A simple and low-cost airlift photobioreactor for microalgal mass culture

doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.650.168

A simple and low-cost airlift photobioreactor for microalgal mass culture

by Zhang Xu, Zhou Baicheng, Zhang Yiping, Cai Zhaoling, Cong Wei, Ouyang Fan

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Biotechnology Letters (2002)

Volume: 24, Issue: 21, Publisher: Springer Netherlands, Pages: 1767-1771

ISSN: 01415492
DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.650.168

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Abstract

A simple, low-cost, and efficient airlift photobioreactor for microalgal mass culture was designed and developed. The reactor was made of Plexiglas, and composed of three major parts: outer tube, draft tube and air duct. The fluid-dynamic characteristics of the airlift reactor were studied. The system proved to be well suited to the mass cultivation of a marine microalga, Chlorella sp. In batch culture, the biomass volumetric output rate of 0.21 g l -1 d -1 was obtained at the superficial gas velocity of 4 mm s -1 in the draft tube.