Patent Application
20140217017
This multi-stage invention system relates to the science of global climate change and ocean acidification, the related field of geo-engineering, and more specifically to global climate restoration, ocean revitalization, and fueling transportation with hydrogen (H2). The invention further relates to capture and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) from power-plants, natural-gas-reformation systems, oil gasification systems, coal gasification systems, cement plants, refineries, factories, blast furnaces, kilns, outdoor air, home and building flues, incinerators, crematoriums, and other significant anthropogenic sources of CO2 emission. The invention further relates to high efficiency conversion of captured CO2 to algae in land-based bioreactors and to global-scale, naturally amplified CO2 capture by ocean algal blooming from bioreactor seed. Reduction in atmospheric CO2 will reverse global warming, restore climate, and automatically restore ideal ocean pH. Increased ocean algal blooming will feed the marine food chain and help restore decimated marine populations.
In addition to the invention bioreactors contributing to climate restoration and ocean revitalization, other applications will include high capacity algal production for silage, animal feed, feed supplements, fertilizer, biofuels, food for fish and seafood farming involving species of fish or mollusk which directly feed on algae, and bottom-rung food for fish farming involving predator fish (as seafood) such as compano and cobia which feed on lower marine life (e.g, brine shrimp). In the latter case, invention algal production will feed brine shrimp or other lower chain marine species in separate tanks, raising them for secondary feeding to predator fish.
Invention fresh-water algal production can further aid in revitalization of inland lakes and rivers by removal of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds added by agricultural runoff. Clearing major rivers of agricultural runoff will stop coastal water harmful algae blooms (HAB's) such as the notorious “red tide” in Florida which is fed by agricultural runoff at major river delta outflows.
Climate destabilization, ocean acidification, and the related acceleration of an impending marine die-off are anticipated to become the biggest challenges of the 21st century. All three problems are related to rising atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gas (GHG) carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by fossil-fuel burning, cement production, and agriculture. With 90-95% statistical certainty, multiple national and international agencies have reported that global warming in the 21st century is real, undeniable, anthropogenic (man-made), and getting steadily worse (with acceleration) with each passing decade since the 1970's. 2000-2010 was the warmest decade on record.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) accounts for ˜56% of today's warming. CO2 is still rising and accelerating toward near-term 450 parts-per-million (ppm) tipping points [Hansen, et. al., 2008, 2009; and Cao and Caldeira, 2008] for setting irreversible catastrophic global warming in motion, plus related acceleration of an impending marine die-off. Atmospheric CO2 reached 400 ppm in May 2013[Keeling, et. al., 2013] which is the highest level in 13 million years [Solomon, et. al., 2007]. We calculate that, barring intervention, CO2 will reach the 450 ppm twin tipping points by 2028.
CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement production rose to 9.7 billion tons per year (carbon measure, GtC/yr) in 2012 [Rapier, 2012, and McGee, 2013]. Emissions are accelerating at approximately 3.5% annually [Solomon, et. al., 2007; Allison, et. al., 2009; Rapier, 2012; and McGee, 2013]. In an unchecked scenario, we estimate emissions would reach 17 GtC/yr by 2034.
Significant intervention is required. The solution should target a 21st century return to 280 ppm CO2 and ideal ocean pH. It should avoiding impending short-term 450 ppm tipping points and ideally restore 280 ppm atmospheric CO2 by 2075.
Our modeling calculations show that, in order to succeed, humanity must cap CO2 emissions at 12 billion tons carbon per year (12 GtC/yr) by 2023, and then cut emissions to 1 GtC/yr by 2078 as illustrated by
Our calculations suggest that a
It should be noted that
As of this writing, there remains a need for amplified global CO2 capture capacity exceeding our projected 2023 emissions cap of 12 GtC/yr, with a “fair weather” contingency capture and safe storage capacity preferably attaining 17 GtC/yr. Several prior-art air-capture systems which frequent the news media (The Economist, op. cit.) would have estimated capture costs of $330-$800/ton of CO2, without considering storage. With a
This summarizes the overall impracticality of prior-art single-stage geo-engineering systems and their non-viability for meeting
Nature can provide the only realistic (and affordable) possibility for vast CO2 capture amplification and safe storage. However, nature's immense capacities for dealing with excess atmospheric CO2 have yet to be harnessed. Nature's capture and storage mechanisms are currently working, but not nearly at full capacity. In order to avoid the 450 ppm twin tipping points (5) for catastrophic CO2 warming, to restore the pre-industrial atmosphere of 280 ppm (9), and to restore ideal ocean pH, a means of triggering nature's immense capture and storage mechanisms to operate at full capacity must be quickly found. Nature's full CO2 capture and safe storage capacities, evident in past ice-ages, would hypothetically be adequate for solving our 21st century warming problem, but they're essentially dormant now and, barring intervention, we'll cross the 450 ppm tipping points (5) by 2028-long before the next ice-age.
Humanity's task is to awaken (and safely accelerate) nature's full CO2 capture and safe storage capacities, ramping up from 2020-2027 (˜30,000 years ahead of the next scheduled ice age) and ending in 2072, per curve 3 of
Since the 1980's, at least 14 others (prior-art) have shared our vision of awakening nature's sleeping “green giant”, to answer humanity's dire need in the present warming crisis [Boyd, 2007; Mankin, 1995; Abraham, et. al., 1999; EisenEx, 2000; Tsuda, et al., 2001, 2004; Barber, et. al., 2002, 2007; Johnson, 2002, 2004; Walter, et. al., 2004; Castellani and Gardiner, 2005; Mehrtens, 2009; Bhattachatya, 2009; and Pielke, Jr, 2012], but (so far) this prior-art has been unsuccessful. The green giant still sleeps. Our task is to contrive an early (interglacial) anthropogenic trigger to awaken the nature's green giant beginning in 2020 and ramping up through 2027, without waiting for the next ice age, in order for nature to remove ˜145 ppm CO2 (from the anticipated 2023-capped level of −425 ppm (see
In the long term, rock-weathering has sufficient capture capacity, but it's far too slow to solve our immediate, urgent CO2 warming problem and it cannot realistically be accelerated to offset annual anthropogenic CO2 emissions of 9.7-12 GtC/yr in modern times. We'd cross the 450 ppm CO2 tipping point (5) for runaway warming by 2028, long before natural rock-weathering could make a significant impact. The prior-art, crushed-rock CO2 mineralization proposal of Lackner, et. al. (Brookings Papers, 2005, 2, 215-81, and Annual Review of Energy and the Environment (2002), 27, 193-232) is a related concept which would increase the surface-area-per-ton with crushed rock exposure, but it is deemed likely to fall far short of the required capacity for storing 10 GtC/yr CO2 (impact) to be captured each year from 2027-2072 (
With rock-weathering being too slow, oceans are the only realistic remaining option for leveraging vast amplification in CO2 capture and safe storage. Ocean capture of CO2 occurs in two ways. One way is CO2 solubility in the ocean as carbonic acid (H2CO3). In oceans, most of the carbonic acid produced by CO2 dissolution dissociates to form bicarbonate ion (HCO3), but that process liberates hydrogen ion (Hf) which ultimately lowers the pH of the oceans (e.g. pH 8.33→pH 8.1) and produces damaging ocean acidification (e.g., pH 8.17—a CO2 related problem) at today's excessive atmospheric CO2 level. The ocean's capacity for safe capture of atmospheric CO2 by its solubility (as a mixture of H2CO3 and HCO3− (mostly HCO3−)) has already been exhausted in modern times. The oceans have already exceeded their maximum tolerable acidity (low pH (˜8.17)), killing 80% of global coral and threatening to soften (partially dissolve) the carbonate exoskeletons of a variety of marine life (tipping point=450 ppm atmospheric CO2), so another means of leveraged CO2 capture by the oceans must be found.
One prior-art proposal (www.c-questrate.com) is to “lime-the-sea”, thereby raising its pH and increasing the capacity for ocean solubility of CO2. However, this would initially release massive amounts of extra CO2 because this lime would be first produced by heating vast quantities of limestone mined from the Australian Nullarbor plain (releasing its long-naturally-sequestered CO2), before the resulting lime could be distributed at sea. Although c-questrate.com authors claim an offsetting second phase (recapturing more CO2 at sea than was originally released), there would be a significant hazard (mortal danger to marine life) of excessive localized alkalinity during lime dispersal and mixing at sea, which c-questrate.com didn't adequately address, and we also view the initial release of massive amounts of extra CO2 as being too risky.
The second means of ocean capture of CO2 is large-scale photosynthesis (algal blooming). This is nature's true green giant. Prodigious ocean algal blooming occurred repeatedly during multiple ice-ages in the last 800,000 years, and atmospheric CO2 was drawn down by large scale photosynthesis at sea, with atmospheric CO2 accumulations dropping as low as 190 ppm. Under ice-age conditions, the oceans were cold and no thermo-cline existed. This allowed continuous upwelling of nutrients originating from lava oozing from active ocean-floor rifts (in deeper water) to replenish top-water micro-nutrients which got used up in support of prodigious ice-age algal blooming in the uppermost photic zone.
However, in our modern interglacial (warm) climate, not much algae actually blooms over the course of a year in the vast majority of global ocean area. This is indicated by the existence today of vast ocean deserts where satellite images (
To create large, repeating open-sea algal blooms (i.e., awaken the green giant) in today's warm climate, nutrient depletion must be overcome. One prior-art proposal suggests actively pumping nutrient-rich colder water from below the thermo-cline. Our calculations indicate this wouldn't be practical for feeding (required) 14 GtC/yr ocean algal blooms. Blocked by a prevailing ocean thermo-cline in warm stratified seas, large-scale replenishment of micro-nutrients in the photic zone will have to be achieved by some means other than upwelling (or pumping) from deeper water. Recognition of this led to 14 prior-art attempts at ocean fertilization (adding micro-nutrients) since the 1980's. Although laboratory tests were initially promising, other factors prevented success at sea, and none of the prior-art attempts yielded sustainable ocean blooming or significant sustained CO2 capture [Boyd, 2007; Mankin, 1995; Abraham, et. al., 1999; EisenEx, 2000; Tsuda, et. al., 2001, 2004; Barber, et. al., 2002, 2007; Johnson, 2002, 2004; Walter, et. al., 2004; Castellani and Gardiner, 2005; Mehrtens, 2009; Bhattachatya, 2009; and Pielke, Jr, 2012]. A need yet remains to circumvent remaining factors which prevent ocean fertilization from succeeding.
Ocean algal blooming has the potential to become a powerful force for atmospheric CO2 removal. It has a repeating paleo-climatic history of pulling atmospheric CO2 down as low as 190 ppm by accelerated photosynthesis during multiple ice-ages (800,000 BC-8,000 BC). However the accelerated algal draw-down mechanism of the ice-ages required cold, de-stratified seas (with no ocean thermo-cline) which allowed continuous upwelling of replenishment nutrient from deeper water as algal blooming consumed nutrients in the photic zone (the top 10-100 meters where light penetration drives photosynthesis). Even then, once a natural (cold-sea) algal draw-down (of CO2) cycle began (triggered by initial cooling at a Milankovitch solar orbital cycle minimum), it typically took 40,000 years to draw atmospheric CO2 from 250 ppm down to 190 ppm as each ice-age developed [Solomon, et. al., 2007]. Nobody wants another ice age, but these paleo-climatic indications at least demonstrate that ocean algal blooming is capable of pulling enough CO2 (e.g., 145 ppm) out of the atmosphere to reverse global warming if sufficient replenishment nutrient were available as photic zone blooming progresses.
It has therefore been abundantly demonstrated in natural history, that ocean algal blooming is capable of eventually accomplishing our goal, and this is where we must look for the necessary CO2 capture capacity. The oceans are really the only thing big, powerful (i.e. nature's green giant), and responsive enough to achieve the required CO2 capture and safe storage capacity. Everything else (e.g., all prior-art man-made systems) will be too small and ineffectual in the face of 12 GtC/yr global emissions (projected by 2023). The oceans have done it many times before [Solomon, et. al., 2007], albeit more slowly than our current need requires, and it is humanity's task to determine how they may be stimulated to do it again, with considerable acceleration this time, before the atmosphere reaches 450 ppm CO2. Our difficult problem is that we are currently in a warm period where ocean capture of CO2 by accelerated algal blooming lies essentially dormant (see
To create large, repeating open sea algal blooms in today's warm climate, a vast
The first of the “other factors” (besides photic-zone nutrient depletion in warm, stratified seas) preventing anthropogenic stimulation of nature's full CO2 draw-down capacity via prodigious algal blooming rates capable of rapidly delivering ice-age magnitude draw-down by 2075 (i.e., a 145 ppm reduction in CO2) in today's warm climate is low blooming rate with natural algae seed levels occurring at an average of only 0.1 mg/m3 (chlorophyll measure) for the year, as illustrated by
The second of other factors (besides low natural seed levels and photic-zone nutrient depletion in warm stratified seas) preventing anthropogenic stimulation of nature's full CO2 draw-down capacity via prodigious ocean algal blooming rates capable of delivering ice-age magnitude draw-down in today's warm climate is buoyancy of natural algae species (e.g, blue-green algae), creating a persistent floating light-block following initial blooming. Once an initial bloom develops, buoyancy can prevent it from sinking to clear the photic zone in time for subsequent blooms to develop and raise the global CO2 capture rate to 14 GtC/yr before the end of each year. Instead, subsequent photic zone algal blooming would get stalled by persistent optical opacity after a single initial bloom of natural buoyant strains, and the multiplicity of subsequent blooms required to raise total annual blooming to 14 GtC/yr cannot develop. There remains a need for suppressing blooming of buoyant strains of algae in the ocean and means of selectively inducing high-density, heavier-than-water, fast-sinking strains of algae to bloom preferentially, so rapid photic zone clearing (after each bloom) can enable development of 12 blooms/yr to boost accumulated bloom rates and CO2 capture to 14 GtC/yr.
The third of other factors (besides buoyancy, low natural seed levels, and photic-zone nutrient depletion in warm stratified seas) preventing anthropogenic stimulation of nature's full CO2 draw-down capacity via prodigious ocean algal blooming rates capable of delivering ice-age magnitude draw-down in today's warm climate is the remaining need to provide higher initial seed levels, much higher on the non-linear growth curve to boost ocean blooming and CO2 capture toward 14 GtC/yr, which gives rise to a yet-to-be-fulfilled need for selectively producing large quantities of high-density, heavier-than-water, fast-sinking marine algae seed on land, and then dispersing it at sea. This creates a remaining further need for increasing the output capacity of bio-reactors (on land) to produce high-density ocean algae seed. A need further remains for algal bio-reactors that will continuously produce prodigious quantities of the ocean algae seed (on land) at a bio-reactor harvest output port in a free-flowing (non-agglomerated, non-colonized) concentrated liquid suspension.
The fourth of other factors (besides limited seed production capacity of land-based bioreactors, low natural ocean seed levels, buoyancy, and photic-zone nutrient depletion in warm stratified seas) preventing anthropogenic stimulation of nature's full CO2 draw-down capacity via prodigious ocean algal blooming rates capable of rapidly delivering ice-age magnitude draw-down in today's warm climate is the current overbalanced (and starving) ocean populations of Antarctic krill and zooplankton grazers such as copepods which hide below the photic zone during the day (out-of-range (hidden) from visual predators), but then come charging up from the deep each night to devour any algae they can find in the (night-dark) “photic” zone. For example, the 2009 prior-art attempt by the PolarStern research vessel (Albert Wegner Institute, Germany) to fertilize a large algae bloom with iron in Antarctic seas was thwarted by copepods devouring the entire haptophyte starter bloom overnight before it had a chance to bloom further and capture significant CO2. Copepods and other zooplankton are voracious feeders on algae. With an overbalanced population, their appetites for algae are currently estimated at 2 GtC/yr. They can essentially devour all of the available algae starter seed essentially overnight, before it has a chance to bloom, leaving no prospect for development of amplified blooms leading to 14 GtC/yr CO2 capture. Their predators (baleen whales and adult fish (e.g. menhaden, pilchard, herring, shad, anchovies, etc.)) have been hunted or over-fished to a point where only 10-30% of former predator populations remain. With 70-90% of the predators gone owing to excessive whaling and commercial over-fishing, grazer populations have grown out of control and this makes it difficult to avoid seed algae getting eaten by grazers before it has a chance to bloom anywhere near a 14 GtC/yr target. There remains a need for means to prevent overpopulated, starving Antarctic krill, copepods, and other zooplankton grazers from eating all of the available seed algae in a single night (following dispersal), before it has a chance to bloom and capture up to 14 GtC/yr of CO2 by the end of each year.
The fifth of other factors (besides zooplankton grazers, limited land-based bioreactor seed production capacity, low natural seed levels, buoyancy, and photic-zone nutrient depletion in warm stratified seas) likely to prevent anthropogenic stimulation of nature's full CO2 draw-down capacity via prodigious ocean algal blooming rates capable of rapidly delivering ice-age magnitude draw-down in today's warm climate is proximal post-bloom anoxia, which can occur following the death of large ocean algal blooms. Decay, following death of a large algal bloom, can trigger secondary microbial (bacterial) blooming which consumes dissolved oxygen, creating an oxygen depletion zone that can kill marine life in the vicinity. Oxygen depletion can extend all the way down to the shallow ocean floor in coastal waters. This is not so much a preventer of accelerated algal blooming (per se), but it is environmentally unsound and it would likely raise popular and regulatory agency objections which would likely activate (or lead to) legal and/or legislative intervention to block allowance of further ocean seeding or fertilization which would be required for large-scale ocean blooming to achieve the 14 GtC/yr ocean blooming and CO2 capture target. There remains a need for means to prevent proximal post-bloom anoxia following the death of large ocean algal blooms, so that dissolved oxygen levels remain high, and legal and/or legislative blocking become unnecessary, and accelerated ocean blooming may be allowed to proceed toward a 14 GtC/yr CO2 capture target.
It should be noted that all 5 of the above other factors (besides photic-zone nutrient depletion in warm stratified seas) preventing anthropogenic stimulation of nature's full CO2 draw-down capacity via prodigious ocean algal blooming rates capable of rapidly delivering ice-age magnitude draw-down in today's warm climate must be circumvented in order for accelerated ocean blooming to proceed toward a 14 GtC/yr CO2 capture target. There remains a need for the circumvention of photic zone nutrient depletion and the all 5 other factors.
Global CO2 emissions are currently 9.7 GtC/yr and our
Regarding means of capping and reducing global CO2 emissions according to curve 1 of
There remains a need for substantial carbon footprint reduction (or elimination) for clean-coal and CC coal-fired power plants. There also remains a need for carbon footprint reduction (or elimination) for gas-fired power plants and for combination gas-and-coal-fired power plants. In order to avoid the 450 ppm twin tipping points for runaway warming and catastrophic ocean acidification, and also to reduce atmospheric CO2 accumulation to 280 ppm by 2075 (
Regarding the means of capping and reducing global CO2 emissions equaling curve 1 of
Similar processes could also be used to make hydrogen transportation fuel from oil or coal. In this case, the process is referred to as gasification. In either oil gasification or coal gasification, the precursor fuels (oil or coal) would be converted to syngas, a mixture of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) via partial oxidation under partially oxygen-starved conditions. The hydrogen may be separated and compressed for transportation fuel. The CO byproduct would once again be reacted in a second step with low temperature steam in a water-gas-shift reaction that produces CO2 and another batch of hydrogen. The 2nd batch of hydrogen may again be separated and compressed for transportation fuel.
Although hydrogen-powered cars essentially do not (themselves) have a carbon footprint, all three prior-art hydrogen fuel production processes (natural-gas reformation, oil gasification, and coal gasification) have a substantial carbon footprint, owing to their final CO2 process byproduct. In the case of natural gas reformation, this gives prior-art hydrogen fueling of transportation an overall carbon footprint which is only ˜20-30% improved over vehicles which burn gasoline, which negates about 70-80% of the climate-and-ocean-restoring benefit of hydrogen-powered cars.
In fact, considering typical 1.5% leakage losses in the overall drilling, fracking, distribution, storage, and usage of natural-gas (CH4) in the prior-art methane reformation process for making hydrogen, and further considering that leaked (raw, unburned) CH4 exhibits 25-72× greater GHG warming potency (per molecule) than CO2, . . . prior-art hydrogen fueling of transportation wouldn't actually exhibit a lower climate warming footprint than gasoline, once overall CH4 leakage is taken into account.
There remains a need for substantial carbon footprint (CO2) reduction or elimination for the natural-gas (CH4) reformation process for making hydrogen (H2). A similar need remains for carbon footprint reduction while making hydrogen by oil gasification and/or coal gasification.
In order to avoid the 450 ppm twin tipping points for runaway warming ocean acidification, to meet the targets of
Regarding additional means of capping and reducing global CO2 emissions (curve 1,
Regarding additional means of capping and reducing global CO2 emissions (Curve 1,
There also remains a need for amplified CO2 capture from outdoor air (over land), in which multi-stage globally amplified capture removes 15 times more CO2 (globally) than single-stage air-capture initially removes.
There remains a need for the CO2 captured from the power-plants, the natural-gas reformation process for hydrogen production, the oil gasification process for hydrogen production, the coal gasification process for hydrogen production, cement plants, blast furnaces, kilns, refineries, factories, home and building flues, incinerators, crematoriums, and outdoor air (over land), to be coupled separately or in combination with CO2 captured from any or all of these systems into high capacity algal bioreactors. The particular remaining need is for globally distributed arrays of the coupled bioreactors to exhibit sufficient CO2 conversion capacity to continuously produce non-buoyant (high density, heavier-than-water, fast-sinking) marine algae at a collective rate of 1-3 GtC/yr. A final remaining need exists for the 1-3 GtC/yr algal bioreactor high-density marine seed algae harvest output to be widely dispersed (with micro-nutrients) over approximately 70% of the oceans to seed them high on the ocean growth (blooming rate) curve, stimulating, accelerating, and selectively amplifying vast ocean algal blooms which capture up to 14 GtC/yr atmospheric CO2 at sea, with combined land-and-sea fair-weather CO2 capture rates of 17 GtC/yr (10 GtC/yr impact), and in which buoyant algal species do not significantly interfere or effectively compete, and in which krill and zooplankton grazers (including copepods) are prevented from eating enough of the seed to prevent it from blooming to 14 GtC/yr at sea, and in which proximal post-bloom anoxia is suppressed, such that an overall compound multi-stage amplification factor of 15× is achieved for CO2 capture and the 17 GtC/yr CO2 capture curve (2) of
In related areas, there remains a need for ocean revitalization in terms of ideal pH restoration (elimination of ocean acidification) and recovery of decimated marine populations. There remains a further need for high capacity algal production to supply silage, animal feed, feed supplements, fertilizer, biofuels, food for fish and seafood farming involving species of fish or mollusk which directly feed on algae, and bottom-rung food for fish farming involving predator fish (as seafood) such as compano and cobia which feed on lower marine life (e.g, brine shrimp). In the latter case, there remains a need for high capacity algal production to feed the brine shrimp in separate tanks, raising the shrimp for secondary feeding to predator fish.
Finally, there remains a need for revitalization of inland lakes and rivers by removal of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds added by agricultural runoff. The remaining need for clearing major rivers of agricultural runoff is related to a need to eliminate coastal water harmful algae blooms (HAB's), such as the notorious “red tide” in Florida, which are fed by agricultural runoff at major river delta outflows.
Nuclear energy is an ideal long-term solution [Hansen, 2009, Stone, 2013], but its global expansion is currently experiencing delay and significant public opinion backlash, notably in the USA, Germany, and Japan. Correction of widespread public misperception and dispelling unwarranted fears will take time, and sufficient global nuclear expansion, though vitally important in the long term [Hansen, 2009, Stone, 2013], would come too late to forestall impending 450 ppm CO2 tipping points—which, barring significant intervention, may arrive as early as 2028. Interim innovation is needed from another corner.
This invention system offers the above mentioned required innovations and global intervention means, including the required CO2 capture amplification and capacity. Our basic invention concept and interim vision (for the period 2020-2072) is to make each ton of CO2 captured on land from carbon-based energy, transportation, and industry drive additional capture of up to 14 more tons of atmospheric CO2 at sea. A total of 10 GtC/yr (impact) invention-system-induced, ocean-amplified CO2 capture capacity are projected, along with 17 GtC/yr fair-weather contingency capture capacity and an accumulated total capture and natural safe storage capacity of 0.45 tera-tons carbon (1.65 tera-tons as CO2) over the 45 year period from 2027-2072 (with initial ramp-up from 2020-2027). That is the required capture period at 10 GtC/yr (impact) illustrated by
As an initial example embodiment of the invention system,
(Note: numbers in parentheses in the following pages refer to numerically labeled items in the associated drawings.)
However, instead of the conventional CC pilot-plan for burying SCF-CO2 in subterranean porous rock structures, pumping it to the sea floor, or using it as a shale-fracking aid, our
Internal algae silo design is discussed later. The design and required number of invention silos would be sufficient to convert injected CO2 to high-density (heavier-than-water) marine algae as fast as SCF-CO2 is produced by the CC power plant.
This algae silo (18) is a high speed, high efficiency invention photo-bioreactor with marine algae being continuously produced and removed to the harvest output (20) as fast as it blooms. Marine algae from the harvest output are to be transported to sea-ports and widely dispersed, along with metered nutrient doses, across the oceans as seed to stimulate and accelerate invention-system-induced secondary ocean blooming on a much larger scale.
Each ton of SCF-CO2 produced by the CC power plant is to be invention-converted to marine algae (20) for seeding massively amplified invention-system-induced secondary ocean blooming with species-selective bloom dominance and capture of 14 more tons of atmospheric CO2 at sea. The invention system illustrated here is a prelude to invention-induced 1400% ocean-amplified CO2 capture. At 50% initial CC capture efficiency, a 700% negative carbon footprint would be imparted to CC power production by ocean amplification triggered by the invention system. CC power plants would thereby be transformed into primary engines for atmospheric CO2 removal and their operations and fuel suppliers would become key enablers for the reversal of global warming and the elimination of ocean acidification.
Hydrogen (H2) does not release CO2 on consumption. However, CO2 is liberated during hydrogen fuel production (37) by a two-step natural-gas reformation process (30, 33-37):
Natural Gas Reformation
Unfortunately, CO2 byproduct from the second process reaction (34) conventionally negates about 70-80% of the potential climate-and-ocean restoring benefit of hydrogen (37) as a transportation fuel. CO2 byproduct emission (34) is a current limitation of prior-art hydrogen (H2) production (37) by natural gas reformation (30, 33-37).
The
3. Hydrogen from Coal Gasification or Oil
Future hydrogen for transportation could also be invention-system-produced via coal-gasification or from oil. In these cases, partial oxidation of the coal or oil to form syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, under partially-oxygen-starved conditions would be the first step. Partial oxidation of the coal or oil would replace the first (T1) steam cracking process reaction (30-33) of natural gas reformation, as in the following simplified reactions (which have been intentionally abbreviated to omit sulfur and minor-element constituents of the precursor fuels).
Partial Oxidation→Syngas
The water-gas-shift reaction (steam reaction, at T2=130° C.; (34)) would still apply to convert syngas CO to CO2 with production of additional hydrogen.
Water-Gas Shift Reaction
Following each of the above process reactions, CO and/or CO2 would be separated (35, 39) and hydrogen (H2) compressed (36) for transportation fuel (37), the same as in
Because algae+nutrient will be seeded instead of nutrient alone, and because the amount of available seed from stage-1 land-harvest (65, 20, 70, 72) would be large, ocean seeding (71, 75, 76) could begin significantly higher on its nonlinear growth curve than was possible in previous prior-art attempts at ocean fertilization [Boyd, 2007; Mankin, 1995; Abraham, et. al., 1999; EisenEx, 2000; Tsuda, et al., 2001, 2004; Barber, et. al., 2002, 2007; Johnson, 2002, 2004; Walter, et. al., 2004; Castellani and Gardiner, 2005; Mehrtens, 2009; Bhattacharya, 2009; and Pielke, Jr, 2012]. This would stimulate substantially accelerated secondary ocean blooming (76-79) with species-selective dominance of the blooms by high-density, fast-sinking marine algae such as siliceous diatoms and/or Emiliania huxleyi, a calcareous exoskeletal coccolithophore which is heavier-than-water. Bloom dominance may be further enhanced by nutrient selection.
Secondary ocean blooms approaching light penetration (algal opacity) limits, and visible from outer space, are anticipated within 8-14 days of initial seeding. At that point, metered nutrient doses would be calculated to run out. Heavier-than-water algae would then die and rapidly sink to clear the photic zone in preparation for next month's re-seeding. Species-selective bloom dominance and rapid sinking would prevent formation of a persistent floating algal light-penetration block. Species-selective bloom dominance and heavy exoskeletal armor (coccolith plates) may further enable (dead) E. huxleyi to quickly sink below the ocean thermocline to the deep sea floor where low temperatures (near 0° C.) and armored plating can effectively slow and/or suppress secondary bacterial blooming. Dead algae could be preserved on the cold deep-sea floor until they become buried under a steady accumulation of ocean sediments—often referred to as marine “snow”. Low temperature algal preservation and burial could prevent post-bloom anoxia from developing in the open seas. This hypothesis is crucial for validating anthropogenically-induced large-scale ocean blooming of E. huxleyi or siliceous diatoms. It requires proof-of-concept testing for verification, and that will certainly be worthwhile to explore.
Undecayed, rapidly sinking heavy algae may also get eaten as they descend and benthic creatures may feed on these algae as they reach the deep-sea floor. In the absence of eutrophication and post-bloom anoxia, general marine life may be expected to thrive as a result of bottom-rung feeding of the deep-water ocean food chain with large amounts of nutritious, freshly bloomed, well preserved, naturally refrigerated algae on a monthly repeating basis. Our hypothesis is that this may possibly lead to a generalized ocean revitalization, extending well beyond the benefits of climate restoration and eliminating ocean acidification.
In any case, 15-fold amplified photosynthesis and coccolithogenesis are anticipated with massive, species-selective, secondary algal blooming at the rate of 14 GtC/yr at sea—divided into 12 blooms per year. Multiple blooms would be enabled by a combination of accelerated blooming and accelerated post-bloom sinking with rapid clearance of the photic zone prior to each monthly reseeding, owing to high seed levels and species-selective ocean bloom dominance by heavier-than-water species of algae (siliceous diatoms and/or E. huxleyi). A correspondingly large amount of atmospheric CO2 would be captured at sea (76-79) during ocean-amplified photosynthesis and coccolithogenesis. A total land-and-sea CO2 capture (70, 71) capacity of 17 GtC/year is anticipated globally. If global CO2 emissions are also controlled as described earlier, 17 GtC/year ocean-amplified capture capacity would be sufficient to avoid the near-term 450 ppm tipping points and reverse global warming→eliminating ocean acidification and restoring 280 ppm CO2 by 2075. The crucial element is two-stage 1400% amplified ocean capture of CO2.
Anticipated results of ocean amplified capture of CO2 are illustrated in the
With general marine life thriving as a result of suppressing post-bloom anoxia and feeding the bottom rung of the ocean food chain with large amounts of algae on a monthly repeating basis, the return of marine predators may be anticipated, accompanied by a re-balancing of grazer and predator populations. As the predators eat the grazers back into normal population balance, the front end 3 GtC/yr seed-bump (82) may no longer be necessary and it should be possible to subsequently reduce seeding to 1 GtC/yr as indicated by section 82 of the dashed seed curve (
In response to dashed curve ocean seeding (80, 82), nature is expected to respond by doing the “heavy lifting” illustrated by the solid curve (81) which indicates massively amplified ocean capture of atmospheric CO2. This is what will be required to meet the CO2 targets of
The anticipated constant land-and-sea capture capacity of 17 GtC/yr (81) is nominally recommended for maintenance from 2027-2072 as shown in
Based on the modeling calculations graphed in
The solution to global warming and ocean acidification begins with offering a path that allows green advocates and energy producers to begin working together. New partners in success would include green advocates as constructive solutions educators, climate scientists, geo-engineers, algae specialists, marine biologists, oceanographers, oil, gas, and coal industries as primary scaleup implementers, and this invention system technology. Key ingredients are green advocates' passion, oil, gas and coal industry influence and resources, this invention system technology, hydrogen-powered transportation, and the long-term global proliferation of nuclear energy.
In a non-limiting example, the invention system encompasses multi-stage naturally amplified global-scale carbon dioxide capture systems combining initial land-based man-made capture systems (either prior art or invention systems) which yield concentrated carbon dioxide at their output, feeding that output into land-based man-made (invention) bioreactors for rapid, selective conversion to at least one high density, fast-sinking, heavier-than-water species of marine algae by means of accelerated photosynthesis and/or coccolithogenesis (calcification) consuming carbon dioxide while the algae bloom as in
In preferred embodiments, the invention system would exhibit output capacity of a globally-proliferated multiplicity of the
In preferred embodiments, multi-stage naturally amplified global-scale carbon dioxide capture invention systems would foster amplified stage-2 ocean algae blooms of sufficient weight density to enable rapid post-mortem sinking and photic zone clearing at the end of each accelerated bloom cycle, the cycle being limited in duration by invention-system-accelerated bloom rate and the amount of available micronutrient, and the rapid (post mortem) algae sinking and clearing of the photic zone enabling invention system reseeding of the photic zone within a foreshortened time period, the species-selective dominance of amplified stage-2 high density oceanic algae blooms and their rapid (post-mortem) sinking and clearing of the photic zone conspiring to avoid formation of persistent floating light blocks from interfering buoyant strains of algae which might otherwise occur to prevent effective invention-system reseeding the following month.
In preferred embodiments, multi-stage naturally amplified global-scale carbon dioxide invention capture systems with shortened bloom cycles would enable more frequent reseeding of stage-2 ocean algae blooms, creating a plurality of ocean algal blooms (e.g., 12 blooms/yr in a non-limiting example), the plurality further geometrically amplifying annual carbon dioxide capture by an additional (multiplicative) plurality factor equaling the number of ocean blooms achieved by the plurality each year in a non-limiting example, and exceeding carbon dioxide capture by interfering natural buoyant algae strains to a degree equaling the plurality factor. In a non-limiting example, an invention plurality factor of 12× would apply, raising carbon dioxide capture by invention-system-enhanced ocean blooming to 14 GtC/yr.
In one embodiment of Type #1 (SCF-CO2 path) multi-stage naturally amplified global-scale carbon dioxide invention capture system, a super-critical fluid CO2 starting point is envisioned as in
In a second preferred embodiment of Type #1 multi-stage naturally amplified global-scale carbon dioxide invention capture systems, the
In a third preferred embodiment of the Type #1 multi-stage naturally amplified global scale carbon dioxide invention capture system,
In certain
In Type #2 embodiments of the multi-stage naturally amplified global scale carbon dioxide invention capture system,
Other preferred embodiments of
One preferred embodiment of Type #2 land-based algal conversion (NaOH starter path) is illustrated in
Although one algae conversion silo appears in
In
In Type #3 (NaHCO3 starter path) embodiments of the multi-stage naturally amplified global scale carbon dioxide capture system,
The helical fountain sheets are optically thin, so light penetration is enhanced and exceptionally high seed levels of algae may be employed without encroaching on light penetration (algal suspension opacity) limits. With optical thinning induced by the sheet fountain, up to 15% solids may be tolerated as a seed level, which is generally higher than prior art algal bioreactors. Because algal bloom rates are strongly dependent on seed level, with the bloom rate accelerating nonlinearly with increases in seed level, prodigious algal blooming will characterize this stage-1 bioreactor—potentially blooming at elevated rates.
In one preferred embodiment, and referring to
Continuing with the
In the stage-1 bioreactor silo (90), buffering the algae suspension (94) at approximately pH 8.32 in a non-limiting example may be achieved in one non-limiting example by adding a mixture of disodium phosphate and monosodium phosphate to the pool (94) in a mole-ratio of approximately thirteen-to-one, respectively, in which the phosphate buffering components also double as at least one component of photosynthesis micronutrients to support algal blooming. Other acid-base mixture pairs such as a borate system may also be envisioned that would buffer the pool to a desired pH range.
The approximately 13-to-1 buffered mixture of phosphates or a borate buffer or a combination buffer will result in a pH of approximately 8.32. If desired, that pH may be achieved by supplementing other mixture ratios of the phosphates with additional acids or bases to convert the phosphates to an equivalent 13-to-1 ratio of the more basic phosphate form (nearest to pKa2) and its conjugate acidic form. Phosphate buffering at pH 8.32 may further be aided by addition of sodium bicarbonate, as needed.
In one embodiment of stage-1 invention bioreactor (algae conversion silo (90)), artificial lighting (96) shines through the helical sheet fountain at programmed intervals. This may be either CW or modulated lighting to produce accelerated blooming from modulation (foreshortened light/dark cycles), the accelerated blooming acceleration deriving from the temporal relationship of photosynthetic light reactions and dark reactions. The dark reactions are important. Both light and dark cycles are required, but natural bloom rates are limited to the 24 hour solar cycle. Artificial lighting can shorten that cycle and accelerate blooming simply by shortening the duration of each light cycle, and immediately beginning a dark cycle, which is also of reduced duration. In one non-limiting embodiment, the light intensity of the foreshortened light cycle may be increased to advantage in accelerating blooming. In addition, using artificial lighting (96) means that photosynthetic quantum efficiency need no longer be limited to the 11% value typical of the solar spectrum. In one preferred (but non-limiting) invention embodiment, light emitting diodes may be used at (96) with their emission wavelengths being optimally selected to maximize the quantum efficiency of high-density marine algae photosynthesis and/or calcification. For some algae this would mean using a majority of red photodiodes with a minority fraction of the diodes being blue (and perhaps none being green or yellow) in a non-limiting example. The balance of red and blue photodiodes may be adjusted to maximize photosynthetic quantum efficiency (specifically for coccolithophore blooming, if appropriate) to values anticipated to be in the range of 40-70%. Other wavelengths may also be selected to maximize the blooming rate of any given algae species and still be within the scope of invention.
Further acceleration of bloom rates in invention stage-1 bioreactors using a recirculating headspace oxygen removal system (119) to remove headspace oxygen (in a non-limiting example through an O2 permeable tubular membrane (116) with concentric counter-flow of nitrogen (113) to sweep oxygen away from the far side of the membrane as it permeates the membrane walls (116)) as fast as O2 is produced by photosynthesis. Lowering the headspace oxygen level in the invention stage-2 bioreactors may accelerate algal blooming rates. Dissolved oxygen removal from the invention algae pool may be effected by continuous bubbling of nitrogen (not illustrated) through the silo pool (94), driving the dissolved oxygen into the silo headspace where it is removed by the headspace oxygen removal system (110-116). Lowering the dissolved oxygen level in the algae silo pool (94) will further accelerate algal blooming rates.
In a non-limiting preferred embodiment example, once stage-1 bioreactor (90) blooming reaches 15% solids in the algae pool (94), a smaller transfer auger (not shown) is turned on to remove algae suspension from a lower extent (99) of the bioreactor algae pool, as fast as it blooms, thereafter. This maintains a constant 15% algae concentration in pool (94) (e.g. 15% suspended solids) as blooming proceeds continuously. It also maintains a self-reseeding condition in the reactor at a constant 15% solids seed level, which is very high on the nonlinear growth curve, stimulating prodigious algal growth, which is also continuously removed (as fast as it blooms) and continually reseeded. The stage-1 invention is therefore a continuous algal bioreactor with prodigious bloom rates. Mechanical shearing action of the large vertical rotating lift auger (95) and also of the smaller transfer auger will prevent colonization (agglomeration) of the rapidly blooming algae, so that the continuous harvest algae remains free-flowing and smoothly exits the bioreactor at 99, removed via the transfer auger. Removal is to an adjacent separation tank (101, 100). As the 15% algae suspension is continuously removed by the transfer auger, replenishment sea water (21) is provided to maintain the silo pool (94) at a constant liquid level and replenishment nutrients and pH buffer are also provided (21) to maintain constant bioreactor blooming conditions at a very high level.
The separation tank (100) is relatively large diameter to cause a significant reduction in flow velocity at the same flow rate as 101. This velocity reduction is important, because it suddenly offers the tiny algae (e.g. 2 μm in diameter in a nonlimiting E. huxleyi example) an opportunity to swim against the current, if they so desire. What is needed next is a reason for the algae to swim against the current so that they will concentrate in the upper end of the separation tank. That impetus is provided by tank (100) and its main downward flow path being dark and essentially devoid of both CO2 and nutrient, whereas an attractant light beam (beacon 106, 107) is positioned within the mouth of a harvest exit tee (105) located near the upper extent of tank (100). With the main separation tank volume (100) and path (101-102) being essentially devoid of light, and with the flow velocity significantly reduced at large tank diameter, the algae may swim against downward current (101→102)—swimming upward instead toward the attractant beacon (107) and illuminator globe (106) supplied at the mouth of the harvest exit tee (105). The exit tee and harvest exit path (105→20) are smaller in diameter again and, even though the exit path (105→20) flow rate is low, this diameter reduction raises flow velocity (relative to path 101→102) enough that any algae which appear at the mouth of the exit tee (106, 105) will be sucked into harvest exit flow path (105). Marine algae may be continuously harvested as ocean seed at the harvest output of the silo (20). The bioreactor is continuous, self-concentrating, and will promote prodigious algal blooming at output (20). About 85% of the algal bloom will continuously exit via the harvest path (15) in a nonlimiting example, with about 15% recirculating via path (102-104). Any dead algae will sink and may be periodically removed at (109).
The
Using a non-limiting preferred
Since artificial lighting (96) is employed and a holding tank is provided for SCF-CO2 (
In yet more embodiments, carbon dioxide separation and concentration may be achieved by any prior-art means from any CO2 source with the captured and concentrated CO2 being directly coupled to
To understand the “heretofore unmatched favorable conditions” required for successful invention 15× stage-2 process amplification, classic prior art limitations must be overcome, including low natural (and prior art) starter seed concentration (
To summarize invention-optimized stage-2 ocean blooming conditions, the low starting point of
In all of its various
The stage-2 invention system 3 GtC/yr front end seed “bump” (80) may only be needed for several years as predators (of grazers) re-proliferate their numbers (currently decimated by commercial over-fishing) in response to the rising edge of curve (81) which will feed massive (15× amplified) quantities of algae at the bottom rung of the marine food chain. Prodigious bottom-rung feeding will stimulate the entire marine food chain to re-proliferate, restoring populations of predators who will quickly eat the grazer populations back down, thereby eliminating the need for continued, 3 GtC/yr seeding (80), such that seed levels may then be diminished to about 1 GtC/yr (82) after the initial seed bump (80). At this point, the diminished grazer populations will eat from the invention-system-induced amplified 14 GtC/yr bloom, rather than devouring the seed before it has a chance to bloom. Populations of grazer and predator are expected to surge back and forth multiple times as the natural population balance is restored. This back and forth surging is represented by the series of spikes anticipated on the leading edge of the amplified ocean capture curve (81).
Nutrient depletion in modern, warm, stratified seas will be invention-system remedied by adding metered doses of nutrient with each seeding. Metered doses will support localized maximal coccolithophore or siliceous diatom algal blooming until it reaches light penetration (algal bloom opacity) limits within ˜2 weeks, and then nutrient will run out. The bloom will quickly starve and die as it approaches the light penetration limit. Blooms will thus not be overfed, and natural buoyant strains of algae won't bloom significantly in comparison to the selective prodigious blooming of high density, fast-sinking invention system coccolithophore or invention siliceous diatom algae seed.
Undesirable post-bloom anoxia which ordinarily follows the death of natural (or agricultural runoff induced) algal blooms partially depletes dissolved oxygen (DO) to depths of 300-800 meters in the open sea and fully depletes DO to the sea floor in shallow coastal waters. This kills fish and other marine life in coastal waters and gives rise to a popular perception that large algae blooms at sea are “bad”.
To prevent post-bloom anoxia in the invention stage-2 amplified ocean blooming, species specific bloom dominance will ensure only heavier-than-water coccolithophore or siliceous diatoms contribute to the blooms. These heavier-than-water algae will sink rapidly (post mortem) to the bottom of the open sea, where they will be preserved by low deep sea floor temperatures in the range of 0-4 degrees C. until they are buried by 1 mm/year sedimentation of marine “snow”. Low temperature deep-sea floor preservation and relatively rapid burial, plus armored exoskeletal coverage of these heavier-than-water algae comprise the prime avoidance hypothesis advanced for this invention system for stage-2 seeding in the open seas (deep water) which would expect to be done monthly for 45 years (see
In coastal waters, the monthly death of each stage-2 bloom will be immediately followed by forced local re-aeration of seeded areas to a depth of within 5 meters of the sea floor in shallow coastal waters. This invention forced re-aeration will effectively prevent post-bloom anoxia in coastal waters and will greatly benefit coastal marine life. With massive bottom rung feeding in both coastal and open sea water, re-proliferation of marine populations which are currently decimated by commercial over-fishing should occur. Burgeoning populations of marine life (last seen in the 18th and 19th centuries) may be restored within the first 10 years of curve 81 (
Invention benefits will extend well beyond the climate stabilization summary illustrated in
In addition to the invention stage-1 bioreactors contributing significantly to climate stabilization, other applications for stage-1 high capacity algal production will include silage, animal feed, feed supplements, fertilizer, food for fish and seafood farming involving species of fish or mollusk which directly feed on algae, and bottom-rung food for fish farming involving predator fish (as seafood) such as compano and cobia which feed on lower marine life (e.g, brine shrimp). In the latter case, invention high capacity algal production will feed the brine shrimp in separate tanks, raising shrimp for secondary feeding to predator fish.
Invention stage-1 algal bioreactors can also be applied to high capacity production of beneficial species of fresh water algae which, if properly selected and managed, can revitalize inland lakes and rivers by removal of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds added by agricultural runoff. Clearing major rivers of agricultural runoff will also stop coastal water harmful algae blooms (HAB's) such as the notorious “red tide” in Florida, resulting from agricultural runoff at major river delta outflows.
There may be bio-fuel applications that benefit from high capacity algal production in the invention stage-1 bioreactors. However, these won't contribute to climate stabilization since biofuel combustion returns CO2 to the atmosphere (zero-sum-gain). Biofuels wouldn't exhibit amplification of CO2 capture and they may finally divert resources and attention away from hydrogen fueling of transportation.
Specific invention inclusions are listed below.
1. The invention specifically includes a system for production of algae, the system comprising a CO2 source and a bioreactor supplied with concentrated CO2 from the CO2 source, the bioreactor configured to encourage accelerated growth and reproduction of algae as well as to enable development of a more concentrated final algal bloom; in which optical opacity limits on seed level and bloom concentration are circumvented by an optical thinning effect which enables greater light penetration into more concentrated algae suspensions; wherein the greater light penetration enables higher level initial seeding or inoculation of the bioreactor bloom space; wherein the higher level of initial seed accelerates blooming as a result of starting higher on a nonlinear algal growth curve; and in which a normally inaccessible upper section of the nonlinear algal growth curve is conventionally inaccessible owing to optical opacity of concentrated algal suspensions; and in which the normally inaccessible upper section of the nonlinear growth curve is rendered accessible by the optical thinning effect which enables light penetration into optically thinned suspensions of concentrated algae.
2. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, wherein the optical thinning effect is produced by slinging an algae suspension as thin watery sheets off the perimeter edges of a rotating auger blade which lifts algae suspension out of a pool, elevates the suspension, and slings it outward by centrifugal force to form optically thin watery sheets, and wherein optical thinness of the slinging sheets enables improved optical penetration by rays from a light source shining through the slinging sheets.
3. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, wherein the optical thinning effect is produced by spraying, misting, or aerosolizing an algae suspension as droplets and particles to form optically thin sprays, mists, or aerosols, wherein optical thinness of the algal sprays, mists, or aerosols enables improved optical penetration by rays from a light source shining through the sprays, mists, or aerosols.
4. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, wherein the optical thinning effect is produced by directing a flow of an algae suspension through an annular space occurring between two axially concentric tubes, and wherein the annular space occurs between the outside diameter wall of the innermost tube of the two axially concentric tubes and the inside diameter wall of the outermost tube of the two axially concentric tubes, wherein the annular space is less than 50 mm thick, and wherein the optical thinness of the flow of algae suspension within the annular space enables improved optical penetration by rays from a light source shining through the flow of algae suspension contained within the optically thin annular space.
5. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, in which the algae suspension from the bioreactor proceeds to a flow-through separation tank after blooming, wherein the flow velocity of algae suspension through the separation tank is reduced, at constant flow rate, by means of enlarged tank diameter, and wherein the reduced flow velocity is low enough to permit algae that have flagella or other motility means to swim effectively against the flow current when presented with an upstream or side-stream attractant, and wherein the direction of algal swimming is toward the attractant, and wherein algal swimming toward the attractant produces a concentrating effect on the algal suspension, and wherein the concentration of algae proximal to the attractant is made higher by the concentrating effect than the concentration of algae at points located progressively downstream from the attractant and still within the main flow of the flow-through separation tank.
6. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 5, wherein the separation tank contains a main flow exit port and a secondary exit port which is designated as a harvest exit tee, and wherein the attractant is located at a position proximal to the mouth of the harvest exit tee, and wherein the mouth of the harvest exit tee is sufficiently narrow to raise the harvest exit flow velocity to exceed the capacity for algae to swim against the harvest exit current, wherein algae swimming toward the attractant from the main separation tank are sucked into the harvest exit tee upon reaching the attractant, and wherein the harvest exit tee outflow leads to an algal harvest output port, wherein the concentration of algae harvested at the harvest output port is higher than the concentration of algae entering the separation tank, and wherein the main flow of the flow through exit tank at points downstream of the attractant and having bypassed the harvest exit tee contains a reduced concentration of algae, relative to the concentration of algae entering the separation tank, and wherein the main flow of the flow through exit tank having bypassed the harvest exit tee exits the separation tank through the main flow exit port, and wherein flow exiting the main flow exit port is recirculated to the original bioreactor.
7. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 6, in which the attractant is one or more attractants selected from among a group of attractants consisting of a light source, a nutrient source, a nutrient source, a carbon dioxide source, an attractive water temperature, and an attractive water pH, and wherein the rest of the separation tank is dark and relatively devoid of the chosen attractant or combination of attractants.
8. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, wherein the CO2 source is a methane (or natural gas) reformation reactor.
9. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 8, wherein the methane (or natural gas) reformation reactor is a steam cracker with stages of the steam reactor operating at two different temperatures that are optimized for hydrogen production from natural gas.
10. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, wherein the CO2 source provides a concentrated flow of CO2 gas.
11. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 10 which further comprises a CO2 storage module.
12. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 11, wherein the CO2 storage module includes a CO2 liquefier.
13. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, wherein the bioreactor comprises an artificial light source.
14. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 4, wherein the light source is axially positioned proximal to the axial center-line of the innermost tube of the two axially concentric tubes, and wherein rays of light from the light source shine radially outward through the annular space and the flow of algae contained within the annular space.
15. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, wherein the bioreactor comprises a CO2 inlet for the introduction of concentrated CO2 gas.
16. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, wherein the heavier-than-water algae comprise an exoskeleton or protective coccolith plates.
17. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 16, wherein the heavier-than-water algae comprise at least one of a coccolithophore or a siliceous diatom algae.
18. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, wherein the CO2 source and the bioreactor are in fluid communication.
19. The invention further includes a system for production of algae, the system comprising a hydrocarbon cracking reactor configured to generate a stream of concentrated CO2 byproduct; and a bioreactor configured to produce heavier than water algae, the bioreactor supplied, at least in part, with CO2 from the stream of concentrated CO2 byproduct; and wherein the hydrocarbon cracking reactor produces H2 as its main product.
20. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 19, wherein the hydrocarbon cracking reactor is a methane cracking reactor.
21. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 20, wherein the methane cracking reactor is a steam cracker with stages of the steam reactor operating at two different temperatures that are optimized for hydrogen production from natural gas.
22. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 19, wherein the hydrocarbon cracking reactor is a coal-gasification reactor in which partial oxidation (with O2) converts coal to syngas—a mixture of CO and H2; wherein the CO is further converted to CO2 byproduct in a water-gas shift reaction with low temperature steam, and wherein the coal-gasification reactor produces H2 as its main product.
23. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 19, wherein the hydrocarbon cracking reactor is an oil-gasification reactor in which partial oxidation (with O2) converts oil to syngas—a mixture of CO and H2; wherein the CO is further converted to CO2 in a water-gas shift reaction with low temperature steam, and wherein the oil-gasification reactor produces H2.
24. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 19, which further comprises a CO2 storage module.
25. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 24, wherein the CO2 storage module includes a CO2 liquefier.
26. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 19, wherein the bioreactor comprises an artificial light source.
27. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 19, wherein the bioreactor comprises a CO2 inlet for the introduction of concentrated CO2 gas.
28. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 19, wherein the heavier-than-water algae comprise an exoskeleton or protective coccolith plates.
29. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 28, wherein the heavier-than-water algae comprise at least one of a coccolithophore or a siliceous diatom algae.
30. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 19, wherein the CO2 source and the bioreactor are in fluid communication.
31. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, wherein the CO2 source is a CC (carbon-capture) clean-coal-fired power plant, the power plant producing electricity as a public utility and concentrated CO2 byproduct as a supercritical fluid (SCF-CO2).
32. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 31, wherein the SCF-CO2 is decompressed to concentrated CO2 gas and introduced into the bioreactor.
33. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, wherein the CO2 source is a CC (carbon-capture) gas-fired power plant, the CC power plant producing electricity as public utility and concentrated CO2 byproduct as a supercritical fluid (SCF-CO2).
34. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 33, wherein the SCF-CO2 is decompressed to concentrated CO2 gas and introduced into the bioreactor.
35. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, wherein the CO2 source is a combination (CC or standard) gas-fired and CC (carbon-capture) clean-coal-fired power plant, the power plant producing electricity as a public utility and concentrated CO2 byproduct as a supercritical fluid (SCF-CO2).
36. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 35, wherein the SCF-CO2 is decompressed to concentrated CO2 gas and introduced into the bioreactor.
37. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, wherein the CO2 source is a CC (carbon-capture) cement plant, the CC cement plant producing cement and concentrated CO2 byproduct.
38. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 37, wherein the CO2 is captured as a supercritical fluid (SCF-CO2).
39. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 38, wherein the SCF-CO2 is decompressed to concentrated CO2 gas and introduced into the bioreactor.
40. The invention further includes a system for production of algae, the system comprising a CO2 source; and a means of concentrating CO2 from the CO2 source; and a bioreactor supplied with concentrated CO2 gas from the concentrating means; wherein the bioreactor is configured to encourage the rapid growth and reproduction of a heavier-than-water species of algae.
41. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 40, wherein the concentrating means produces supercritical fluid CO2 (SCF-CO2).
42. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 41, wherein the SCF-CO2 is decompressed to create the concentrated CO2 gas and introduce it into the bioreactor.
43. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 40, wherein the means of concentrating CO2 from the source is absorbing CO2 from the source by exposure of the CO2 to a solution of alkali metal hydroxide (e.g. sodium hydroxide) or alkaline-earth hydroxide (e.g. calcium hydroxide) to form a CO2 absorption product solution of alkali bicarbonate or alkaline-earth carbonate; wherein the alkali bicarbonate or alkaline-earth carbonate solution is subsequently (or downstream) acidified to re-release the captured CO2 as concentrated CO2 into an enclosure which is common to the bioreactor or in fluid communication with the bioreactor.
44. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 43, wherein the CO2 source is selected from among a group of CO2 sources consisting of a methane reformation cracker, an oil gasification syngas reactor, a coal gasification syngas reactor, a furnace flue, a water heater flue, an incinerator flue, a crematorium flue, a blast-furnace flue, a gas stove flue, a cement plant exhaust flue, a power plant exhaust flue, a refinery exhaust flue, a factory exhaust flue, and a system designed for CO2 capture from outdoor air.
45. The invention further includes a process of ocean-amplified CO2 capture, wherein algae plus nutrient are seeded into the ocean instead of nutrient-alone; the process comprising land-based capture of concentrated CO2 from a land-based CO2 source; land-based conversion of captured CO2 to heavier-than-water marine algae in at least one bioreactor configured to encourage the rapid growth and reproduction of the heavier-than-water marine algae as ocean seed; transport of the heavier-than-water marine algae as ocean seed to seaports for ocean distribution and dispersal with added micro-nutrients in order to seed ocean-amplified blooming (further growth and rapid reproduction at sea—essentially secondary blooming on a vast ocean scale); wherein the ocean-amplified blooming occurs essentially selectively for the heavier-than-water species of marine algae by virtue of the heavier-than-water marine algae being distributed, dispersed, and seeded into the ocean water at higher levels than existing natural buoyant ocean algal strains, the higher levels selectively accelerating ocean blooming rates of the heavier-than-water marine algae by virtue of seeding the ocean higher than normal on an upward-bending nonlinear algal growth curve and producing a species-selective dominance of the ocean-amplified bloom, and wherein the higher that the ocean blooming starts on the growth curve, the faster it proceeds, if sufficient nutrient is present or provided.
46. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 45 in which the species-selective bloom dominance is further enhanced by nutrient selection.
47. The invention further includes the process of preceding section 46 in which nutrient selection for E. huxleyi coccolithophore marine algae includes nutrients which are deficient in phosphate, wherein phosphate deficiency, while also concurrently providing other nutrients in abundance, promotes prodigious E. huxleyi growth at sea, to the exclusion of blooming by other species of marine algae.
48. The invention further includes the process of preceding section 45, wherein transport to seaport of the heavier-than-water marine algae seed occurs by flat-bed truck, flat rail car, or barge; and wherein the flat-bed truck, flat rail car, or barge carry the marine algae seed in stasis-supporting cargo containers which are transferrable by crane or other lifting means from one flat-bed transportation means to another, and wherein the cargo containers are designed to maintain conditions in support of a healthy stasis condition for the heavier-than-water marine algae seed.
49. The invention further includes the process of preceding section 48, wherein the stasis-supporting cargo containers may be loaded onto ocean freighters (ships) docked at seaports, the ocean freighters then distributing the stasis-supporting cargo containers to floating seed repositories at sea; wherefrom the stasis-supporting cargo containers may be transferred to seed dispersal boats which fan out from the floating seed repositories to disperse and dispense the heavier-than-water marine algae seed (plus micronutrients) into the ocean for ocean-amplified blooming to proceed, along with ocean-amplified CO2 capture as the heavier-than-water marine algae bloom prodigiously at sea.
50. The invention further includes the process of preceding section 49, wherein the micro-nutrient doses are metered to support heavier-than-water ocean-amplified algal blooming up to the light penetration (algal bloom opacity) limit and then run out.
51. The invention further includes the process of preceding section 50, wherein the ocean amplified bloom dies after the metered micro-nutrient doses run out; wherein the dead heavier-than-water amplified bloom sinks rapidly, clearing the ocean photic zone before the end of each month and enabling restored light penetration into the photic zone to support another amplified bloom following the next month's seeding.
52. The invention further includes the process of preceding section 51 in which 12 blooms/year may be seeded and achieved, with each ocean-amplified bloom reaching the light penetration (algal bloom opacity) limit before it dies and sinks.
53. The invention further includes the process of preceding section 52 in which accumulated amplified ocean blooming yields 14 GtC/yr of heavier-than-water algae (correspondingly capturing 14 GtC/yr of atmospheric CO2) globally for each 1-3 GtC/yr of seeding with land-based heavier-than-water algae seed produced by the land-based bioreactors.
54. The invention further includes the process of preceding section 51, wherein local forced re-aeration of previously seeded areas to an appropriate depth prevents post-bloom anoxia from secondary bacterial blooming.
55. The invention further includes the process of preceding section 51, wherein the seeding of amplified ocean blooming is restricted to the vast open ocean that is further out from shore, well beyond the realm of coastal waters and beyond the shallow coastal-shelf sea floor, out in the open seas where much deeper water prevails, wherein species-selective bloom dominance and rapid sinking quickly carry the dead algae below the ocean thermocline of the open seas and all the way to the deep-sea floor, wherein deep ocean temperatures at the deep-sea floor are quite low—near to zero degrees centrigade, and wherein low deep-sea temperatures preserve the dead algae and slow and/or suppress the onset of secondary bacterial action, algal decay, eutrophication, and post-bloom anoxia which would otherwise deplete ocean-dissolved oxygen, and wherein the slowing or suppression of bacterial action at low temperature at the deep-sea floor delays the onset of eutrophication and post bloom anoxia to an extent enabling ocean sedimentation, often referred to as marine “snow”, to essentially bury the dead algae before post-bloom anoxia or eutrophication can develop.
56. The invention further includes the process of preceding section 55 wherein the onset of post bloom anoxia is further delayed by calcareous exoskeletal armor plates of E. huxleyi, a preferred heavier-than-water algae for ocean amplification; and wherein delay by calcareous exoskeletal armor plating dominates dead algal blooms, owing to the species-selective bloom dominance of E. huxleyi enabled by high seed levels from land-based bioreactor seed sources, and further enabled by phosphate-depleted nutrients supplied during ocean seeding with E. huxleyi seed grown in land-based bioreactors.
57. The invention further includes the process of preceding section 53 wherein approximately 1 GtC/yr of seed triggers amplified ocean blooming of up to 14 GtC/yr of heavier-than-water algae; wherein another approximately 2 GtC/yr of seed are needed (and are provided from land-based bioreactor-produced seed) to satiate marine grazer appetites so that they leave the approximately 1 GtC/yr of seed uneaten so that it remains to trigger the amplified ocean blooming of the up to 14 GtC/yr of heavier-than-water algae and corresponding photosynthetic and/or coccolithogenic (calcification) capture of up to 14 GtC/yr of atmospheric CO2.
58. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, wherein the bioreactor comprises a shallow pool of seed algae; an enclosed headspace above the shallow pool; a vertical rotating auger; and overhead artificial lighting; wherein the concentrated CO2 is injected into the bioreactor headspace; wherein the lower blade extent of the rotating auger is immersed in the pool; wherein the rotating auger lifts algae suspension up out of the pool; and wherein the rotating auger slings algae suspension off the perimeter edges of the auger blades creating a helical fountain comprising thin watery sheets of suspended algae slinging within the bioreactor headspace; and wherein the artificial lighting shines down through the thin watery sheets; wherein an optical thinning effect of the thin watery sheets allows greater light penetration through the sheets than would otherwise be possible in the pool, owing to optical opacity limits of suspended algae in the pool; and wherein the greater light penetration enables bioreactor operation at higher algae seed levels and bloom levels than would otherwise be possible without encroaching on opacity limits in the pool; and wherein the higher seed levels accelerate algal bloom rates; and wherein the concentrated CO2 further accelerates algal bloom rates; and wherein the increased surface area of the thin watery sheets enhances algal exposure to CO2; and wherein the increased algal exposure to CO2 further accelerates algal bloom rates; and wherein optical thinning enables more concentrated algal blooms to develop—beyond normal opacity limits.
59. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 46, in which the rotating auger is downward tapered from top to bottom.
60. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 58, in which the bioreactor algae pool floor is funnel-shaped.
61. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 58, in which perimeter edges of the auger blade are up-angled, rather than flat.
62. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 61, in which the extent of up-angling diminishes with vertical height on the ascending auger blade.
63. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 58, in which the rotating auger is encased in a pipe, and in which section 58 slinging action is blocked by the pipe wall; and wherein auger action is limited to lifting algae suspension to the upper extent of the bioreactor, and wherein the lifted algae suspension spills out the top of the pipe-encased auger onto the apex of a dome-topped-but-otherwise-tiered-wedding-cake-shaped nebulizer; and wherein the algae suspension spreads out into a downward flowing film over the dome-topped-but-otherwise-tiered-wedding-cake-shaped nebulizer; wherein the dome-topped-but-otherwise-tiered-wedding-cake-shaped nebulizer converts the downward flowing film of suspended algae into an aerosol or mist, or spray, and wherein the misted algae particles are exposed to CO2 of the bioreactor headspace and to light from the bioreactor artificial lighting; and wherein the mist is optically thin and presents high surface area exposure to CO2; and wherein optical thinness and high surface area exposure accelerate algal blooming and yield a more concentrated final algal bloom.
64. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 63, in which the dome-topped-but-otherwise-tiered-wedding-cake-shaped nebulizer is hollow and internally pressurized in the range of 5-200 psi with CO2 from the CO2 source, introduced from the source inlet; and wherein the outward-facing essentially vertical tiered facets of the dome-topped-but-otherwise-tiered-wedding-cake-shaped nebulizer are perforated with a multiplicity of CO2-escape orifices; wherein pressurized CO2 escapes through the CO2 escape orifices to the bioreactor headspace; wherein the escaping CO2 interrupts the downward-flowing film of algae suspension covering the dome-topped-but-otherwise-tiered-wedding-cake-shaped nebulizer; and wherein the film-interruption is of sufficient velocity and turbulence to convert suspended algae to a spray, mist, or aerosol within the bioreactor headspace, and wherein the spray, mist, or aerosol is exposed to headspace CO2 and light from the artificial illumination.
65. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 64, in which the tiered wedding-cake structure of the nebulizer allows an unmisted fraction of the algae suspension, which missed (bypassed) each CO2 escape orifice, to continue in a downward flowing film on a first tier essentially vertical facet until it reaches the unperforated essentially horizontal upper facet of at least a second tier; where it can repool on the essentially horizontal at least a second tier upper facet; and wherein the repooled algae suspension subsequently overflows the essentially horizontal at least a second tier upper facet and spills down as a flowing film over the perforated side of the at least a second tier of the nebulizer.
66. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 60, wherein algae is removed from the bottom of the funnel shaped pool floor essentially as fast as it blooms, wherein removal is to an adjacent separation tank; and wherein the separation tank is a flow-through tank; and wherein the flow velocity of algae suspension through the separation tank is reduced, at constant flow rate, by means of enlarged tank diameter, wherein the reduced flow velocity is low enough to permit algae that have flagella or other motility means to swim effectively against the flow current when presented with an upstream or side-stream attractant, wherein the direction of algal swimming is toward the attractant, and wherein algal swimming toward the attractant produces a concentrating effect on the algal suspension, and wherein the concentration of algae proximal to the attractant is made higher by the concentrating effect than the concentration of algae at points located progressively downstream from the attractant and still within the main flow of the flow-through separation tank.
67. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 66, wherein the separation tank contains a main flow exit port and a secondary exit port which is designated as a harvest exit tee, wherein the attractant is located at a position proximal to the mouth of the harvest exit tee, and wherein the mouth of the harvest exit tee is sufficiently narrow to raise the harvest exit flow velocity to exceed the capacity for algae to swim against the harvest exit current, and wherein algae swimming toward the attractant from the main separation tank are sucked into the harvest exit tee upon reaching the attractant, and wherein the harvest exit tee outflow leads to an algal harvest output port, and wherein the concentration of algae harvested at the harvest output port is higher than the concentration of algae entering the separation tank, and wherein the main flow of the flow through exit tank at points downstream of the attractant and having bypassed the harvest exit tee contains a reduced concentration of algae, relative to the concentration of algae entering the separation tank, and wherein the main flow of the flow-through exit tank having bypassed the harvest exit tee exits the separation tank through the main flow exit port, and wherein flow exiting the main flow exit port is recirculated to the original bioreactor.
68. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 67, in which the attractant is one or more attractants selected from among a group of attractants consisting of a light source, a nutrient source, a nutrient source, a carbon dioxide source, an attractive water temperature, and an attractive water pH, and wherein the rest of the separation tank is dark and relatively devoid of the chosen attractant or combination of attractants.
69. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 67, wherein liquid replenishment is joined to the recirculation flow leading into the original bioreactor to maintain a constant liquid level in the bioreactor pool; and wherein replenishment micronutrients are added to the pool at the same rate as they are consumed by continuous blooming of the heavier-than-water algae; and wherein replenishment CO2 from the CO2 source is provided to the bioreactor as fast as CO2 is consumed in photosynthesis and/or coccolithogenesis (calcification) during algal blooming.
70. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 63, wherein algae is removed from the bottom of the bioreactor essentially as fast as it blooms, wherein removal is to an adjacent separation tank; and wherein the separation tank is a flow-through tank; and wherein the flow velocity of algae suspension through the separation tank is reduced, at constant flow rate, by means of enlarged tank diameter, wherein the reduced flow velocity is low enough to permit algae that have flagella or other motility means to swim effectively against the flow current when presented with an upstream or side-stream attractant, wherein the direction of algal swimming is toward the attractant, and wherein algal swimming toward the attractant produces a concentrating effect on the algal suspension, and wherein the concentration of algae proximal to the attractant is made higher by the concentrating effect than the concentration of algae at points located progressively downstream from the attractant and still within the main flow of the flow-through separation tank.
71. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 70, wherein the separation tank contains a main flow exit port and a secondary exit port which is designated as a harvest exit tee, wherein the attractant is located at a position proximal to the mouth of the harvest exit tee, wherein the mouth of the harvest exit tee is sufficiently narrow to raise the harvest exit flow velocity to exceed the capacity for algae to swim against the harvest exit current, wherein algae swimming toward the attractant from the main separation tank are sucked into the harvest exit tee upon reaching the attractant, wherein the harvest exit tee outflow leads to an algal harvest output port, wherein the concentration of algae harvested at the harvest output port is higher than the concentration of algae entering the separation tank, and wherein the main flow of the flow through exit tank at points downstream of the attractant and having bypassed the harvest exit tee contains a reduced concentration of algae, relative to the concentration of algae entering the separation tank, and wherein the main flow of the flow through exit tank having bypassed the harvest exit tee exits the separation tank through the main flow exit port, and wherein flow exiting the main flow exit port is recirculated to the original bioreactor.
72. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 71, in which the attractant is one or more attractants selected from among a group of attractants consisting of a light source, a nutrient source, a nutrient source, a carbon dioxide source, an attractive water temperature, and an attractive water pH, and wherein the rest of the separation tank is dark and relatively devoid of the chosen attractant or combination of attractants.
73. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 71, wherein liquid replenishment is joined to the recirculation flow leading into the original bioreactor to maintain a constant liquid level in the bioreactor pool; and wherein replenishment micronutrients are added to the pool at the same rate as they are consumed by continuous blooming of the heavier-than-water algae; and wherein replenishment CO2 from the CO2 source is provided to the bioreactor as fast as CO2 is consumed in photosynthesis and/or coccolithogenesis during algal blooming.
74. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 4, wherein algae is removed from the bottom of the bioreactor essentially as fast as it blooms, and wherein removal is to an adjacent separation tank; and wherein the separation tank is a flow-through tank; and wherein the flow velocity of algae suspension through the separation tank is reduced, at constant flow rate, by means of enlarged tank diameter, wherein the reduced flow velocity is low enough to permit algae that have flagella or other motility means to swim effectively against the flow current when presented with an upstream or side-stream attractant, and wherein the direction of algal swimming is toward the attractant, and wherein algal swimming toward the attractant produces a concentrating effect on the algal suspension, and wherein the concentration of algae proximal to the attractant is made higher by the concentrating effect than the concentration of algae at points located progressively downstream from the attractant and still within the main flow of the flow-through separation tank.
75. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 74, wherein the separation tank contains a main flow exit port and a secondary exit port which is designated as a harvest exit tee, wherein the attractant is located at a position proximal to the mouth of the harvest exit tee, and wherein the mouth of the harvest exit tee is sufficiently narrow to raise the harvest exit flow velocity to exceed the capacity for algae to swim against the harvest exit current, wherein algae swimming toward the attractant from the main separation tank are sucked into the harvest exit tee upon reaching the attractant, and wherein the harvest exit tee outflow leads to an algal harvest output port, wherein the concentration of algae harvested at the harvest output port is higher than the concentration of algae entering the separation tank, and wherein the main flow of the flow through exit tank at points downstream of the attractant and having bypassed the harvest exit tee contains a reduced concentration of algae, relative to the concentration of algae entering the separation tank, and wherein the main flow of the flow through exit tank having bypassed the harvest exit tee exits the separation tank through the main flow exit port, and wherein flow exiting the main flow exit port is recirculated to the original bioreactor.
76. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 75, in which the attractant is one or more attractants selected from among a group of attractants consisting of a light source, a nutrient source, a nutrient source, a carbon dioxide source, an attractive water temperature, and an attractive water pH, and wherein the rest of the separation tank is dark and relatively devoid of the chosen attractant or combination of attractants.
77. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 76, wherein liquid replenishment is joined to the recirculation flow leading into the original bioreactor to maintain a constant liquid level in the bioreactor pool; and wherein replenishment micronutrients are added to the pool at the same rate as they are consumed by continuous blooming of the heavier-than-water algae; and wherein replenishment CO2 from the CO2 source is provided to the bioreactor as fast as CO2 is consumed in photosynthesis and/or coccolithogenesis (calcification) during algal blooming.
78. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 58, wherein a headspace oxygen removal system removes headspace oxygen as fast as it is produced by bioreactor photosynthesis during algal blooming; and wherein the oxygen removal system maintains pseudo-anaerobic blooming conditions in the bioreactor; and wherein the pseudo-anaerobic blooming conditions further accelerate bloom rates.
79. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 63, wherein a headspace oxygen removal system removes headspace oxygen as fast as it is produced by bioreactor photosynthesis during algal blooming; and wherein the oxygen removal system maintains pseudo-anaerobic blooming conditions in the bioreactor; and wherein the pseudo-anaerobic blooming conditions further accelerate bloom rates.
80. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 4, wherein a headspace oxygen removal system removes headspace oxygen as fast as it is produced by bioreactor photosynthesis during algal blooming; and wherein the oxygen removal system maintains pseudo-anaerobic blooming conditions in the bioreactor; and wherein the pseudo-anaerobic blooming conditions further accelerate bloom rates.
81. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 78, wherein the headspace oxygen removal system comprises an oxygen permeable membrane; wherein a non-oxygenated gas flows across a far side of the oxygen permeable membrane producing an oxygen deficit on the far side; wherein the oxygen deficit is the driving force for oxygen produced within the bioreactor headspace on a near side of the oxygen permeable membrane to exit the headspace by permeating the oxygen permeable membrane from the near side of the oxygen permeable membrane through the oxygen permeable membrane to the far side of the oxygen permeable membrane; and wherein the oxygen permeable membrane blocks the exit of CO2 from the bioreactor headspace.
82. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 79, wherein the headspace oxygen removal system comprises an oxygen permeable membrane; wherein a non-oxygenated gas flows across a far side of the oxygen permeable membrane producing an oxygen deficit on the far side; wherein the oxygen deficit is the driving force for oxygen produced within the bioreactor headspace on a near side of the oxygen permeable membrane to exit the headspace by permeating the oxygen permeable membrane from the near side of the oxygen permeable membrane through the oxygen permeable membrane to the far side of the oxygen permeable membrane; and wherein the oxygen permeable membrane blocks the exit of CO2 from the bioreactor headspace.
83. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 80, wherein the headspace oxygen removal system comprises an oxygen permeable membrane; wherein a non-oxygenated gas flows across a far side of the oxygen permeable membrane producing an oxygen deficit on the far side; wherein the oxygen deficit is the driving force for oxygen produced within the bioreactor headspace on a near side of the oxygen permeable membrane to exit the headspace by permeating the oxygen permeable membrane from the near side of the oxygen permeable membrane through the oxygen permeable membrane to the far side of the oxygen permeable membrane; and wherein the oxygen permeable membrane blocks the exit of CO2 from the bioreactor headspace.
84. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 58, wherein the artificial lighting is intermittent, turning on and off on a schedule favoring maximal blooming rate for the heavier-than-water algae at the existing bioreactor temperature.
85. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 63, wherein the artificial lighting is intermittent, turning on and off on a schedule favoring maximal blooming rate for the heavier-thin-water algae at the existing bioreactor temperature.
86. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 4, wherein the artificial lighting is intermittent, turning on and off on a schedule favoring maximal blooming rate for the heavier-than-water algae at the existing bioreactor temperature.
87. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 84, wherein the bioreactor temperature is controlled to maintain a value favoring maximal blooming rate for the heavier-than-water algae.
88. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 85, wherein the bioreactor temperature is controlled to maintain a value favoring maximal blooming rate for the heavier-than-water algae.
89. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 86, wherein the bioreactor temperature is controlled to maintain a value favoring maximal blooming rate for the heavier-than-water algae.
90. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 58, wherein the wavelength of artificial lighting emissions is selected to favor maximal blooming rate for the heavier-than-water algae.
91. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 63, wherein the wavelength of artificial lighting emissions is selected to favor maximal blooming rate for the heavier-than-water algae.
92. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 4, wherein the wavelength of artificial lighting emissions is selected to favor maximal blooming rate for the heavier-than-water algae.
93. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 90, wherein the spectrum of artificial lighting is selected to include at least two wavelengths with emission intensities at those at least two wavelengths balanced to favor maximal blooming rate for the heavier-than-water algae.
94. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 91, wherein the spectrum of artificial lighting is selected to include at least two wavelengths with emission intensities at those at least two wavelengths balanced to favor maximal blooming rate for the heavier-than-water algae.
95. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 92, wherein the spectrum of artificial lighting is selected to include at least two wavelengths with emission intensities at those at least two wavelengths balanced to favor maximal blooming rate for the heavier-than-water algae.
96. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 58, wherein the pH of the heavier-than-water algae pool is buffered at approximately 8.32.
97. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 63, wherein the pH of the heavier-than-water algae pool is buffered at approximately 8.32.
98. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 4, wherein the pH of the heavier-than-water algae pool is buffered at approximately 8.32.
99. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 96, wherein buffering at pH 8.32 is achieved by dosing the algae pool with disodium phosphate and monosodium phosphate in a mole ratio of approximately thirteen-to-one.
100. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 97, wherein buffering at pH 8.32 is achieved by dosing the algae pool with disodium phosphate and monosodium phosphate in a mole ratio of approximately thirteen-to-one.
101. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 98, wherein buffering at pH 8.32 is achieved by dosing the algae pool with disodium phosphate and monosodium phosphate in a mole ratio of approximately thirteen-to-one.
102. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 99, wherein the mole ratio is other than thirteen-to-one and the pH is other than 8.32 during initial preparation; wherein other acids, bases, or amphoteric salts are added to readjust the actual solution concentrations of disodium phosphate and monosodium phosphate to a mole ratio of approximately thirteen-to-one via acid-base reaction; wherein the pH is thereby adjusted to approximately 8.32.
103. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 100, wherein the mole ratio is other than thirteen-to-one and the pH is other than 8.32 during initial preparation; wherein other acids, bases, or amphoteric salts are added to readjust the actual solution concentrations of disodium phosphate and monosodium phosphate to a mole ratio of approximately thirteen-to-one via acid-base reaction; wherein the pH is thereby adjusted to approximately 8.32.
104. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 101, wherein the mole ratio is other than thirteen-to-one and the pH is other than 8.32 during initial preparation; wherein other acids, bases, or amphoteric salts are added to readjust the actual solution concentrations of disodium phosphate and monosodium phosphate to a mole ratio of approximately thirteen-to-one via acid-base reaction; wherein the pH is thereby adjusted to approximately 8.32.
105. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 43, wherein the alkali metal hydroxide and/or the alkaline-earth hydroxide solution(s) are spread into an essentially downward continuous flowing film of exposed surface area, and wherein the source of CO2 is a continuous gaseous counter-flow (essentially an upward flow) exposed to the solution film.
106. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 105, wherein the essentially downward continuous flowing solution film flows spirally downward, covering and flowing down the blade or blades of a slowly rotating vertical auger, wherein the auger is housed within a silo or bin which is marginally larger in diameter than the auger diameter, and wherein the CO2 source is CO2-laden outdoor air, and wherein the silo or bin has outdoor air intake ports around the base of its perimeter proximal to the lower extent of the auger blades, and wherein rotation of the auger draws outdoor air into the bin or silo at its base and lifts it spirally upward through the bin or silo, ejecting it near the top, and wherein the spirally upward moving air moves in an upward spiral counter-flow to the downward-spiraling flowing solution film, and wherein the downward-spiraling flowing solution film absorbs CO2 from the upward-spiraling counter-flow of air, and wherein the downward-flowing film solution is converted to alkali bicarbonate or alkaline-earth carbonate solution by absorbing the CO2, and wherein the bicarbonate or carbonate solution spills off the bottom of the auger blades onto a surface which drains to an exit drain from the silo or bin.
107. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 105, wherein the essentially downward continuous flowing film is formed by a rising flow of alkali hydroxide or alkaline-earth hydroxide solution being directed upward through a vertical standpipe housed within a cylindrical chamber, and wherein the rising flow of solution continuously overflows the top of the vertical standpipe and spills down the exterior wall of the standpipe forming a downward-flowing film of solution on the exterior surface of the standpipe, flowing off the bottom of the standpipe exterior onto a chamber floor surface which is continuous with the exterior of the standpipe, and wherein the floor surface drains into an exit drain from the chamber, and wherein the CO2 source is a gaseous upward counter-flow of CO2-laden gas which enters the chamber tangentially at a point higher than the exit drain, and wherein the upward counter-flow of CO2-laden gas is a laminar counter-flow, a turbulent counter-flow, or a vortex counter-flow encircling the standpipe and rising concentrically around it in the annular space between the standpipe and the chamber wall, and wherein the upward counter-flow of CO2-laden gas exits the chamber near its upper extent, and wherein the upward laminar counter-flow, turbulent counter-flow, or vortex counter-flow of CO2-laden gas is exposed to the downward-flowing film of alkali hydroxide or alkaline-earth hydroxide solution, and wherein CO2 in the upward laminar counter-flow, turbulent counter-flow, or vortex counter-flow of gas is absorbed by the downward-flowing solution film, and wherein absorbing CO2 causes the downward-flowing solution film to be converted to alkali bicarbonate or alkaline-earth carbonate solution by the time it reaches the lower extent of the standpipe exterior, and wherein the alkali bicarbonate or alkaline-earth carbonate solution exits the exit drain.
108. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 1, in which heavier-than-water algae from the bioreactor proceed to an adjacent settling tank after blooming, and in which settling tank conditions are maintained that do not encourage algae to swim against a current, and in which the heavier-than-water algae instead sink toward a funnel shaped harvest exit port at the bottom of the settling tank, and in which optional recirculation of clarified liquid near the top of the settling tank is provided back to the main bioreactor, with top-water clarification occurring as the algae sink to the funnel shaped bottom, and in which a concentrating effect is achieved via sedimentation of the sinking algae prior to their exit at the harvest exit port.
109. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 60, in which heavier-than-water algae from the bioreactor proceed to an adjacent settling tank after blooming, and in which settling tank conditions are maintained that do not encourage algae to swim against a current, and in which the heavier-than-water algae instead sink toward a funnel shaped harvest exit port at the bottom of the settling tank, and in which optional recirculation of clarified liquid near the top of the settling tank is provided back to the main bioreactor, with top-water clarification occurring as the algae sink to the funnel shaped bottom, and in which a concentrating effect is achieved via sedimentation of the sinking algae prior to their exit at the harvest exit port.
110. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 63, in which heavier-than-water algae from the bioreactor proceed to an adjacent settling tank after blooming, and in which settling tank conditions are maintained that do not encourage algae to swim against a current, and in which the heavier-than-water algae instead sink toward a funnel shaped harvest exit port at the bottom of the settling tank, and in which optional recirculation of clarified liquid near the top of the settling tank is provided back to the main bioreactor, with top-water clarification occurring as the algae sink to the funnel shaped bottom, and in which a concentrating effect is achieved via sedimentation of the sinking algae prior to their exit at the harvest exit port.
111. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 4, in which heavier-than-water algae from the bioreactor proceed to an adjacent settling tank after blooming, and in which settling tank conditions are maintained that do not encourage algae to swim against a current, and in which the heavier-than-water algae instead sink toward a funnel shaped harvest exit port at the bottom of the settling tank, and in which optional recirculation of clarified liquid near the top of the settling tank is provided back to the main bioreactor, with top-water clarification occurring as the algae sink to the funnel shaped bottom, and in which a concentrating effect is achieved via sedimentation of the sinking algae prior to their exit at the harvest exit port.
112. The invention further includes the system of preceding section 2, wherein a motorized roller brush cleaning assembly, a squeegee cleaning assembly, or a combination motorized-roller-brush-and-squeegee cleaning assembly is parked above the rotating auger blade assembly during a bloom cycle, and wherein during periodic cleaning cycle, the bioreactor is drained of algae suspension and filled with cleaning solution which temporarily replaces the algae pool, and in which cleaning cycle, the auger rotation direction is reversed and the rotation speed is slowed to a low rotation speed, and in which the cleaning assembly is lowered to synchronously mesh with the auger blades, wherein the auger blade rotation draws the cleaning assembly down through the turns of the auger blade, and wherein the motorized roller brushes and/or squeegee elements of the cleaning assembly clean the auger blades over the entire length of the auger, and in which the auger stops when the cleaning assembly reaches the bottom of the auger and reverses direction, drawing the cleaning assembly back to the top along a vertical guide track, and in which the cleaning assembly disengages from the auger blades at the top and is reparked above the auger blades, and in which the bioreactor is rinsed of cleaning solution and refilled with seed algae suspension in preparation for the next bloom cycle.
The atmospheric CO2 accumulation impact curve (6) is computed from the difference between the CO2 impact capture curve (3) and the CO2 emissions curve (1), expressing the differential in ppm and applying that differential to offsetting the accumulation of previous years.
Curves 1-3 have units of GtC/yr and are to be read from the “Change” axis. Reference line 5 (twin tipping points), items 8 and 9, and all points on curve 6 are to be read from the PPM CO2 axis.
From the vast ocean deserts indicated in this figure, it is clear that the power and full global capacity of ocean algal blooming currently lies dormant. In order to stimulate rapid, prodigious algal blooming and up to 14 GtC/yr of global CO2 capture at sea, new triggers (other than ice-age triggers) such as this invention system provides would have to be activated.
The figure includes both prior-art and invention elements. Items 30-37 comprise a prior art methane reformation system in which natural gas (methane-30) is injected into steam (33, 34) which (in two stages) cracks off the carbon in the prior-art reformation process, leaving a 2nd stage prior-art mixture of CO2 and H2. Separation stages (35) isolate the hydrogen for compression (36) and use as a transportation fuel (37) for hydrogen powered vehicles (38) which are illustrated as an automobile in this nonlimiting example. At this point, prior art ends. The invention begins with isolating CO2 as a compressed gas, liquid, or super-critical fluid (SCF-CO2, 40).
Invention stage (39) isolates CO2 as a byproduct of methane reformation, and removes it (40) in the form of compressed CO2 (not illustrated), liquid CO2, or supercritical fluid (SCF-CO2, illustrated—40) in an invention separation stage (39) into purified components H2 (37) and CO2 (40). The hydrogen (H2) may be used to fuel transportation (37, 38) and the CO2 may be compressed and/or liquefied as super critical fluid (40, SCF-CO2). The SCF-CO2 may be stored (13), decompressed (14-17), and converted to salt water algae (18), and continuously harvested (20) for distribution to the next stage (stage-2, operations at sea), exactly as in
Curve (81) is the anticipated stage-2 15×-amplified ocean CO2 capture response enabled by 1 GtC/yr invention ocean seeding (82). Essentially, 14 GtC/yr of amplified natural ocean capture (CO2) is expected from 1 GtC/yr of invention seeding. Additional accounting for anticipated land-based capture of 3 GtC/yr raises the curve (81) total land-and-sea capture rate to 17 GtC/yr, as required earlier by
Referring to
The separation tank (100) is relatively large diameter to cause a significant reduction in flow velocity at the same flow rate as 101. This velocity reduction is important, because it suddenly offers the tiny algae (e.g. 2 μm in diameter and having flagella for motility in a nonlimiting E. huxleyi example) an opportunity to swim against the current, if they so desire. What is needed next is a reason for the algae to swim against the current so that they will concentrate in the upper end of the separation tank. That impetus is provided by tank (100) and its main downward flow path being dark and essentially devoid of both CO2 and nutrient, whereas an attractant light beam (beacon 106, 107) is positioned within the mouth of a harvest exit tee (105) located near the upper extent of tank (100). With the main separation tank volume (100) and path (101→102) being essentially devoid of light, and with the flow velocity significantly reduced at large tank diameter, the algae may swim against downward current (101→102)—swimming upward instead toward the attractant beacon (107) and illuminator globe (106) supplied at the mouth of the harvest exit tee (105). The exit tee and harvest exit path (105→20) are smaller in diameter again and, even though the exit path (105→20) flow rate is low, this diameter reduction raises flow velocity (relative to path 101→102) enough that any algae which appear at the mouth of the exit tee (106, 105) will be sucked into harvest exit flow path (105). Marine algae may be continuously harvested as ocean seed at the harvest output of the silo (20). The bioreactor is continuous, self-concentrating, and will promote prodigious algal blooming at output (20). About 85% of the algal bloom will continuously exit via the harvest path (15) in a nonlimiting example, with about 15% recirculating via path (102-104). Any dead algae will sink and may be periodically removed at (109).
A pH buffer (e.g., phosphate buffer, in a nonlimiting example) added (21) to the algae pool (94), buffers the pool against acidification (carbonation) from high level headspace CO2. Buffering the pH at nominally 8.32 will maximize coccolithophore algae blooming and prevent softening or acidic dissolution of the coccolithophore exoskeleton (CaCO3). As algae is continuously harvested (20) as a concentrated suspension, replenishment sea water or salt water, nutrient, and pH buffer are provided at the replenishment inputs (21) to the silo algae pool (94).
Oxygen produced during photosynthesis is continuously removed by an oxygen removal system (119, 110-116) based on at least one oxygen-permeable membrane (116), which is tubular in the nonlimiting
Oxygen in the mixture would selectively permeate membranes (116) into a nitrogen sweep gas (113) introduced at 112. The nitrogen sweep gas (113) would remove all of the permeating oxygen and exhaust it at 113A. CO2 in the mixture would continue down the center (115) and wouldn't permeate the tubular membrane. It would simply rejoin the silo headspace at 111, just above pool 94.
This stage-1 invention bioreactor system (90) may be considered a pseudo-anaerobic bioreactor since oxygen is removed (119) as fast as it is produced by photosynthesis. Algal blooming will therefore proceed under pseudo-anaerobic conditions which will enhance bloom rates, because oxygen otherwise acts as a photosynthetic inhibitor (above a certain point), and its continuous removal (119) will accelerate blooming.
This is a multi-stage invention system comprising a multiplicity of individual stage-1 inventions or an initial prior-art concentrated carbon dioxide source combined with at least one of the individual stage-1 land-based invention capture and algae conversion systems and stage-2 invention process-enhanced ocean-amplified capture, in which all stages (and the
Note: In order for multiple, globally-distributed copies of the multi-stage CO2 capture and storage system to restore the atmosphere to 280 ppm CO2 by 2075, global emissions need to be capped at 12 GtC/yr by 2023 (
In our multi-stage invention, the concentrated CO2 byproduct of hydrogen production by natural-gas reformation, oil gasification, and/or coal gasification will be converted to high density marine algae in stage-1 invention silos (
Note: In some embodiments, portions of the multi-stage invention system may be borrowed from prior-art and then incorporated into a new larger invention system. Prior-art items are not separately claimed, and invention claims only involve them as components of a larger invention system and/or of a globally-distributed multi-stage invention combination system, which larger invention system and/or multi-stage combination system is (at once) novel, non-obvious, and desperately needed for avoiding impending near term 450 ppm CO2 tipping points, for restoring 280 ppm CO2 by 2075, setting the stage for subsequent global warming reversal and the elimination of ocean acidification. In addition, some portions of the larger invention and/or the multi-stage combination involve device claims and other portions involve process claims. This mixture of device and process claims is required in a single patent application in order to present the case and demonstrate the potential for an overall 17 GtC/yr CO2 contingency capture (
Stage-1 is land-based capture of 1-3 GtC/yr CO2 (
These multi-stage invention systems relate to global climate change, ocean acidification geo-engineering, and more specifically to global climate restoration, ocean revitalization, and fueling ultra-clean transportation with hydrogen (H2). Climate restoration would be achieved by capturing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) from Earth's atmosphere significantly faster than it is produced, and doing that over an extended period, e.g. from 2027-2075. The recommended collective capture rate by globally distributed copies of our multi-stage invention is 17 GtC of CO2 per year contingency (
(Note: The system 17 GtC/yr contingency capture target (curve 2), 10 GtC/yr impact 0.5 target (curve 3) and accumulation impact curve (6) assume global CO2 emissions would be capped at 12 GtC/yr by 2023 and then reduced to 6 GtC/yr by 2050, 3 GtC/yr by 2062, and 1 GtC/yr by 2075 according to emissions curve 1.)
Total multi-stage capture of CO2 for the period 2027-2072 would amount to approximately 0.45 tera-tons (450 billion tons, carbon measure), which is 1.65 tera-tons (actual CO2 measure), and permanent safe storage for that much captured CO2 is a further requirement for safely reducing Earth's atmospheric accumulation to 280 ppm CO2 in the 21st century.
The multi-stage invention systems relate more specifically yet to selectively amplified ocean algal blooming for large scale (14 GtC/yr) photosynthetic and/or coccolithophore calcification capture of CO2 by accelerated ocean algal blooming (
Turning now to the drawings,
Further yet,
Further yet, the multi-stage system relates to cement production in which an optimized Type #1 stage-1 invention captures cement production byproduct CO2 as SCF-CO2 or liquid CO2 in a third embodiment (not shown) and imparts a negative carbon footprint to the cement production by transferring captured cement production byproduct CO2 to the multiple invention bioreactors (18) where it is rapidly converted by the bioreactor accelerated photosynthesis and/or coccolithogenesis to the desired form of marine seed algae at a rate contributing substantially to the stage-1 land-harvest (up to 3 GtC/yr total), the substantially negative carbon footprint being imparted to the cement production by the up to 3 GtC/yr of the stage-1 invention bioreactor seed algae being transported to sea-ports (
The multi-stage invention system further relates to capture of CO2 from outdoor air, building flues, incinerators, crematoriums, kilns, blast-furnaces, refineries, factories, cement plants, power plants, natural-gas reformation systems, oil gasification systems and/or coal gasification systems in which additional invention Type #2 stage-1 embodiments are based on sodium hydroxide (NaOH, caustic soda, lye) capture of CO2 from CO2-laden gas mixtures as in
In Type #2 embodiments of the multi-stage naturally amplified global scale carbon dioxide capture system,
Other preferred embodiments of the
One preferred embodiment of Type #2 land-based algal conversion is illustrated in
In
In Type #3 (NaHCO3 starter) embodiments of the multi-stage naturally amplified global scale carbon dioxide invention capture system,
Further yet, the multi-stage invention system relates to capture of CO2 from outdoor air, building flues, incinerators, crematoriums, kilns, blast-furnaces, refineries, factories, cement plants, power plants, natural-gas reformation systems, oil gasification systems, or coal gasification systems, in which a final group of invention stage-1 embodiments are based on any means of CO2 capture (including prior-art stage-1 capture means with invention diversion of captured CO2 to invention stage-1 holding stations or reservoirs or invention stage-1 processing stations) in which the any means of CO2 capture yields relatively concentrated CO2 as a gas, liquid, super-critical fluid, carbonate solution, or bicarbonate solution, and in which the final-group invention multi-stage embodiments impart a negative carbon footprint to the outdoor air, building flue, incinerator, crematorium, kilns, blast-furnaces, refineries, factories, cement plants, power plants, natural-gas reformation systems, oil gasification systems, or coal gasification systems by transferring the captured final-group embodiment stage-1 outdoor air, building flue, incinerator, crematorium, kiln, blast-furnace, refinery, factory, cement plant, power plant, natural-gas reformation system, oil gasification system, or coal gasification system, relatively concentrated CO2 to the multiple invention acidification sections and/or bioreactors (18, 65, 90) of
Stage-1 land-based capture includes arrays of at least one high capacity invention algae bioreactor (
Referring to
Photosynthetic and/or coccolithogenic (calcification) acceleration (accelerated algal blooming) will be due in further part to exceptionally high seed levels of the coccolithophore or siliceous diatom algae introduced into the invention bioreactor algae pool (94), the seed levels for constant blooming in the invention bioreactor being unusually high—up to 15% solids (by weight) in a non-limiting example, and this will radically accelerate blooming by continuously operating the bioreactor exceptionally high on the (upward-bending) nonlinear growth curve. Normally, this solids level would exceed optical opacity limits and photosynthesis could not proceed, owing to lack of light penetration, however a novel invention optical thinning effect (see below) will circumvent prior-art opacity limits.
In
A second smaller transfer auger (not shown) will be turned on and operated to continuously remove algae suspension from the bioreactor as fast as it blooms (in excess of 15% solids). In one non-limiting embodiment, the funnel shaped silo floor would enable excess bloom removal at outlet 99. The concept here is that high seed levels (15% solids) drive very high bloom rates, but outlet 99 removal of excess bloom from the bioreactor occurs as fast as it develops, leaving a constant seed level of 15% solids behind in the reactor. This is a continuous reactor which doesn't require reseeding, once the solids level reaches 15% and the transfer auger (not shown) is turned on to keep it from going higher by continuously removing excess bloom at 99. As excess bloom is removed from the bioreactor (99), water, buffer, and nutrient are continuously replenished (21), but no new algae seed is required—enough seed remains behind from the bloom, if the transfer auger removal rate (99) is balanced exactly at the bloom level and it isn't turned on until the bloom level first reaches 15%. The transfer auger then removes excess bloom continuously (as fast as it develops), without diminishing the 15% solids level, which then becomes the continuous seed level.
The transfer auger removes 15% algae suspension to an adjacent separation tank (100). The separation tank (100) is relatively large diameter to cause a significant reduction in flow velocity at the same flow rate as 101. This velocity reduction is important, because it suddenly offers the tiny algae (e.g. 2 μm in diameter and having flagella for motility in a nonlimiting E. huxleyi example) an opportunity to swim against the current, if they so desire. What is needed next is a reason for the algae to swim against the current so that they will concentrate in the upper end of the separation tank. That impetus is provided by tank (100) and its main downward flow path being dark and essentially devoid of both CO2 and nutrient, whereas an attractant light beam (beacon 106, 107) is positioned within the mouth of a harvest exit tee (105) located near the upper extent of tank (100).
With the main separation tank volume (100) and path (101→102) being essentially devoid of light, and with the flow velocity significantly reduced at large tank diameter, the algae may swim against downward current (101→102)—swimming upward instead toward the attractant beacon (107) and illuminator globe (106) supplied at the mouth of the harvest exit tee (105). The exit tee and harvest exit path (105→20) are smaller in diameter again and, even though the exit path (105→20) flow rate is low, this diameter reduction raises flow velocity (relative to path 101→102) enough that any algae which appear at the mouth of the exit tee (106, 105) will be sucked into harvest exit flow path (105). Marine algae may be continuously harvested as ocean seed at the harvest output of the silo (20). The bioreactor is continuous, self-concentrating, and will promote prodigious algal blooming at output (20). About 85% of the algal bloom will continuously exit via the harvest path (105) in a nonlimiting example, with about 15% recirculating via path (102-104). Any dead algae will sink and may be periodically removed at (109).
In an alternate embodiment, heavier-than-water algae from the bioreactor may proceed to an adjacent settling tank after blooming, in which the settling tank replaces the aforementioned separation tank; and in which settling tank conditions are maintained that do not encourage algae to swim against a current, and in which the heavier-than-water algae instead sink toward a funnel shaped harvest exit port at the bottom of the settling tank, and in which optional recirculation of clarified liquid near the top of the settling tank is provided back to the main bioreactor, with top-water clarification occurring as the algae sink to the funnel shaped bottom, and in which a concentrating effect is achieved via sedimentation of the sinking algae prior to their exit at the harvest exit port.
In both embodiments, a pH buffer (e.g., phosphate buffer, in a nonlimiting example) added (21) to the algae pool (94), buffers the pool against acidification (carbonation) from high level headspace CO2. Buffering the pH at nominally 8.32 will maximize coccolithophore algae blooming and prevent softening or acidic dissolution of the coccolithophore exoskeleton (CaCO3). As algae is continuously harvested (20) as a concentrated suspension, replenishment sea water or salt water, nutrient, and pH buffer are provided at the replenishment inputs (21) to the silo algae pool (94).
Oxygen produced during photosynthesis is continuously removed by an oxygen removal system (119, 110-116) based on at least one oxygen-permeable membrane (116), which is tubular in the nonlimiting
This stage-1 invention bioreactor system (90) may be considered a pseudo-anaerobic bioreactor since oxygen is removed (119) as fast as it is produced by photosynthesis. Algal blooming will therefore proceed under pseudo-anaerobic conditions which will enhance bloom rates, because oxygen otherwise acts as a photosynthetic inhibitor (above a certain point), and its continuous removal (119) will accelerate blooming.
If sufficient numbers of these
Stage-2 of the multistage capture system involves
To accomplish all of that,
The invention cargo containers (73) would be stasis-supporting. In a non-limiting example, they would have a power source, built-in chillers to lower temperature to a stasis-inducing level in hot climates (or heaters in cold climates), enough nutrient (and just enough light) to keep the seed alive in stasis, and a slowly churning auger to prevent the seed from colonizing (agglomerating). The containers may be transferred by crane from flat-bed trucks to inland docks, from inland docks to flat-rail cars or barges, from rail-cars or barges to seaport docks, from seaport docks to ocean freighter decks and holds, from ocean freighter decks and holds to floating repository decks, and from floating repository decks to individual seed boat decks. Each of the aforementioned transfers can easily be made by large fork lifts, dock cranes, or deck cranes and the containers will maintain stasis-support at all stages of shipment and transfer, until the seed is dispensed into the ocean sea-lanes for enhanced stage-2 blooming.
Dispensing of seed and nutrient into sea-lanes from the seed boats will be at a measured rate while the boat is moving. In a non-limiting example, seed levels would be at least 20 mg/m3 in alternating sea lanes which are nominally 60 feet wide and 10 meters deep, which
In one embodiment of stage-2 operations-at-sea, alternating sea lanes will be temporarily deaerated to a depth of 10 meters (in a non-limiting example) by bubbling N2 behind the seed boat as the seed and nutrient are dispensed. This will temporarily displace dissolved oxygen (but not dissolved CO2 (normal level maintained by the excess bicarbonate content of the sea)) to a depth of 10 meters (only) and a pseudo-anaerobic condition will be temporarily created in each localized sea-lane being seeded. The pseudo-anaerobic condition may accelerate blooming, especially if the algae seed are nitrogen-fixing. Adjacent lanes will be seeded two weeks out of phase with one another, so that the pseudo-anaerobic condition is both transient and localized (beneficial, rather than harmful).
Micro-nutrient will be dispensed in metered doses to support only about a 2 week bloom in each sea-lane. With the high seed level (e.g., at least 20 mg/m3) inherent with invention stage-2 seeding “algae +micro-nutrient” (in contrast to prior-art systems which dose “micro-nutrient-alone” and start their bloom from a much lower point (e.g., 0.1 mg/m3, per FIG. 2)), prodigious invention stage-2 bloom rates will occur, reaching the light penetration limit (−400 mg/m3 in a nonlimiting example) within about 2 weeks in alternating lanes.
Grazers may eat up to ⅔ of the seed before it blooms, but that is the reported limit of their appetites at this seed level, so ⅓ should remain to bloom to the light penetration limit within 2 weeks. At this point the metered micro-nutrient doses are calculated to run out and the bloom will die. The important point is that the invention bloom is dominated by high-density algae which will lose motility (post mortem), sink, and easily clear the photic zone in time for next month's reseeding. Thus, the invention stage-2 operations-at-sea will enable 12 large ocean blooms per year, instead of just one or two blooms which is the limit of prior art systems which dose nutrient-only, start at a much lower point on the growth curve, are subject to getting eaten out (before blooming) by grazers, and even if prior-art systems could get past the grazers (which they can't), they'd bloom up buoyant strains of algae that don't sink (post mortem) or clear the photic zone at the end of a bloom cycle. A persistent floating light-block would prevent a second bloom from occurring with prior-art ocean fertilization, which will generally bloom buoyant strains of algae rather than (preferred) high-density, fast-sinking strains. Prior-art ocean fertilization systems (dosing micro-nutrient-only) would, under the most favorable of conditions (where grazers don't interfere—but not much chance of that happening) yield 1 or 2 blooms/year, capturing about 1.5-3 GtC/yr CO2 at best.
(Note: Even natural ocean blooming during the ice-ages would have been limited by grazers and the light penetration limits imposed by buoyant natural strains, but stage-2 invention ocean blooming won't be subject to these limits.)
In contrast, the multi-stage invention system which starts higher on the nonlinear ocean algae growth curve (by seeding algae+micro-nutrient), pre-satiates grazer appetites (2 GtC/yr) so there will remain 1 GtC/yr of (net) uneaten seed remaining to bloom (after grazer feasting), and which selectively blooms only the high-density, fast-sinking strains of coccolithophore or siliceous diatom algae (seed selectively pre-grown in stage-1 bioreactors) at sea will capture a total of 17 GtC/yr to meet the Curves 2, 3, and 81 targets of
The above-listed invention system enhancements are anticipated to accelerate stage-2 ocean blooming significantly beyond the ice-age blooming rates. We project acceleration will be enough to enable 12 blooms/yr and meet the performance required by curves 2, 3, and 81 of
In one embodiment of an invention stage-2 ocean capture process, aerator boats will bubble compressed air or oxygen to within 5 meters of the sea floor in coastal waters to reaerate the lanes at the end of each monthly bloom cycle and prevent proximal post-bloom anoxia (which would otherwise greatly harm coastal marine life and raise legal objections with prior-art ocean fertilization attempts). Anoxia is typically a coastal water phenomenon which isn't prevalent in the open sea, where most of our stage-2 seeding will be done. In the open sea, re-aeration shouldn't be necessary, species-selective bloom dominance and use of heavier-than-water stage-1 algae seed will enable rapid sinking each month, sinking the dead algae quickly below the deep ocean thermocline and all the way to the cold deep sea floor, before anoxia has any chance of developing. Low deep ocean floor temperatures approaching zero degrees centrigrade and heavy coccolith plates should further delay the onset of bacterial action that could otherwise induce post-bloom anoxia. Delay may occur until sedimentation burial eliminates any further chance of developing anoxia. The localized, transient nature of invention system induced algal blooming and marine life feeding on the dead algae on the way down or at the sea floor may further suppress anoxic development.
If the 17 GtC/yr total multi-stage CO2 contingency capture rate and 10 GtC/yr impact capture (
In addition to the invention bioreactors contributing significantly to climate restoration and ocean revitalization, other applications will include high capacity algal production for silage, animal feed, feed supplements, fertilizer, biofuels, agricultural runoff control, food for fish and seafood farming involving fish or mollusks which directly feed on algae, and bottom-rung food for fish farming involving predator fish (as seafood) such as compano and cobia which feed on lower marine life (e.g, brine shrimp). In the latter case, invention high capacity algal production will feed the brine shrimp in adjacent tanks, raising shrimp for secondary feeding to predator fish.
In these other applications, the algae silos (18, 65, 90) would be used seed species optimized for silage, animal feed (or supplement), fertilizer, biofuel, agricultural runoff control, or food for fish and seafood farming and the bioreactor output (20) would be directed to those applications which end with stage-1 without sending algae for stage-2 (
Using invention bioreactors along inland lake shores and rivers, invention fresh-water algal production can further aid in revitalization of inland lakes and rivers by removal of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds added by agricultural runoff. This would be accomplished by diverting the bioreactor output (20) directly into the lake or river. In this case, it would be desirable for the bioreactor algae to be a high density, fast sinking variety of fresh water algae. The algae bloom need not be supplemented with nutrient as it is dosed into the lake or river. As the algae bloom proceeds in lakes and rivers, it will consume nutrient provided by agricultural runoff, and in doing so, it will clear the river of these agricultural pollutants. As the algae blooms die and settle to the lake or river bottom, some periodic dredging may be required to keep the main channels open and an aerator boat may need to patrol up and down the rivers and on the lakes to restore dissolved oxygen levels to prevent post-bloom anoxia as algae blooms die and sink. With re-aeration, inland freshwater algae blooms will be beneficial as they will feed the lake and river food chain and increase fresh-water fish populations which will also flourish (and be healthier for fresh-water fishermen to catch and eat) as agricultural runoff chemicals are removed.
Lake and river bacteria levels will also drop sharply as another benefit of this program. This will improve the health of fish, water birds, and essentially all creatures and humans living in or along the lakes and rivers. This includes impacting water-borne disease, the eradication or minimization of which will benefit 3rd world countries.
Clearing major rivers of agricultural runoff and bacteria will improve public health and will further stop coastal water harmful algae blooms (HAB's) such as the notorious “red tide” in Florida, which are otherwise fed from agricultural runoff at major river delta outflows. This will be accomplished by the invention high density fresh water algae having cleared the rivers of agricultural phosphorus and nitrogen compounds upstream from the delta outflow. The coastal water HAB's will simply die as their food supply will have been cut off upstream in the rivers which normally supply them with agricultural runoff. By clearing up the agricultural runoff, downstream HAB's in the gulf won't survive. By these invention means, lakes, rivers, and coastal waters will be revitalized. Even the tourism industry around lakes, rivers, and coastal waters will benefit as a result of better fishing everywhere with larger populations of bigger, healthier fish which are safer to eat as a result of growing in the cleaner, less polluted water.
The specification figures and description are of non-limiting examples and the invention systems and processes may be envisioned beyond the scope of specific embodiments, settings, and regions described herein, and the scope of the invention must therefore be considered to be limited only by the claims. While the invention system and processes have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
This application claims benefit of provisional applications, Nos. 61/962,955 filed on Nov. 20, 2013; 61/960,954 filed on Oct. 1, 2013; and 61/760,224 filed on Feb. 4, 2013.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61962955 | Nov 2013 | US | |
| 61960954 | Oct 2013 | US | |
| 61760224 | Feb 2013 | US |
