Effect of cultivation parameters and heat management on the algae species growth conditions and biomass production in a continuous feedstock photobioreactor

Abstract

The sunshine heat flux is having an essential impact on the photobioreactor system temperature. However, optimal algae growth rates have gained if the algal growth media temperature located between 25 and 30 °C, for most of the kind of the algae. However, there is no available data in the previous literature concerning the environmental conditions, such as the sunshine intensity and the air temperature during the day, and its effect on the cultivation media temperature. In the present study, the continuous photobioreactor has been designed to obtain biomass and Esterified fatty acids (EFA) from the green algal. Therefore, the Optimum pH and Na2CO3 concentrations are 7.5 and 5 g, respectively. While the optimum productivity of S. Obliquus algae can be reached to 1.12 (gm. L-1 Day-1) and EFA yield is 377.6 (gm. L-1 Day-1) by optimization the cultivations conditions. Also, the solar thermal radiation effect on the cultivation medium temperatures has investigated. Those have been achieved using mechanical flipping for the cultivation medium and applying a new Air-Bubble-Generation (ABG) system. The used technique in the current study can enhance the sunlight heat and temperature stability of the cultivation media within the optimum range despite the variation on the ambient air temperature.