The microalga incorporated photobioreactor is a highly efficient biological system for converting CO2 into biomass. Using microalgal photobioreactor as CO2 mitigation system is a practical approach for elimination of waste gas from the CO2 emission. In this study, the marine microalga Chlorella sp. was cultured in a photobioreactor to assess biomass, lipid productivity and CO2 reduction. We als...

An internally radiating photobioreactor was applied for the production of astaxanthin using the unicellular green alga Haematococcus pluvialis. The cellular morphology of H. pluvialis was significantly affected by the intensity of irradiance of the photobioreactor. Small green cells were widespread under lower light intensity, whereas big reddish cells were predominant under high light intensit...

Hydrogen recovery through solar-driven biomass conversion by photo-fermentative bacteria (PFB) has been regarded as a promising way for sustainable energy production. However, a considerable fraction of organic substrate was consumed for the growth of PFB as biocatalysts, furthermore, these PFB were continuously washed out from the photobioreactor in continuous operation because of their poor f...

This study investigates the scaling of photobioreactor productivity based on the growth of Nannochloropsis salina incorporating the effects of direct and diffuse light. The scaling and optimization of photobioreactor geometry was analyzed by determining the growth response of a small-scale system designed to represent a core sample of a large-scale photobioreactor. The small-scale test apparatu...

The scalability of microalgae growth systems is a primary research topic in anticipation of the commercialization of microalgae-based biofuels. To date, there is little published data on the productivity of microalgae in growth systems that are scalable to commercially viable footprints. To inform the development of more detailed assessments of industrial-scale microalgae biofuel processes, thi...

Pure strains of Purple Non-Sulfur (PNS) bacteria: Rhodobacter sphaeroides strain O.U 001 was studied for its efficiency to produce biohydrogen using the photofermentative pathways. An annular photobioreactor was being designed aiming the uniform light distribution. In prototype annular photobioreactor, at an initial pH of 6.8±0.2, temperature 32 ± 2 ◦C, inoculum volume 10% (v/v), inoculum age o...

We estimate the energy content, the operational energy inputs, and the net energy ratio (NER) of an industrial tubular photobioreactor used for the photosynthetic production of H2 by microalgae. The calculated H2 output of the photobioreactor is based on a range of algal photosynthetic H2 generation efficiencies, and on the application of standard theory for tubular solar collectors. Small diam...

Biofuels from algae are highly interesting as renewable energy sources to replace, at least partially, fossil fuels, but great research efforts are still needed to optimize growth parameters to develop competitive large-scale cultivation systems. One factor with a seminal influence on productivity is light availability. Light energy fully supports algal growth, but it leads to oxidative stress ...

Twenty years of Italian outdoor investigations on closed photobioreactors are discussed in this review. Many photobioreactor designs have been projected; some have been built, tested and patented. The Italian research approach from tubular (single tube and traditional loop) to flat and column and again to tubular photobioreactors (coil and loops) has improved microalgal yield. It increased from...

A dynamic numerical model was developed to predict the biomass concentration, pH, and carbon dioxide fixation rate in the continuous culture of cyanobacteria in a photobioreactor. The model is based on the growth rate equation of microalgae combined with mass transfer equations for gas and liquid phases in the photobioreactor as well as thermodynamic equilibrium of inorganic carbon ions in the ...