Review
Environmental Sciences
Hoang Tam Nguyen, Yeomin Yoon, Huu Hao Ngo, Am Jang
Summary: This paper reviews the potential and mechanisms of microalgae-based systems for removing organic micropollutants, compares them with other treatment methods, and provides recommendations for future research.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anand Baby Alias, Shubhanvit Mishra, Gaurav Pendharkar, Chi-Shuo Chen, Cheng-Hsien Liu, Yi-Ju Liu, Da-Jeng Yao
Summary: Microalgae are a significant source of renewable, sustainable and economical biofuels, with vast potential applications in energy, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. The utilization of microfluidic technology plays a vital role in microalgal processes and applications in biofuels and biosensing.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Wei Han Khor, Hooi-Siang Kang, Jun-Wei Lim, Koji Iwamoto, Collin Howe-Hing Tang, Pei Sean Goh, Lee Kee Quen, Nik Mohd Ridzuan Bin Shaharuddin, Nai Yeen Gavin Lai
Summary: The wide application of microalgae in various industries has led to the development of the microalgae cultivation industry. However, the commercial-scale cultivation of microalgae still faces challenges in terms of economic feasibility. This review explores the potential of utilizing floating photobioreactors in offshore areas for microalgae cultivation, highlighting the advantages of offshore environments and the opportunities for further advancements in offshore microalgae cultivation technologies.
AQUACULTURAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Michael Sandmann, Sergiy Smetana, Volker Heinz, Sascha Rohn
Summary: This study compared two different photobioreactors and found that MUTL-PBR outperformed the traditional reactor in terms of biomass and antioxidant capacity, but its higher energy demand led to a greater environmental burden. MUTL-PBR shows potential for sustainable production of bioactive substances.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Panneerselvam Ranganathan, Ashutosh Kumar Pandey, Ranjna Sirohi, Anh Tuan Hoang, Sang-Hyoun Kim
Summary: This study reviews the application of computational flow modelling in photobioreactors and discusses an integrated modelling approach for these reactors. It also reviews intensified systems for improving the performance of photobioreactors. Future considerations include the development of multi-scale modelling methods and low-cost efficient computational frameworks, as well as the use of process intensification techniques to enhance hydrodynamics, mixing, and mass transfer in photobioreactors.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Krishnamurthy Mathivanan, Fuad Ameen, Ruiyong Zhang, Gangalla Ravi, Srinivas Beduru
Summary: The present study developed a 5 L bubble column photobioreactor (BCPR) to investigate the biomass and lipid production of two microalgal strains and their consortium under different CO2 concentrations. The results showed that higher CO2 concentrations significantly increased biomass and lipid yield, as well as chlorophyll-a content. Interestingly, the lipid content of the consortium remained similar across all CO2 concentrations, with the highest fatty acid levels and favorable fuel properties observed under 10% CO2 supply.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yi An Lim, I. M. S. K. Ilankoon, Meng Nan Chong, Su Chern Foo
Summary: This study aims to improve the growth of microalgae and enhance their CO2 capturing ability. By designing different gas spargers and studying their mixing performances, it was found that customised sintered metal spargers achieved higher mixing performances. These findings are important for the scale-up studies of photobioreactors and the realization of the circular bioeconomy concept.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Chenba Zhu, Yimei Xi, Xiaoqian Zhai, Jinghan Wang, Fantao Kong, Zhanyou Chi
Summary: The study demonstrated that Trebouxiophyte can efficiently produce with bicarbonate as the sole carbon source, providing a good example of selecting a balanced bicarbonate concentration to simultaneously achieve high biomass productivity and CUE. The results also showed that outdoor cultivation in a floating photobioreactor produced a higher biomass concentration, highest areal biomass productivity, and CUE compared to an open pond, highlighting the potential of using bicarbonate in microalgae cultivation for improved efficiency.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Virology
Gino Schiano di Visconte, Michael J. Allen, Andrew Spicer
Summary: Traditional methods for investigating virus-induced microalgal host lysis and infection dynamics are time-consuming and prone to low sensitivity and high error rates. This study introduces a new method that combines spectrometry, plaque assays, and infection dose assessment to monitor infected microalgae cultures under controlled lab-scale photobioreactors. This automated approach allows for accurate determination of virus lysis time, investigation of molecular signaling impacting the virus life cycle, and assessment of functional diversity of virus isolates.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Juan Pablo Diaz, Cristian Inostroza, Gabriel Acien
Summary: This research presents the performance of a 2500L Fibonacci-type photobioreactor for producing Chlorella sp. The photobioreactor design effectively maintained optimal conditions for Chlorella culture, including temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen levels. With a maximum specific growth rate of 0.31 day-1, biomass concentration of 1.9 g/L, and volumetric biomass productivity of 0.37 g/L day, this photobioreactor offers significant advancements compared to classic tubular photobioreactors, making it a flexible and efficient alternative for industrial production.
PROCESS BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Maryam Talaei, Mohammadjavad Mahdavinejad, Rahman Azari, Hadi Motevali Haghighi, Ali Atashdast
Summary: Microalgae bioreactive facades are an emerging trend in energy-efficient architecture that can control buildings' thermal loads through responsiveness to solar radiations and adaptive variations in culture density. This paper introduces an innovative method using a smart window panel with adjustable bioreactors to respond to solar radiation and users' thermal needs in a short time. Experimental and simulation research shows that the adjustable medium height greatly impacts building thermal control, with the full-height level having the most influence.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES AND ASSESSMENTS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jareeluk Plengsakul, Sorawit Powtongsook, Kasidit Nootong
Summary: This study shows that using commercial surfactants can effectively reduce wall-growth biofilm formation in photobioreactors, leading to higher algal biomass concentration.
BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Pierre Jouannais, Stefan Hindersin, Sarah Lohn, Massimo Pizzol
Summary: This study examines the environmental impact of microalgae cultivation to anticipate the potential implications of producing microalgal compounds in the future.
Microalgae cultivation performance is influenced by biological, technological, geographical, and physical factors, which engineers aim to optimize.
The development of a dynamic LCA model allows for simulations of different combinations of photobioreactor geometries and operational setups to calculate environmental impacts in different regions.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Thomas O. Butler, Gloria Padmaperuma, Alessandro M. Lizzul, Joe McDonald, Seetharaman Vaidyanathan
Summary: The study found that using the commercial powdered media Cell-Hi JWP for the cultivation of P. tricornutum outdoors in the UK yielded good performance characteristics and cost-effectiveness. There was a strong positive correlation between fucoxanthin and chlorophyll a content, and a weak inverse correlation between EPA content and temperature. Commensal bacterial counts showed a sinusoidal growth profile with a transition in community dominance observed.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Zi-Yan Yang, Feng Gao, Jun-Zhi Liu, Jin-Sheng Yang, Mei Liu, Ya-Ming Ge, Dong-Zhi Chen, Jian-Meng Chen
Summary: Saline wastewater was found to improve the sedimentation and lipid production of freshwater microalgae. A salinity of 0.5% or above effectively promoted the settling of microalgae and reduced algal biomass in the effluent. The mechanism behind this improvement involved changes in zeta potential, cell particle size, and extracellular polymeric substance synthesis, which varied with the influent salinity.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)