The Role of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in Phytohormone-Regulated Microalgae-Based Carbon Dioxide Capture Technology

Abstract

Microalgae-based CO2 capture has potential as an industrial-scale solution to climate change challenges while also amassing usable microalgae biomass. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can optimize CO2 extraction in microalgae growing systems, especially when paired with phytohormone-regulated growth. This paper examines the use of CFD to predict fluid flow, nutrient distribution, light intensity, and mass transfer in microalgae-based systems, which are crucial for improving photosynthetic efficiency and fixing CO2. The focus is on how phytohormones, such as auxins and cytokinin, influence microalgal growth and their subsequent involvement in increasing carbon sequestration. Furthermore, this review discusses CFD applications in reactor design, where fluid dynamics and biological kinetics interact to increase biomass yield. The focus on scaling up and transitioning from laboratory to industrial application with the possible integration of computational fluid dynamics with experiment data to enhance simulation precision is addressed. The assessment demonstrates CFD’s potential as an important tool for sustainable CO2 fixation.