Institute of Biophysics SB RAS

Academgorodok, Krasnoyarsk, 660036, Russia
Phone: 7(391-2) 43-15-79, Fax: 7(391-2) 43-34-00
E-mail: ibp@ibp.krasnoyarsk.su

«Bios-3M» Closed Ecological System for Life Support.
Scientific research field station on Shira lake.
  «Bios-3M» Closed Ecological System for Life Support.

«Bios-3M» Closed Ecological System for Life Support based on biological and physical-chemical regeneration of human vital activity wastes in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

«Bios-3M» brief description.
This facility is designed for experiments on environment-isolated long-term human life support, to study effect of contamination on evolution of the system, simulated and study stability of main cycles of matter in a closed system.
The facility (complex) features components for biological regeneration of the environment and food; controlled cenoses of higher plants, microalgae, bacteria. Wastes of human vital activity are utilized in a single cycle of biosphere-like matter transformation.
Foreign analog of the system is «Biosphere-2» project in Tucson (Arizona, USA).

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF TWO SYSTEMS

 

“Bios-3”

 (Krasnoyarsk, Russia)

“Biosphere-2”

(Tucson, Arizona, USA)

Volume (m3)

315

~ 210000

Wattage

400 kW

~ 150000 kW

Mass exchange

Intensive (characteristic

time of exchange in term

of oxygen - 53 days)

Extensive (characteristic

time of exchange in term

of oxygen - 2.5 years)

Power supply for

plant photosynthesis

Crew

 

2-3

 

8

Maximum time of

one closure experiment

6 months

24 months

Project cost

6 million rubles

(prices of 1971-1975)

~ 150 million US$

Cost of annual

maintenance

500 thousand rubles

1.53 million US$

Funded from the federal budget with assistance of «Energiya» firm headed by S.P.Korolev - Designer-General of Space Technology - construction of «Bios-3» was started in the late 60s to be completed in 1972.
«Bios» facilities were used to conduct 10 manned closure experiments with 1-3 man crew. The longest experiment with 3-man crew was 180 days (1972-1973). Most intensively manned «Bios3» was used in 1972-1984.

«Bios-3» experiment with complete regeneration of air and water partial regeneration of (plant only) food demonstrated that:
1) man and photosynthesizing organisms are basically compatible in a single biological turnover of the matter;
2) to fully supply one man with oxygen, water and 30-40% of food suffice is 13-14 m2 of plant area (cucumbers, tomatoes, peas, beans, carrots, radish, potatoes, etc.) under the flux of photosynthetically active radiation with the intensity of about 150 W/m2. Matter turnover was, at this, 93-95% closed. At this, the system is capable of sustaining human life foe about one year. A complete experiment can increase closeness of matter turnover to its limit of 100%. In this case - when the system can provide for main human biological requirements - it can sustain humans for 5 years which is more than the presently conceivable need for isolation. Ecological experiments (conversion of toxic substances, such as SO2, NH3, ethylene, in the ecosystem) conducted in 1984-1994 showed that there is a certain limit rate of supply of toxic agents into a volume with plants, at which cenoses can cope this load. Hence ensues the conclusions of limit admissible intensity of conversion and buffer absorption capacities in a closed system.

«Bios-3» experiments need to be continued:
1) to find out fine mechanisms of human life support (psychological aspects, physiologically significant microflows of the matter within the system).
2) to examine mechanisms sustaining stability of the system on the whole and asses extent to active human interference into control of matter turnover.
3) to elaborate technologies for wasteless life support and devising life support CES for extreme Earth conditions (polar latitudes, alpine areas, thickness of hydro- and lithosphere, deserts, ecological disaster areas, etc.)
4) to examine fine mechanisms sustaining stability of ecosystems in intensified processes in closed cycles and emergence of intermediate toxic components. «Bios» facilities are ready for experimentation. Foreign partners can be accommodated at the hotel facilities of Krasnoyarsk Academic Campus. Tentative cost (including meals) - 250 rubles/day.

  Scientific research field station on Shira lake (republic of Khakassia).

Scientific research field station on Shira lake (republic of Khakassia).
Among natural objects of great ecological importance in Republic of Khakassia are numerous mineral water bodies with no less than 110 permanent natural mineral lakes with the water area more than 10 ha. Fourteen of them are large lakes measuring more than 1 square kilometer. Shira lake siting a popular Siberian resort is the most famous for its unique composition of mineral water and medicinal properties.

Major characteristics of the lake system:
- Clear days during summer - 46-52.
- Altitude - 354 m.
- Length - 9.4 km, width - 5 km.
- Water area - 34.7 sq km.
- Average depth - 11.2, maximum depth - 24 m.
- Mineral water volume - more than 215 million m3.
- Annual normal natural flow into the lake - 21 million m3/year.
- Anthropogenic effluent (in additional to natural) - 1.6 million m3/year.
- Underground water exchange (per cent of total supply) - 9.
- Water formula: sub-alkaline, sulfate-chloride-sodium-potassium.
- Total amount of salts: more than 9 million tons; mineralisation (1994) - 19 g/l.
- Depth of occurrence of mud - 9 m, seam thickness - 1.5 m.
- Mud area - 19.7 sq km; mud storage - 18 million m3.
- Composition: silicates and carbonates of Ca, Mg, Fe; oxides of Al, Ca; organic matter - 4%.

The station consist of 7 buildings - 5 are living quarters, 1 is a laboratory and 1 is equipment warehouse. An all-terrain amphibian vehicle is equipped with a sounder, geographical positioning system and sampling equipment. Motor launch, computer, fax, telephone. Research equipment: fluoremeter (to evaluate chlorophyll concentration and photosynthetic activity of algae), bioluminometer (with bioluminescent reagent kit for bioassays), «Biotester-2» (to assess quality of water by chemotaxis reaction of Infusoria), other standard equipment. The research is supported by certified laboratory of analytical chemistry at the Institute of Biophysics.

Basic scientific problems fundamentally important for monitoring and controlling condition of the medicinal lake on scientifically-substantiated basis and ecology on the whole:
- Ecosystem of the lake is extremely reduced and scarce in number of species and trophic levels bringing it close to laboratory systems. The literature available (since 18th century) has no mention of ichtyophauna; although salmon has adapted to conditions of proximate salt lake Bele. In this connection a question arises: how can so reduced a system sustain matter turnover?
- Perennial changes in the mineral composition and general mineralisation. According to hydrogeologists mineralisation and water lake change in antiphase, i.e. the total amount of dissolved salts is constant (about 9 million tons) and, accordingly, salt concentration is determined by «input-output» balance of fresh water (ultimately - by the volume of the lake). In this case the percent composition of salts should be invariable. However, according to Leman E.A. (1981) and Gebler (1926) salt composition substantially changed in 25 years (fall period in lake level): concentration of NaCl increased by 107%, Na2SO4 - by 30%, MgCO3 - by 45%. This might have been accounted for possible hydrological exchange with underground water and brines, yet, according to A.P.Khasanov, this exchange amounts only to 9% of the total water flow into the lake. This indicates probable important contribution of other factors, e.g. microbiological (chemolithotrophic) and/or chemical conversions in salt composition dynamics which also calls for additional profound examination.
- High antomicrobial features of Shira waters and their origin. There is little indirect evidence that this sanitary-medicinal property of water is determined by the natural microflora of the lake and/or its organic matter. The water of Shira lake is also known to purity itself from foreign microflora. However, mechanisms of bactericidal action is not completely understood.
- «Blooming» of algae that Shira lake exhibits is also outstanding among mineralized water bodies. At least, the literature available on Shira lake has no mention of it. The issue of mechanism of «blooming» development in such systems remains open: whether it is adaptation of the known species or changes in a certain chemical environmental factor «promoting» favorable conditions for microalgae to introduce.
- Interconnection between healing properties of the lake water and its chemical composition. The question is to develop scientific prerequisites to predict healing properties, provided mineral and organic composition of water are predicted by ecological-mathematical models. Comprehensive studies that would help predict changes in healing properties of the lake with ecosystem conditions have not been conducted yet.
«Assessment, monitoring, prediction of quality and healing properties of Shira lake waters» grant (register N 73) has won the contest in «Support of Expedition and Field Studies Involving Students, Post-Graduates and University Teachers)» within the framework of federal special-purpose program «State Support of Integration of Higher Education and Fundamental Science in 1997-2000». Major goal of the grant - to develop ecological-biophysical avenues to qualitative prediction of ecosystem condition and water quality in slow-flow water bodies based on combining experimental and field comprehensive studies (involving students, post-graduates and university teachers).