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Updated: May 14, 2026

Construction and Setup of a Bench-scale Algal Photosynthetic Bioreactor with Temperature, Light, and pH Monitoring for Kinetic Growth Tests
Published on: June 14, 2017
Nitrogen supply is an important driver of sustainable microalgae biofuel production
Jordan Peccia1, Berat Haznedaroglu, James Gutierrez
1Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, 9 Hillhouse Avenue, P.O. Box 208286, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. Jordan.Peccia@yale.edu
Abstract:
Favorable growth characteristics continue to generate interest in using triacylglycerides (TAGs) produced from microalgae for biodiesel feedstocks. In this opinion article, we suggest that due to the energy consumption associated with the production of external nitrogen fertilizers, the manner in which nitrogen is supplied to microalgae biorefineries will be an important driver of energy yields, sustainability, and commercial success. Schemes including the reuse of urban wastewater represent improvements on the overall energy balance, but will not allow for significant production of biofuels unless the nitrogen from the non-TAG portions of microalgae is recycled. Approaches to recycling nitrogen require an improved understanding of the tradeoffs between the different potential uses of the non-TAG microalgal portion (i.e., energy production via anaerobic digestion or thermal catalytic processes), and the development of nitrogen separation technologies.
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