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A laboratory scale air‐lift helical photobioreactor to increase biomass output rate of photosynthetic algal cultures
Author(s) -
LEE EDMUND T.Y.,
BAZIN MICHAEL J.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1990.tb04722.x
Subject(s) - photobioreactor , photosynthesis , dilution , bioreactor , continuous stirred tank reactor , biomass (ecology) , volume (thermodynamics) , volumetric flow rate , surface area to volume ratio , reynolds number , botany , chemistry , biology , mechanics , thermodynamics , physics , ecology , turbulence
summary The helical air‐lift reactor of 0·315 1 capacity provides an improved way to cultivate photosynthetic organisms when compared to a 0·625 1 stirred reactor. The improvement results from an approximately three‐fold increase in the surface area: volume ratio of the reactor. Continuous operation of the helical reactor at a dilution rate of 0·025 h −1 permitted a light‐limited photosynthetic culture of Porphyridium cruentum to be maintained at a steady state biomass concentration of 4·6 g l −1 compared to 1·7 g l −1 in the stirred reactor under similar illumination. When operated at an air flow rate of 0·75 1 min −1 , the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient was 160 h −1 in the helical reactor and a Reynolds number of 2000 was obtained.