PHOTOBIOREACTOR FOR A LARGE-SCALE MARINE MICROALGAL CULTURE USING SEMI-PERMEABLE MEMBRANE

摘要

Provided is a photobioreactor for mass-culturing marine microalgae using a semi-permeable membrane. The photobioreactor installed in a floating type on a water level or immersed at a predetermined depth from the water level to mass-culture isolated marine microalgae includes a culturing bag formed of the semi-permeable membrane wherethrough seawater may pass, but the marine microalgae can not pass, the culturing bag being configured to provide a three-dimensional culturing space for accommodating the marine microalgae; and a floating unit connected to the culturing bag to dispose the culturing bag near the sea level, thereby exposing the culturing bag to sunlight. Since the photobioreactor for mass-culturing the marine microalgae using the semi-permeable membrane is provided, the photobioreactor may be manufactured at a low cost and free from the spatial restrictions, thereby enabling the expansion of the photobioreactor in both the horizontal and vertical directions. Furthermore, the manpower and costs for managing and operating the photobioreactor may be significantly reduced without producing, supplying, and replacing the culture media to easily and economically mass-culture the microalgae. Thus, the photobioreactor may enable the mass production of useful products including bio-energy and removes stumbling blocks of the commercial mass-production while mass-producing the useful products including the bio-energy.