Performance of a flat plate, air-lift reactor for the growth of high biomass algal cultures

Abstract

A flat plate, multi-pass air lift reactor (FPALR) for the culture of photosynthetic organisms was constructed from twin wall acrylic sheet and its performance characterised. When operated at an air input of 2.01 min⁻¹ the multi-pass system had a Reynolds number of 5200 indicating fully turbulent flow. Chlorella vulgaris 211/11c was found to have a stationary phase biomass of 1.48 g 1⁻¹ when grown in the flat plate air lift reactor (FPALR) at 100 µmol m⁻²s⁻¹ compared to 1.11 g 1⁻¹ when cultured in the continually stirred tank reactor (CSTR) at the same PFD (photon flux density). The same organism cultured at 200 µmol m⁻²s⁻¹ achieved a stationary phase biomass of 1.71 g 1⁻¹ in the FPALR. In contrast, Scenedesmus sp. produced a stationary phase biomass of 2.27 g1⁻¹ and 1.27 g1⁻¹, when cultured at 100 µmol m⁻²s⁻¹ in the FPALR and the CSTR respectively. The growth rates of both organisms were also higher in the PFALR.