PHOTOBIOREACTOR SYSTEM FOR THE REDUCTION OF AMMONIA AND CARBON DIOXIDE GASES IN POULTRY HOUSES

Abstract

Disclosed is a photobioreactor system that reduces pollutant gases, mainly ammonia and carbon dioxide, released in poultry houses with microalgae and reduces dust and particulate matter in the internal environment of the poultry house, and also creates a brighter and more spacious environment for animals in the internal environment, while creating an insulation effect on the exterior of the poultry house by integrating into the exterior wall.

Claims

1. A photobioreactor system that enables the reduction of pollutant gases, mainly ammonia and carbon dioxide, released from poultry houses, the system comprising: a gas inlet line that connects to the ventilation fans from which the indoor air of a poultry house exits and allows the indoor air of the poultry house to enter the photobioreactor system; an organic oil bath filter system located on the gas inlet line, which prevents the entry of dust and particulate matter in the indoor air of the poultry house into the microalgae culture environment; a pump system located on the gas inlet line, which allows the poultry house indoor air to be vacuumed from the gas inlet line and transferred to the photobioreactor system; a photobioreactor tank which is adapted to the exterior walls of the poultry house and provides insulation and illumination of the exterior of the poultry house, as well as cleaning of pollutant gases in the indoor air of the poultry house by means of microalgae cultures, which are drawn by the pump system; an air diffuser located at the bottom of the photobioreactor tank, which transfers the poultry house indoor air drawn by the pump system to the photobioreactor tank and at the same time ensures the mixing of the culture medium in order to keep the microalgae homogeneous in the photobioreactor tank; and, an air outlet line that allows the air cleaned as a result of photosynthesis of microalgae cultures in the photobioreactor tank to be delivered back to the indoor environment of the poultry house.

2. The photobioreactor system according to claim 1, comprising; at least one first gas sensor located on said gas inlet line and determining the amount of ammonia and carbon dioxide gas in the indoor air of the house.

3. The photobioreactor system according to claim 1, comprising; a flowmeter located on said gas inlet line and regulating the flow rate of the poultry house indoor air vacuumed by a pump system.

4. The photobioreactor system according to claim 1, wherein said photobioreactor tank is made of transparent acrylic glass.

5. The photobioreactor system according to claim 1, comprising; at least one second gas sensor located on said air outlet line and measuring how much contaminant gas remains in the contaminated air cleaned in the photobioreactor tank.

6. The photobioreactor system according to claim 1, comprising; an oil located at the bottom of said oil bath filter system and obtained from microalgae biomass produced in the photobioreactor system for separating particles such as dust, dirt and sand in the air passing through the oil bath filter system.

7. The photobioreactor system according to claim 1, characterized comprising; at least one wire mesh screen located at the outlet of said oil bath filter system and preventing oil from being trapped at the bottom of said oil bath filter system and entering the photobioreactor tank.

8. The photobioreactor system according to claim 1, wherein said pump system is a pump, blower or vacuum means.

Description

FIGURES TO HELP UNDERSTAND THE INVENTION

[0041] FIG. 1: Schematic view of the inventive photobioreactor system.

DESCRIPTION OF PART REFERENCES

[0042] 10. Gas inlet line [0043] 20. First gas sensor [0044] 30. Organic oil bath filter system [0045] 40. Pump system [0046] 50. Flowmeter [0047] 60. Photobioreactor tank [0048] 70. Air diffuser [0049] 80. Air outlet line [0050] 90. Second gas sensor

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0051] In this detailed description, the preferred alternatives of the inventive photobioreactor system are described only for the purpose of a better understanding of the subject matter and in a non-limiting manner.

[0052] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of the inventive photobioreactor system. Accordingly, the photobioreactor system is in its most basic form; gas inlet line (10) that allows the poultry house indoor air to enter the photobioreactor system, first gas sensor (20) that determines the amount of ammonia and carbon dioxide gas in the poultry house indoor air on the gas inlet line (10), organic oil bath filter system (30) that prevents dust and particulate matter in the poultry house indoor air from entering the microalgae culture medium on the gas inlet line (10), pump system (40) that provides vacuuming of the poultry house indoor air on the gas inlet line (10), flowmeter (50) that adjusts the flow rate of the vacuumed poultry house indoor air on the gas inlet line (10), photobioreactor tank (60) that is adapted to the exterior walls of the poultry house and provides cleaning of the pollutant gases in the poultry house indoor air drawn by the pump system (40) by means of microalgae cultures and also provides insulation and illumination on the exterior of the poultry house, air diffuser (70) located at the bottom of the photobioreactor tank (60), which transfers the indoor air of the poultry house drawn by the pump system (40) to the photobioreactor tank (60) and at the same time ensures the mixing of the culture medium in order to keep the microalgae homogeneous in the photobioreactor tank (60), the air outlet line (80) that allows the air cleaned as a result of photosynthesis of microalgae cultures in the photobioreactor tank (60) to be delivered back to the indoor environment of the poultry house, and a second gas sensor (90) located on the air outlet line (80) that measures how much pollutant gas remains in the polluted air cleaned in the photobioreactor tank (60).

[0053] In the photobioreactor system subject to the invention, it is provided that the indoor air in the poultry house enters the photobioreactor system through the gas inlet line (10) to be cleaned. For this purpose, the gas inlet line (10) is connected to the ventilation fans from which the indoor air of the poultry house comes out.

[0054] At least one first gas sensor (20) is provided on the gas inlet line (10), which determines the amount of ammonia and carbon dioxide gas in the indoor air of the house. The scale of the photobioreactor system is adjusted according to the amount of gas determined by the first gas sensors (20).

[0055] On the gas inlet line (10), there is an organic oil bath filter system (30) that prevents dust and particulate matter in the indoor air of the poultry house from entering the microalgae culture environment.

[0056] There is oil at the bottom of the oil bath filter system (30) and particles such as dust, dirt, sand in the air passing through the oil bath filter system (30) fall into the oil bath. At least one wire mesh screen at the outlet of the oil bath filter system (30) traps the oil and prevents it from entering the photobioreactor tank (60). In addition, dust and particulate matter in the air are also captured by the said wire mesh screen and separated from the air. The raw material of the oil used in the oil bath filter system (30) is made with the oil obtained from the microalgae biomass produced in the photobioreactor system. In this way, the sustainability of the photobioreactor system is ensured.

[0057] The gas inlet line (10) is provided with a pump system (40) for vacuuming the indoor air of the poultry house. Said pump system (40) is preferably a pump, which in an alternative embodiment of the invention may be a blower or a vacuum device. The oil bath filter system (30) is positioned in front of the pump system (40) and the oil bath filter system (30) prevents the transportation of dust and particulate matter in the indoor air of the poultry house.

[0058] On the gas inlet line (10), there is a flowmeter (50) that adjusts the flow rate of the vacuumed poultry house indoor air. The amount of air to be supplied according to the microalgae culture density in the photobioreactor tank (60) is adjusted by the flowmeter (50).

[0059] The photobioreactor tank (60), which is adapted to the exterior walls of the poultry house and contains microalgae cultures, is made of transparent acrylic glass. In this way, it is adapted to the exterior walls of the poultry house and provides thermal insulation and lighting on the exterior of the poultry house. The photobioreactor tank (60) provides cleaning of pollutant gases in the indoor air of the poultry house by means of microalgae cultures drawn by the pump system (40).

[0060] At the bottom of the photobioreactor tank (60), there is an air diffuser (70) that transfers the poultry house indoor air drawn by the pump system (40) to the photobioreactor tank (60) and at the same time mixes the culture medium in order to keep the microalgae homogeneous in the photobioreactor tank (60).

[0061] The air, which is cleaned as a result of photosynthesis of microalgae cultures in the photobioreactor tank (60), is transferred back to the indoor environment of the poultry house through the air outlet line (80) passing through the photobioreactor tank (60).

[0062] On the air outlet line (80), there is at least one second gas sensor (90) that measures how much pollutant gas remains in the polluted air cleaned in the photobioreactor tank (60). The extent to which ammonia and carbon dioxide gases have been reduced in the photobioreactor tank (60) is determined by gas measurements from the second gas sensor (90).

The Operating Principle of the Inventive Photobioreactor System is as Follows;

[0063] The ventilation fans from which the poultry house indoor air is extracted are connected to the gas inlet line (10) and the indoor air is drawn by the pump system (40). The amount of pollutant gases in the poultry house indoor air is measured by first gas sensors (20).

[0064] The oil bath filter system (30) in front of the vacuum pump (20) prevents the transportation of dust and particulate matter in the indoor air of the poultry house. The amount of air to be given according to the microalgae density in the photobioreactor tank (60) is adjusted by flowmeter (50).

[0065] The polluted air drawn by the pump system (40) is transferred into the photobioreactor tank (60) by air diffusers (70). Ammonia and carbon dioxide gases in the polluted air are reduced by microalgae in the photobioreactor tank (60).

[0066] The amount of reduction of ammonia and carbon dioxide gases is determined by measurements made with the second gas sensors (90) located in the air outlet line (80). During the poultry house indoor air purification, the photobioreactor tank (60) provides heat insulation and illumination on the outside of the poultry house.