KR-20260066565-A - MICROALGAE CULTURING APPARATUS HAVING DUAL STRUCTURE

Abstract

The present invention provides a microalgae culture device having a double structure comprising: a tubular reactor; an air discharge unit for supplying air within the tubular reactor; and a pair of opposing channel bar structures vertically supported and fixed inside the tubular reactor.

Inventors

• 변지원
• 이주영
• 엄재인
• 신유섭
• 한철호

Assignees

• 주식회사 마이크로알지에스크어스

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20241104

Claims (5)

1. A microalgae culture device having a double structure comprising: a tubular reactor; an air discharge unit for supplying air within the tubular reactor; and a pair of opposing channel bar structures vertically supported and fixed inside the tubular reactor.
2. In Article 1, A microalgae culture device having a double structure, characterized in that the above channel bar structure is arranged at a certain interval in the horizontal direction.
3. In Article 1, A microalgae culture device having a double structure, characterized in that the above channel bar structure has a horizontal cross-section that is semicircular or U-shaped.
4. In Article 1, A microalgae culture device having a double structure, characterized in that at least two of the above-mentioned pair of opposing channel bar structures are mounted.
5. In Article 1, A microalgae culture device having a double structure, characterized in that the air discharge section is mounted on the lower part of the inner wall surface of the channel bar structure.

Description

Microalgae Culturing Apparatus Having Dual Structure The present invention relates to a microalgae culture device having a double structure, and more specifically, to a microalgae culture device having a double structure in which a pair of opposing channel bar structures are installed inside the culture vessel, and which can improve culture density by increasing the flowability of the culture medium during the aeration process, thereby preventing the sedimentation of microalgae in the culture medium and increasing the residence time of air bubbles in the culture medium, allowing for smooth supply of carbon dioxide relative to the same amount of air injected. Recently, research results have been reported indicating that components found in seaweed are beneficial to human health. In particular, fucoxanthin is a unique carotenoid found abundantly in brown algae and is reported to have anti-obesity effects (K. Miyashita, Lipid Technology, August/September 2009, Vol. 21, No. 8/9). The anti-obesity mechanism of fucoxanthin is characterized by inducing the expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP 1) in the mitochondria of white adipose tissue (WAT), thereby causing fatty acid oxidation and heat generation in WAT, which induces apoptosis in adipocytes. UCP 1 is a key molecule in anti-obesity effects. The expression of UCP 1 is known to be a critical factor in the body's energy expenditure, and obesity is likely to occur when UCP 1 is dysfunctional. Experiments and results indicating the association between fucoxanthin and UCP 1 expression are disclosed in the aforementioned literature. According to this literature, it can be seen that fucoxanthin induces protein and mRNA expression of UCP 1 in WAT. This appears to be due to the structural features of fucoxanthin, namely the additional hydroxyl substituents and allene bonds on the side chains of fucoxanthin metabolites, fucoxanthinol and amarociaxanthin A (H. Maeda, Molecular Medicine Reports 2: 897-902, 2009; and K. Miyashita, i.e.). While fucoxanthin has traditionally been isolated and purified from brown algae, there have been attempts to isolate it from microalgae due to issues such as low concentrations and the high time and cost involved in the separation and purification process. However, due to limitations in culture media and cultivation technologies, a significant amount of time and cost is required to secure production volumes sufficient to isolate a substantial amount of fucoxanthin from microalgae. There have been attempts to cultivate microalgae using synthetic media at some laboratory levels, but this is difficult to scale up to an industrial scale and has limitations in terms of cost as expensive synthetic media must be purchased. As a result, tubular culture systems as shown in Fig. 1 are being extensively studied recently to cultivate microalgae on an industrial scale. However, an aeration process is required for the cultivation of microalgae, and the increased flowability of the culture medium during the aeration process leads to problems such as the sedimentation of microalgae within the medium and a decrease in the retention time of air bubbles within the medium, which reduces the culture density. These issues act as obstacles to expanding to an industrial scale, and a solution to this problem is urgently required. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a conventional microalgae culture device. FIGS. 2a and 2b are configuration diagrams of a microalgae culture device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, including a side cross-sectional view (top) and a plan view (bottom: circular, square). FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a microalgae culture device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, including a side cross-sectional view (top) and a plan view (bottom: circular, square). FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a microalgae culture device according to the third embodiment of the present invention, including a side cross-sectional view (top) and a plan view (bottom). Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The detailed description disclosed below, together with the accompanying drawings, is intended to describe exemplary embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiment in which the present invention may be practiced. The following detailed description includes specific details to provide a complete understanding of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will know that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details. In some cases, to avoid obscuring the concept of the present invention, known structures and devices may be omitted or illustrated in the form of a block diagram focusing on the core functions of each structure and device. Throughout the specification, when a part is descri