Exploration of Microalgae Photobioreactor (PBR) in Tropical Climate Building Envelope

Abstract

The building sector in Malaysia consumes up to half of the electricity generated in the country. Therefore, there are needs to have a continuous effort to promote microalgae as part of an innovative building envelope system. This paper intends to investigate the potentiality of implementing the microalgae photobioreactor (PBR) in building envelopes in Malaysia. The findings from the precedent studies are synthesised into ten (10) parameters and translated into four (4) design modules. In conclusion, the suggested parameters are crucial in establishing microalgae photobioreactor (PBR) as a suitable prospect for energy efficiency in building envelopes in the tropical climate. Keywords: energy consumption; microalgae; photobioreactor; building envelope. eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i14.2166