US Patent 8,940,520 to Pond Biofuels

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United States Patent	8,940,520
Martin ,   et al.	January 27, 2015

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First claim

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1. A process of growing a phototrophic biomass in a reaction zone, wherein the reaction zone includes an operative reaction mixture, wherein the operative reaction mixture includes the phototrophic biomass disposed in an aqueous medium, comprising: producing gaseous exhaust material with a gaseous exhaust material producing process that is disposed upstream of the reaction zone, wherein the gaseous exhaust material includes carbon dioxide; discharging the gaseous exhaust material from the gaseous exhaust material producing process; providing a sensor upstream of the reaction zone; sensing upstream of the reaction zone, a characteristic of the discharged gaseous exhaust material with the sensor, for establishing a first molar rate of supply of carbon dioxide within the discharged gaseous exhaust material; supplying the discharged gaseous exhaust material to the reaction zone such that the carbon dioxide in the gaseous exhaust material is received by the phototrophic biomass so as to provide a carbon dioxide-enriched phototrophic biomass in the aqueous medium; exposing the carbon dioxide-enriched phototrophic biomass disposed in the aqueous medium to photosynthetically active light radiation so as to effect photosynthesis; and modulating at least one input to the reaction zone when a second molar rate of supply of carbon dioxide is established based on sensing the characteristic of the gaseous exhaust material with the sensor, wherein the second molar rate of supply of carbon dioxide is different from the first molar rate of supply of carbon dioxide, and wherein the modulating of at least one input includes at least one of: (a) effecting or eliminating supply of, or modulating the intensity of, the photosynthetically active light radiation to which at least a fraction of the carbon dioxide-enriched phototrophic biomass is exposed; and (b) effecting, modulating, or eliminating the molar rate of supply, or commencing supply, of a nutrient supply to the reaction zone. 

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