Modelado de la producción de biomasa microalgal en un fotobiorreactor de burbujeo anular y configuración variable

Abstract

The results of the modeling of empirical data relative to marine microalgae cultures (Phaedactylum tricornutum and Tetraselmis sp.) in a pilot photobioreactor of two vertical concentric tubes with bubbling in the annular space, are presented. The geometry of this reactor switches between two configurations involving different culture volume and different hydrodynamics. The effect on biomass productivity that provokes an increasing in volume of culture at the expense of diminishing the capture of light energy has been analyzed. Finally, to consider the influence of shadowing of the cells on the biomass increment at medium and high concentration, a model is proposed with involvement of the exponential growth kinetic equation.