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Industrial production of Phaeodactylum tricornutum for CO2 mitigation: biomass productivity and photosynthetic efficiency using photobioreactors of different volumes

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Abstract

The photosynthetic efficiency (PE) and potential of Phaeodactylum tricornutum for CO2 mitigation in industrial tubular photobioreactors (PBRs) of different volumes were evaluated. A preliminary assay was performed at lab-scale to optimize the salt concentration of the culture medium. Interestingly, salinity did not affect the growth of P. tricornutum at concentrations of 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 g L−1. Higher volumetric productivities were achieved in the 2.5-m3 tubular PBR (0.235 g L−1 day−1), followed by 35- and 10-m3 PBRs. Maximum areal productivities corresponded to 48.5, 45.0, and 12.8 g m−2 day−1 for the 35-, 10-, and 2.5-m3 PBRs, respectively. PE was thus higher in the 35- and 10-m3 PBRs (2.21 and 2.08%, respectively). The 10- and 35-m3 PBR showed CO2 mitigation efficiencies of 60 and 41%, respectively, of the CO2 introduced into the PBR, corresponding to 2.3 and 2.5 g of fixed CO2 per g of biomass. Overall, cultivation of P. tricornutum couples high PE and areal productivity when the industrial PBRs were used, particularly PBRs of larger volumes. This improved PE performance with larger PBR volumes strongly suggests that large-scale cultivation of this diatom holds great potential for industrial CO2 mitigation.

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Funding

The present work was funded by the Portuguese national budget P2020 in the scope of the project no. 023310 – ALGACO2: “Cultivo industrial de microalgas como tecnologia verde para captura de CO2 atmosférico” and CCMAR/Multi/04326/2013 grant of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). H.P. (SFRH/BD/105541/2014) was funded by a PhD grant from FCT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ALLMICROALGAE, Natural Products S.A., Avenida Eng° Duarte Pacheco, 19 – 9°, 1070-100, Lisbon, Portugal

    Pedro M. Quelhas, Mafalda Trovão, Joana T. Silva, Adriana Machado & Joana L. Silva

  2. LEPABE, Departamento de Engenharia Química, Da Universidade do Porto, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal

    Pedro M. Quelhas & Manuel Simões

  3. CCMAR - Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal

    Tamára Santos, Hugo Pereira & João Varela

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  1. Pedro M. Quelhas
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  2. Mafalda Trovão
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  3. Joana T. Silva
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  4. Adriana Machado
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  5. Tamára Santos
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  6. Hugo Pereira
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  7. João Varela
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  8. Manuel Simões
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  9. Joana L. Silva
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Contributions

PQ conceived, designed, and performed the experiments, interpreted the data with statistical expertise, prepared the figures/tables, and wrote the manuscript; MT, JTS, AM, and TS collected and assembled the data, prepared figures/tables, and drafted the manuscript; HP and JV designed the experiences, analyzed and interpreted the data, and critically revised the manuscript; MS and JLS designed the experiences, analyzed and interpreted the data, obtaining of funding or logistic support, and critically revised the manuscript. All authors have read the manuscript and approved this submission.

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Correspondence to Joana L. Silva.

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Quelhas, P.M., Trovão, M., Silva, J.T. et al. Industrial production of Phaeodactylum tricornutum for CO2 mitigation: biomass productivity and photosynthetic efficiency using photobioreactors of different volumes. J Appl Phycol 31, 2187–2196 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-019-1750-0

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