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Bioreactor Controls-II01:18

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In aerobic fermentations, oxygen is vital for microbial growth and metabolite production. Since air comprises only about 20% oxygen and the gas is poorly soluble in water—just 9 ppm at 20°C—supplying sufficient oxygen becomes a critical challenge, especially in high-demand processes like yeast growth or citric acid production. Even a fully saturated broth may offer only a few seconds of oxygen availability.To address this, sterile or scrubbed air is introduced into the fermentor via a sparger...
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Operation of Laboratory Photobioreactors with Online Growth Measurements and Customizable Light Regimes
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Published on: October 28, 2021

Photobioreactor design: Mixing, carbon utilization, and oxygen accumulation.

J C Weissman1, R P Goebel, J R Benemann

  • 1Microbial Products, Inc. 408A Union Ave., Fairfield, California 94533.

Biotechnology and Bioengineering
|March 1, 1988
PubMed
Summary

Open raceway ponds are more energy-efficient and cost-effective for algal cultivation than tubular photobioreactors. While enclosed systems offer aseptic operation, open ponds are generally more feasible for large-scale algal mass cultivation due to lower costs and better gas exchange.

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Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology and Bioengineering
  • Algal Cultivation Systems
  • Photobioreactor Design

Background:

  • Photobioreactor design and operation are critical for efficient algal cultivation.
  • Key operational parameters include mixing, carbon utilization, and oxygen accumulation.
  • Open raceway ponds and closed tubular reactors represent diverse design approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the operational characteristics of open raceway ponds and tubular photobioreactors.
  • To evaluate factors such as mixing efficiency, energy consumption, carbon dioxide utilization, and oxygen buildup.
  • To determine the economic and operational feasibility of different photobioreactor designs for algal mass cultivation.

Main Methods:

  • Operated two 100-m(2) open raceway ponds with a planktonic Chlorella sp. to collect data.
  • Compared productivity and mixing parameters between ponds with different mixing velocities.
  • Analyzed energy consumption using Manning's equation and compared it with tubular reactor data.
  • Measured carbon dioxide mass transfer coefficient (K(L)) in open ponds.
  • Modeled oxygen accumulation rates in both reactor types under maximal photosynthesis.

Main Results:

  • No significant productivity difference was observed between ponds with mixing velocities of 30 cm/s and 1-30 cm/s, indicating power consumption or CO(2) outgassing limits maximal mixing.
  • A 1 cm diameter tubular reactor at 30 cm/s consumes 10 times more energy than a typical open pond (20 cm deep at 20 cm/s).
  • Open ponds offer greater CO(2) storage capacity but tend to desorb CO(2) and accumulate less dissolved oxygen (25-40 mg/L) compared to tubular reactors (potentially 100 mg/L).
  • The CO(2) mass transfer coefficient (K(L)) for a 100-m(2) pond surface was determined to be 0.10 m/h.

Conclusions:

  • Open raceway ponds are more energy-efficient and cost-effective for large-scale algal mass cultivation compared to tubular photobioreactors.
  • While enclosed reactors offer aseptic operation, their higher capital and operational costs limit their feasibility for bulk algal production.
  • Open ponds are the most practical photobioreactor design for meeting economic and operational requirements in algal mass cultivation, provided species stability can be maintained.