Abstract
Despite the common use of open raceway pond technology for algae production, the system has many serious drawbacks resulting in low productivities and relatively high production costs. The key to higher yields and a cheaper product rests with the lowering of culture volume by decreasing the thickness of the algal layer exposed to the light. The higher the culture surface-to-volume ratio (S/V), the higher the culture density and the lower the cost of handling and harvesting. Basic parameters (light, temperature, mixing, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nutrition) affecting algal productivity in thin-layer (TL) photobioreactor have been assessed. In a low volume of vigorously mixed culture, utilization of light energy and algal yields are increased. Production costs are reduced to about one fifth (20 %) compared to raceways ponds.
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Abbreviations
- DO:
-
dissolved oxygen
- dw:
-
dry weight
- EPDM:
-
ethyl propylene dimer
- PAR:
-
photosynthetic active radiation
- PE:
-
photosynthetic efficiency
- PUFA:
-
polyunsaturated fatty acid
- S/V:
-
surface to volume ratio
- TL:
-
thin layer
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Acknowledgements
The work was supported by the projects EUREKA of the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (nos. OE 221 and OE 09025).
We wish to express our gratitude to BCS Engineering, a.s., Brno, Czech Republic for their fruitful technical cooperation.
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Doucha, J., Lívanský, K. (2014). High Density Outdoor Microalgal Culture. In: Bajpai, R., Prokop, A., Zappi, M. (eds) Algal Biorefineries. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7494-0_6
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