Series Bioreactor Biostimulant Production for Nitrogen Use Efficiency

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Solution Overview

Problem

There is a need for plant growth promoting biostimulant compositions that utilize abundant and available organic feedstocks to enhance crop growth and reduce the environmental impact of synthetic fertilizers.

Innovation Solution

A bioreactor system is used to cultivate a specific microbial strain, maintaining its concentration at 80% throughout a 5-day process, producing a biostimulant composition that promotes nitrogen use efficiency in plants by fixing nitrogen, recruiting nitrogen fixers, and increasing organic nitrogen content.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If synthetic fertilizers are used to enhance crop growth, then plant growth is improved, but environmental impact increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecrop growthVSAvoidenvironmental impact

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses readily available organic feedstocks (agricultural residues, manure, food waste) as temporary, biodegradable inputs that decompose naturally in the bioreactor system, eliminating the need for persistent synthetic chemical fertilizers and reducing long-term environmental accumulation of harmful substances

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms organic nitrogen compounds into biologically active forms (ammonium, nitrate, organic acids) through controlled microbial degradation, changing the chemical parameters of nitrogen availability to match plant needs while using renewable organic sources instead of synthetic fertilizers

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If organic feedstocks are used in bioreactor systems, then environmental impact is reduced, but production time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenvironmental impactVSAvoidproduction time

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent pre-establishes specific microbial consortia in the bioreactor before introducing organic feedstock, so that degradation processes begin immediately without lag time, and the microbial population is already optimized for rapid breakdown of the specific organic material being processed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent maintains continuous microbial activity through controlled aeration, temperature, and feedstock addition, ensuring that organic matter is constantly being degraded rather than allowing batch processing with idle periods, thus accelerating the transformation timeline while maintaining environmental benefits

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Productivity

If microbial consortia are introduced into the bioreactor, then nitrogen use efficiency is improved, but control of microbial population becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenitrogen use efficiencyVSAvoidmicrobial population control

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the microbial population into functional groups (nitrogen-fixing bacteria, nitrifying bacteria, organic matter decomposers) with specific roles, allowing each segment to be optimized for particular tasks while working together synergistically, making the complex microbial system more manageable through functional segmentation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent monitors parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia concentration, and carbon dioxide production to indirectly track microbial activity and adjust aeration, feeding rates, and temperature to maintain optimal conditions for the microbial consortia, using feedback control to simplify the management of complex biological processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

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

The biostimulant composition effectively enhances plant growth in nitrogen-poor conditions, increasing nitrogen use efficiency and promoting phosphate solubilization, while reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers.

Implementation Method 1

the first nitrogen use efficiency-promoting microbial strain is one that performs nitrogen fixation

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectNitrogen fixation:

Implementation Method 2

increases organic nitrogen content and/or mineralization of organic nitrogen in soil

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMineralization: Decomposition (biological)

Data Source

PatentUS20260109940A1Systems for production of products to promote nitrogen use efficiency in plants

Publication Date: 2026.04.23 TENFOLD TECHNOLOGIES LLC

AI summary

The present disclosure provides methods and systems for production of biostimulants that promote nitrogen use efficiency in plants. Embodiments described include methods of making a biostimulant composition in a bioreactor system that includes two or more containers arranged in series. The bioreactor system may include an established population of a nitrogen use efficiency-promoting microbial strain. The method may include operating the bioreactor system by transferring into the system an aqueous feedstock that comprises a microbial consortium, transferring working fluid between containers of the system, and collecting a product. The method may further include maintaining a concentration of a nitrogen use efficiency-promoting microbial strain in the system.