https://doi.org/10.17113/ftb.57.01.19.5702 |
Performance Assessment of a Novel Pyramid Photobioreactor for Cultivation of Microalgae Using External and Internal Light Sources
Zahra Khoobkar1, Farshid Pajoum Shariati1*, Ali Akbar Safekordi1 and Hossein Delavari Amrei2
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Simon Bolivar Ave, Tehran Iran, P.O. Box 1477893855, Tehran, Iran
2Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Bojnord, Bojnord, P.O. Box 9453155111, Iran
Article history:
Received: 13 April 2018
Accepted: 31 January 2019
Key words:
microalgae, pyramid photobioreactor, photosynthesis, light source
Summary:
The cultivation of Chlorella sp., the most abundant microalga in the Persian Gulf, took place in a novel pyramid photobioreactor (PBR), a modified version of plate PBR, consisting of four completely separate equal-volume chambers. In this study we used two light sources incident in each chamber: light-emitting diode (LED) at various wavelengths (red, white and blue) of 108 μmol/(m2·s) photosynthetic photon flux density as internal lighting, and the same photon flux density for external white lighting. PBR served to study the effects of light sources on chlorophyll a production, maximum specific growth rate (μmax), biomass productivity rate (rp) and photon performance. The results showed that the highest chlorophyll a production was obtained under red LED illumination. The highest values for rp, μmax and photon performance were obtained under white light.
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