Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 25, 2025
Optimize Flue Gas Settings to Promote Microalgae Growth in Photobioreactors via Computer Simulations
Published on: October 1, 2013
Effect of solar and artificial lighting on microalgae cultivation and treatment of liquid digestate
Ewelina Sobolewska1, Sebastian Borowski2, Paulina Nowicka-Krawczyk3
1Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Lodz University of Technology, Wólczańska 171/173, 90-530, Lodz, Poland; Interdisciplinary Doctoral School, Lodz University of Technology, Żeromskiego 116, 90-924, Lodz, Poland.
Abstract:
A comparative study was carried out to assess the effect of two light sources on microalgae cultivation and the treatment of liquid digestate. The R1 photobioreactor operated with LED lightning allowed to achieve moderate nutrient removal rates whereas soluble COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) was reduced in 90%. After switching this reactor into sunlight, the removal rate of phosphates increased to 66%. However, the greatest removal rate of both nutrients and sCOD of up to 93% was observed in the R2 photobioreactor operated only under sunlight. Microglena sp. was the dominant algae growing in the R1 reactor, and the main bacteria families detected were Chitinophagaceae, Sphingomonadaceae and Xanthobacteraceae. In contrast, Tetradesmus obliquus dominated in the R2 reactor and Rhodanobacteraceae, Chitinophagaceae and A4b were predominant bacteria in this run. Furthermore, much greater biomass productivity as well as overall biomass density was observed in the R2 photobioreactor cultivated exclusively with solar lightning.
