The present disclosure relates to an aquaculture system, in particular, to an aquaculture system which employs water electrolytic technique using proton exchange membrane (PEM) to process water.
Aquaculture is one of the important economic industries in Taiwan, and has brought large revenue in the past 20 years. Aquaculture species comprise shrimp and aquaculture of economic fish such as groupers, mullets, milkfish and cobias.
During the culturing process, chemicals are used to control the culturing environment to inhibit the growth of the germs or bacteria and facilitate the growth of the living body. However, the regulations regarding the use of the chemicals is strict and limits the use of the chemicals. In addition, the chemicals may stay in the living body and affect human health.
Alternatively, regularly replacing a large amount of water can adjust the water quality and maintain the cultivation environment. However, although this means may eliminate the problem related to the chemical residues, the disadvantage thereof is the waste of water resources. Along with water resources management, there is a need to provide an inventive cultivation system to reduce the water consumption and create an ideal cultivation environment for aquaculture species.
In order to achieve the above object, the instant disclosure provides an aquaculture system which employs proton exchange membrane (PEM) to electrolyze water for generating hydrogen gas and oxygen gas, generating hydrogen gas, oxygen gas and ozone to adjust the water quality of the cultivation water.
An embodiment of the present disclosure provides an aquaculture system, comprising a culture pond, a water circulation unit, a water quality detector and a water processing module. The culture pond stores cultivation water of a predetermined water level, in which the culture pond has a recirculation inlet and a recirculation outlet. The water circulation unit is arranged between the recirculation inlet and the recirculation outlet, the water circulation unit is in fluid communication with the recirculation inlet and the recirculation outlet, and the cultivation water is circulated by the water circulation unit. The water quality detector detects the water quality of the cultivation water for obtaining water quality information. The water processing module comprises an electrolytic gas generator and a control unit. The electrolytic gas generator is in fluid communication with the water circulation unit, in which the electrolytic gas generator has a first outlet tube for outputting a first gas to the water circulation unit, and a second outlet tube for outputting a second gas to the water circulation unit. The control unit is electrically connected to the electrolytic gas generator and the water quality detector, in which the control unit receives the water quality information, and adjusts a voltage value of the electrolytic gas generator based on the water quality information to control the type and ratio of gases generated by the electrolytic gas generator.
To sum up, the electrolytic gas generator of the aquaculture system provided by the instant disclosure can generate hydrogen gas, oxygen gas and ozone. By dissolving the above gases into the cultivation water, the cultivation environment is improved. In addition, the control unit can adjust the voltage value of the electrolytic gas generator based on the type of the aquaculture species, thereby changing the production amounts of each gas. Therefore, the cultivation water with the dissolved gases benefits the growth of the aquaculture species and can prevent disease.
In order to further understand the techniques, means and effects of the instant disclosure, the following detailed descriptions and appended drawings are hereby referred to, such that, and through which, the purposes, features and aspects of the instant disclosure can be thoroughly and concretely appreciated; however, the appended drawings are merely provided for reference and illustration, without any intention to be used for limiting the instant disclosure.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the instant disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the instant disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the instant disclosure.
Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the instant disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
Specifically, the aquaculture system 1 comprises a culture pond 10, a water quality detector 20, a water circulation unit 30 and a water processing module 40. The culture pond 10 is communicated to the water processing module 40, and the water quality detector 20 is disposed in the culture pond 10 or in the piping of the water processing module 40.
The culture pond 10 stores cultivation water having a predetermined water level, and is used to culture creatures such as fish, shrimp or shellfish with economic value. The culture pond 10 has a recirculation outlet 10a and a recirculation inlet 10b.
The water circulation unit 30 is in fluid communication with the recirculation outlet 10a and the recirculation inlet 10b and is disposed between the recirculation outlet 10a and the recirculation inlet 10b for enabling the cultivation water to circulate. Specifically, the water circulation unit 30 comprises a water outlet pipeline 31, a water inlet pipeline 32 and a pump 33. The water outlet pipeline 31 is communicated to the recirculation outlet 10a, and the water inlet pipeline 32 is communicated to the recirculation inlet 10b. Cultivation water in the culture pond 10 is processed to improve water quality by passing through the water outlet pipeline 31, and flowing into the culture pond 10 through the water inlet pipeline 32. The pump 33 is disposed in the water inlet pipeline 32 for providing the power of circulation of the cultivation. The pump 33 is, for example, a Vortex pump.
In the embodiments of the instant disclosure, the water circulation unit 30 further comprises a first control valve 34 disposed on the water outlet pipeline 31, and a second control valve 35 disposed on the water inlet pipeline 32. The first control valve 34 is adjacent to the recirculation outlet 10a for controlling the amount of water output from the culture pond 10. The second control valve 35 is adjacent to the recirculation inlet 10b for controlling the amount of water flowing into the culture pond 10.
The water quality detector 20 is used to detect the water quality of the cultivation water for obtaining water quality information. In an embodiment, the water quality information comprises water temperature, redox-potential, pH value, dissolved oxygen, ammonia nitrogen, total dissolved solids and electro-conductivity. In the present embodiment, the water quality detector 20 is disposed in the water inlet pipeline 32 for detecting the water quality of the water flows into the culture pond 10. In another embodiment, the water quality detector 20 is disposed in the culture pond 10 for directly detecting the water quality of the water in the culture pond 10. In yet another embodiment, the water quality detector 20 is disposed in both the culture pond 10 and the water inlet pipeline 32 for detecting the water quality therein respectively.
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The electrolytic gas generator 43 electrolyzes water for generating a first gas A1 and a second gas A2. The pure water supply system 42 is communicated to the electrolytic gas generator 43 to supply water to the electrolytic gas generator 43. In the present embodiment, the pure water supply system 42 comprises a water supply system 42a and an ion exchange resin 42b, in which the water provided by the water supply system 42a passes through the ion exchange resin 42b for removing various cations and anions, and is provided to the electrolytic gas generator 43. In an embodiment, the water supply system 42a is a water storage tank or a water inlet tube.
The electrolytic gas generator 43 has a first outlet tube 43a and a second outlet tube 43b communicated to the water circulation unit 30 for outputting the first gas A1 and the second gas A2 respectively. In the present embodiment, the first outlet tube 43a is communicated to the water outlet pipeline 31 for outputting the first gas A1 before the cultivation water flows past the filter unit 41, thereby mixing the cultivation water and the first gas A1.
In the embodiments of the instant disclosure, the first gas A1 can be oxygen gas or a mixture comprising oxygen gas and ozone. The water temperature and the dissolved oxygen of the water would affect the food intake, culture efficiency, protein conversion efficiency and weight of the cultivation creature (such as fish). When the dissolved oxygen is relatively low, the food intake of the fish significantly decreases. In addition, when the water temperature is relatively high, the oxygen amount required by the fish increases and the dissolve oxygen in the water must be increased.
Therefore, the present embodiment, by providing oxygen gas based on the water temperature for adjusting the dissolved oxygen in water, is able to provide a suitable cultivation environment. Without the use of growth hormones, the instant disclosure can increase the final biomass of the aquaculture species and increase the feed efficiency ratio (FER).
In addition, ozone can be used to process water for improving the water quality, such as decreasing turbidity, decreasing the concentration of the nitrite and the total ammonia, reducing the total bacteria number, decreasing biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids, decreasing the pathogenic germs in the fresh water and the sea water, and decreasing the odor in the water, etc. Ozone produces no harmful effect on the growth or incubation of the aquaculture creatures and hence, the harmful effect of the pathogenic germs on the incubation of the eggs can be reduced by introducing ozone at the start of the incubation. In some circumstances, the ozone can facilitate the wound healing and the tissue regeneration of the body of a fish. Therefore, by introducing ozone in the cultivation water, the water quality can be improved, the survival rate of the aquaculture species is increased and the use of chemicals can be eliminated, thereby preventing environmental pollution.
For example, in a shrimp cultivation process, a closed-type circulation water system is generally used to reduce the amount of the pathogenic germs for controlling the damage caused by shrimp diseases. The disinfectants, chlorine and formalin are added to inhibit the outbreak of disease. However, the above means induce the problem of chemical residue. Based on the experimental data, the disinfection efficiency toward E. coli of ozone is 600 to 3000 times faster than that of chlorine. In addition, ozone has significantly disinfection effect toward vibrio. Therefore, the use of ozone is able to decrease the incidence of disease of the aquaculture species.
In the embodiments of the instant disclosure, the second outlet tube 43b is communicated to the water inlet pipeline 32 for transporting the second gas A2 and enabling the cultivation water to mix with the second gas A2 before flowing back to the culture pond 10. In the embodiment of the instant disclosure, the second gas A2 is hydrogen gas. Under specific conditions, the hydrogen gas can facilitate the cure of cells and assist the heal of the creatures, thereby reducing the requirement of medicine and reducing the dose of chemicals that remain in the fish.
In the embodiments of the instant disclosure, the water processing module 40 comprises a first gas storing tank (not shown) communicating the first outlet tube 43a and the water outlet pipeline 31, and a second gas storing tank (not shown) communicating the second outlet tube 43b and the water inlet pipeline 32. The first gas storing tank and the second gas storing tank can be used to store the first gas A1 and the second gas A2 produced by the electrolytic gas generator 43 respectively.
The electrolytic gas generator 43 of the embodiments of the instant disclosure is a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolytic gas generator. Please refer to
The electrolytic gas generator 43 of the embodiments of the instant disclosure comprises the water electrolysis component 430, the adjustable power supply 431 and the separator 432.
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The material constituting the anode 4301 comprises an additive and a composition, in which the composition comprises perfluorinated sulfonic acid resin (Nafion), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), carbon nanotubes and graphene. The perfluorinated sulfonic acid resin can be used as an adhesive and the polytetrafluoroethylene can be used for reinforcing the catalytic layer structure. In addition, the sulfuric acid can increase the porosity in the catalytic layer for enabling the water molecules to enter. The carbon nanotubes and the graphene increase the conductivity of the catalytic layer.
The additive can be selected form the group consisting of iridium, iridium black, iridium oxide, ruthenium, ruthenium oxide, platinum, platinum iridium, palladium, iridium ruthenium oxide, iridium-ruthenium-tantalum oxide, nickel-tin-antimony alloy, lead dioxide, glassy carbon, boron doped diamond, platinum tantalum oxide and any combination thereof.
The additive of the anode 4301 and the voltage value applied to the membrane electrode 430b are selected based on the first gas to be generated. For example, when the first gas generated at the anode 4301 is oxygen gas, the voltage value is less than 1.5V and the additive of the anode 4301 is a catalyst that assists the generation of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas, such as iridium, iridium black, iridium oxide, ruthenium, ruthenium oxide, platinum, platinum iridium, palladium, iridium ruthenium oxide, iridium-ruthenium-tantalum oxide, and any combination thereof.
In another embodiment, when the gases generated at the anode 4301 comprise oxygen gas and ozone, the voltage value must be larger than 1.5V, and the additive of the anode 4301 is a catalyst that assists the generation of ozone such as tin-antimony-nickel alloy, lead dioxide, glassy carbon, boron doped diamond, platinum tantalum oxide and any combination thereof.
The first gas A1 and the second gas A2 generated at the anode 4301 and the cathode 4302 of the electrolytic gas generator 43 respectively enter the cultivation water flowing in the water circulation unit 30 through the first outlet tube 43a and the second outlet tube 43b respectively. After performing the electrolyzing process, the second gas (hydrogen gas) is mixed with water and has to be separated from the water by the separator 432, and the hydrogen isolated from water is output by the second outlet tube 43b.
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In other words, by adjusting the voltage value of the electrolytic gas generator 43 by the control unit 44 and selecting the material of the anode 4301, the ratio of the oxygen gas and ozone in the first gas A1 generated by the anode 4301 can be adjusted. In addition, the concentration ratio of the oxygen gas and ozone is related to the voltage value. When the voltage value increases, the concentration of the ozone in the first gas A1 increases. Therefore, the control unit 44 can control the ratio of the concentrations of oxygen gas and ozone by controlling the voltage value.
In the embodiments of the instant disclosure, the control unit 44 further stores a reference table 440 for recording the ozone concentration, oxygen gas concentration and hydrogen gas concentration of different cultivation species. The control unit 44 adjusts the voltage value based on the water quality information, the cultivation species and the reference table 440 for adjusting the ozone concentration, the oxygen gas concentration and the hydrogen gas concentration of the cultivation water. Therefore, the control unit 44 can control the timing of inputting the hydrogen gas, the oxygen gas and ozone into the cultivation water based on the water quality information for maintaining the water quality.
In the present embodiment, the aquaculture system 1 further comprises a cloud host 50 connected to the control unit 44 and a remote monitoring device 60 connected to the cloud host 50. The control unit 44 uploads the received water quality information to the cloud host 50 for storage, and the remote monitoring device 60 can receive the water quality information through the cloud host 50.
In addition, the remote monitoring device 60 can be the user or the maintainer of the system and can monitor the operation of the aquaculture system 1 based on the water quality information stored in the cloud host 50. In addition, the user or the system maintainer can collect the water quality information in long-term by a remote monitoring device 60 to optimize the cultivation environment.
The control unit 44 can be electrically connected to the first control valve 34 and the second control valve 35. When the cultivation water in the culture pond 10 needs to be processed for increasing water quality, the control unit 44 controls the first control valve 34 and the second control valve 35 to open and enables the cultivation water to flow into the water circulation unit 30, and controls the adjustable power supply 431 to apply a voltage on the membrane electrode 430b for generating the first gas A1 and the second gas A2. When the control unit 44 judges that the water quality in the culture pond 10 satisfies the requirement of the cultivation species, the first control valve 34 and the second control valve 35 are closed.
In addition, in the embodiments of the instant disclosure, the aquaculture system 1 further comprises a water supplying port 70, a water inlet valve 70a disposed at the water supplying port 70, a water discharging port 80 and a water discharging valve 80a disposed at the water discharging port 80. The water supplying port 70 is in fluid communication with the culture pond 10 for providing additional water to the culture pond 10. The water discharging port 80 is in fluid communication with the water inlet pipeline 32 for discharging the cultivation waste water circulated for many times.
The water inlet valve 70a and the water discharging valve 80a are both electrically connected to the control unit 44 for controlling the flow of the water input and output. Specifically, when the cultivation water in the culture pond 10 is recycled for predetermined times and needs to be replaced, the control unit 44 controls the water inlet valve 70a, the first control valve 34 and the water discharging valve 80a to open and control the second control valve 35 to close. Therefore, the cultivation waste water in the culture pond 10 enters the water circulation unit 30 through the recirculation outlet 10a and passes through the water outlet pipeline 31, the filter unit 41 and the water inlet pipeline 32, then is discharged by the water supplying port 70.
The control unit 44 can control the adjustable power supply 431 to apply a voltage to the membrane electrode 430b to generate the first gas A1 and the second gas A2 entering the cultivation waste water to be discharged for performing preliminary sterilization and water quality processing. Therefore, the instant disclosure is able to prevent a large amount of cultivation waste water from producing serious pollution to the environment while being discharged.
In summary, the aquaculture system provided by the embodiments of the instant disclosure can recycle and reuse the cultivation water and extend the period of replacing a large amount of cultivation water. Therefore, the consumption of water resources is reduced.
The oxygen gas, ozone and hydrogen gas generated by the electrolytic gas generator can be used to process water for increasing water quality to reduce turbidity, the concentration of nitrite and total ammonia, the number of bacteria, the BOD, the total suspended solids (TSS), the pathogens in fresh water and sea water in the water, thereby optimizing the cultivation environment of the aquaculture species. In addition, before discharging the cultivation waste water, the oxygen gas, ozone and hydrogen gas generated by the electrolytic gas generator can be used to perform preliminary water processing to prevent the cultivation waste water from producing excessive pollution to the environment.
The aquaculture system of the embodiments of the instant disclosure is able to increase the growing yield and feed converting rate of the aquaculture species while reducing the use of growth hormone or other chemicals, thereby preventing the chemicals from remaining in the living body or in the cultivation waste water to contaminate the environment.
The above-mentioned descriptions represent merely the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, without any intention to limit the scope of the instant disclosure thereto. Various equivalent changes, alterations or modifications based on the claims of the instant disclosure are all consequently viewed as being embraced by the scope of the instant disclosure.
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