JPH0695072B2 - Microbial activity measuring device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to a process for producing methane gas by fermenting organic waste, specifically, wastewater from a food processing factory, sewage, organic sludge, kitchen waste, etc. The present invention relates to a microbial activity measuring device for measuring the number of methanogenic bacteria or its activity.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, there is a measuring device of this type shown in FIG. 4 (see Japanese Patent Application No. 61-14850). In the figure, 8 is a suspension containing microorganisms as an analyte, 24 is a conduit for guiding the suspension 8 to a measuring instrument, and 25 is a means for fixing the suspension 8 at the time of measurement. Shows the type of pressing and fixing with a plunger. Reference numeral 26 is a cover glass for irradiating the suspension 8 with the excitation light condensed by the condenser 10 and extracting the fluorescence emitted from the suspension 8 outside the conduit 24.

Next, the operation will be described.

The suspension 8 containing microorganisms sent through the conduit 24 is covered by the plunger 25 with the cover glass 26 and the plunger 25.
It is sandwiched between and fixed. At this time, the excitation light emitted from the light source 2, limited to a specific wavelength region by the optical filter 12, and condensed by the condenser 10 is applied to the suspension 8 containing the fixed microorganisms through the cover glass 26. It The fixed suspension 8 receives this excitation light and emits fluorescence. This fluorescent light is taken out of the conduit 24 through the cover glass 26, limited to a specific wavelength range by the optical filter 16, and then enlarged by the lens optical system 20 to be used by the camera.
The fluorescence image is acquired at 21 and sent to the image processing device 22 via the signal line 23. The image processing device 22 performs image processing to eliminate a fluorescent image based on a foreign substance other than methanogenic bacteria, and then calculates a methanogenic bacterial concentration or a methanogenic bacterial activity from the fluorescent image based on the methanogenic bacteria.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

Since the conventional microbial activity measuring device is configured as described above, there is a problem in that the culture solution in the fermenter has to be drawn to the microbial activity measuring device, and the collection mechanism becomes complicated.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, at least the optical system of the microbial activity measuring device is immersed in the fermentation tank, it is not necessary to provide a means for collecting the suspension in the fermentation tank It is intended to provide a methanogen measuring device.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

The microbial activity measuring apparatus according to the first invention is devised in a method of irradiating excitation light, and at least the excitation light optical system and the camera optical system of the microbial activity measuring apparatus are immersed in a fermenter and excited. The optical axis of the first optical filter / lens device of the optical system for light is vertical, and the luminous flux of the excitation light is centered around the focus of the lens of the second device. In the direction of ± 50 μm, and arranged so as to pass through a range wider than the diameter of the light beam photographed by the camera of the second optical filter / lens device in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the second optical filter / lens device. It was done.

A microbial activity measuring apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is such that at least an excitation light optical system and a camera optical system of the microbial activity measuring apparatus are immersed in a fermentation tank, and a first optical filter / lens of the excitation light optical system. The optical axis of the device and the optical axis of the second optical filter / lens device of the camera optical system are aligned, and the distance between the tip surface of the first device and the tip portion of the second device is equal to that of the second device. It is provided so that there is only the focal length of the device.

[Action]

In the microbial activity measuring device of the present invention, it is not necessary to pull the fermentation broth to the microbial activity measuring device,
No complicated collection mechanism, easy operation and 1st, 2nd
Since the tip part of the optical filter / lens device is limited, light from unnecessary parts does not enter the camera optical system.

〔Example〕

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a microbial activity measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the first invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 1, showing a cross section taken along the line AA 'of FIG. Is. In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a fermenter for holding therein a suspension 8 containing a microorganism as a test substance, and a first optical filter / lens device.
100 and the second one arranged so that the optical axis and the optical axis intersect at a right angle
The optical filter / lens device 200 of FIG.
Reference numeral 2 denotes a light source, and the excitation light generated here is within a range of ± 50 μm in the optical axis direction of the second optical filter / lens device 200 with the focus of the second optical filter / lens device 200 as the center, and Is supplied via the first optical filter / lens device 100 to a range slightly larger than the camera photographing light flux diameter of the second optical filter / lens device 200 in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical filter / lens device 200. It Reference numeral 21 is a high-sensitivity video camera optically connected to the second optical filter / lens device 200, and is connected to the image processing device 22 through a signal line 23. In FIG. 2, 100a is a second optical filter
The excitation light passage region in front of the lens device 200 is shown, and 101
Is the focal point of the second optical filter / lens device 200.

Next, the operation will be described.

The luminous flux emitted from the tip of the first optical filter / lens device 100 is centered on the focus of the second optical filter / lens device 200 and is ± 50 μ in the optical axis direction of the second optical filter / lens device 200.
The second optical filter / lens device in the range of m and in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the second optical filter / lens device 200.
The suspension 8 containing microorganisms within the range of the 200 photographed light flux diameter is excited to cause the methanogen to emit fluorescence. The methanogen that is excited by this luminous flux and imaged by the high-purity video camera 21 is the second optical filter / lens device.
The range is ± 50 μm in the optical axis direction of the second optical filter / lens device 200 with the focus of 200 as the center, and the second optical filter / lens device 200 has a second range in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the second optical filter / lens device 200. Since only methanogens within the range limited by the camera photographing light flux diameter of the optical filter / lens device 200 are present, the volume of the measurement area can be easily measured. The fluorescence emitted from the methanogen is acquired by the camera 21 as a fluorescence image and sent to the image processing device 22 via the signal line 23. Image processing device
In 22, the image processing is performed to eliminate the fluorescent images based on foreign substances other than methanogens, and then the methanogenic concentration or methanogenic activity is calculated from the fluorescent images based on methanogenic bacteria and the volume of the measurement area. .

Further, FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the main part of the methanogen measuring device according to one embodiment of the second invention.

In the embodiment of the first invention, the optical axes of the first optical filter / lens device 100 and the second optical filter / lens device 200 are made orthogonal to each other, but in the present embodiment, the first optical filter / lens device is used. The optical axes of the device 100 and the second optical filter / lens device 200 are aligned with each other, and the distance between the end surface of the device that emits the excitation light and the end portion of the second optical filter / lens device 200 is set to the second distance. The optical filter / lens device 200 is opened by the focal length A and installed in the fermenter 1, and the image processing device 22 is set so as not to measure a blurred image. Also in this embodiment, the volume of the measurement region is obtained by [light flux cross-sectional area × focus distance], and the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

As described above, in the above-mentioned two embodiment devices, the concentration of methanogenic bacteria and the activity of methanogenic bacteria in the suspension can be measured without collecting the suspension containing the microorganisms in the fermenter.
The device can be made inexpensive, and a complicated sampling mechanism need not be provided, which simplifies the operation.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the microbial activity measuring apparatus of the present invention, the optical axis of the first optical filter / lens device of the optical system for excitation light and the optical axis of the second optical filter / lens device of the optical system for camera are set. It is designed to be aligned or vertical, and the distance between the tips of both optical filters and lens devices is limited so that it is installed inside the fermentor, so light from unnecessary parts does not enter the camera optical system and measurement The accuracy is improved, and the concentration and activity of methanogens in the suspension can be measured without collecting the suspension in the fermentor, which simplifies the operation without the need for a complicated collection mechanism. Can be provided at low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a microbial activity measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the first invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of the microbial activity measuring apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a second invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the main part of the microbial activity measuring apparatus according to one embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a conventional microbial activity measuring apparatus. 1 fermentor, 2 light source, 8 suspension, 10 light collector, 12,1
6 is an optical filter, 20 is a lens optical system, 21 is a camera, 22 is an image processing device, 23 is a signal line, 24 is a conduit, 25 is a plunger, 26 is a cover glass, and 100 is a first optical filter / lens device. , 200 is a second optical filter / lens device. The same reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same or corresponding parts.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kenki Ozawa 8-1-1 Tsukaguchihonmachi, Amagasaki-shi, Hyogo Sanryo Electric Co., Ltd. Applied Equipment Research Laboratory (56) Reference JP-A-62-174636 (JP, A) )

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A fermentation tank containing an analyte containing a microorganism, an optical system for excitation light provided in the fermentation tank for irradiating the analyte with excitation light in a predetermined wavelength range, and the inside of the fermentation tank. Provided in, the subject comprises a camera optical system to obtain as a fluorescence image fluorescence of a predetermined wavelength range of fluorescence emitted by receiving the irradiation of the excitation light, the optical system for excitation light, A first optical filter / lens device, the camera optical system has a second optical filter / lens device, and the both optical filters / lens devices have a second optical filter / lens device with an optical axis being first. Is orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical filter / lens device, and the luminous flux of the excitation light is within a range of ± 50 μm in the optical axis direction of the second optical filter / lens device around the focus of the second optical filter / lens device. And in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the second optical filter / lens device. Microbial activity measuring apparatus characterized by being arranged to pass through a wider range than the camera shooting beam diameter of the optical filter lens device of the second Te. 2. A fermentation tank containing an analyte containing a microorganism, an optical system for excitation light which is provided in the fermentation tank and irradiates the analyte with excitation light in a predetermined wavelength range, and the inside of the fermentation tank. Provided in, the subject comprises a camera optical system to obtain as a fluorescence image fluorescence of a predetermined wavelength range of fluorescence emitted by receiving the irradiation of the excitation light, the optical system for excitation light, A first optical filter / lens device, the camera optical system has a second optical filter / lens device, and both optical filter / lens devices have an optical axis of the second optical filter / lens device; The optical axis of the first optical filter / lens device is the same, and the distance between the end surface of the first optical filter / lens device and the end portion of the second optical filter / lens device is the second optical filter / lens. That there is only the focal length of the device Microbial activity measuring device for the butterflies.