microalgae culture, and passing the resulting mixture through an enclosed, environmentally-controlled photobioreactor where nutrients, PCB's, trace metals and other pollutants and regulated compounds are taken up by the algae. The flow from the PBR is separated using cross-flow filtration to produce a treated water flow and a dense microalgae flow that is recycled to the blending stage upstream. Thus, whereas the algae is recycled, the water entering the system is treated by flowing sequentially through the stages of the system, without any recycling or repetition of treatment stages.