A numerical thermal growth model for prediction of microalgae production in photobioreactors

Abstract

A thermal growth model for microalgae that are not heavier than water with the consideration of heat transfer and growth-temperature dependence in photobioreactor (PBR) is developed. The microalgae growth performance is studied, and influences of various parameters on the performance are examined. Improved methods are proposed to increase the biomass concentration in the PBR. Results show large increase in biomass productivity due to the addition of a mixer in the PBR, and slightly larger increase in productivity when cultivating microalgae at several middle layers with a mixer and filter membranes. Some layers in the PBR may effectively act as insulation layers in this case. This work lays a solid foundation for further study on the effect of the mixing on the growth and productivity of microalgae in the PBR.