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Maximizing the productivity of the microalgae Scenedesmus AMDD cultivated in a continuous photobioreactor using an online flow rate control

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Abstract

In this study, production of the microalga Scenedesmus AMDD in a 300 L continuous flow photobioreactor was maximized using an online flow (dilution rate) control algorithm. To enable online control, biomass concentration was estimated in real time by measuring chlorophyll-related culture fluorescence. A simple microalgae growth model was developed and used to solve the optimization problem aimed at maximizing the photobioreactor productivity. When optimally controlled, Scenedesmus AMDD culture demonstrated an average volumetric biomass productivity of 0.11 g L−1 d−1 over a 25 day cultivation period, equivalent to a 70 % performance improvement compared to the same photobioreactor operated as a turbidostat. The proposed approach for optimizing photobioreactor flow can be adapted to a broad range of microalgae cultivation systems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Portfolio, National Research Council of Canada, 1411 Oxford St., Halifax, NS, B3H 3Z1, Canada

    Patrick J. McGinn & Scott P. MacQuarrie

  2. Energy, Mining and Environment Portfolio, National Research Council of Canada, 6100 Royalmount Ave, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada

    Jerome Choi & Boris Tartakovsky

Authors
  1. Patrick J. McGinn
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  2. Scott P. MacQuarrie
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  3. Jerome Choi
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  4. Boris Tartakovsky
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Correspondence to Boris Tartakovsky.

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McGinn, P.J., MacQuarrie, S.P., Choi, J. et al. Maximizing the productivity of the microalgae Scenedesmus AMDD cultivated in a continuous photobioreactor using an online flow rate control. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 40, 63–71 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-016-1675-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-016-1675-9

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