State-of-the-art cultivation process development for microalgae

Abstract

The application of microalgae to red, green and white biotechnology raises the need for cost-efficient cultivation processes. Here an engineered flat-panel photobioreactor system was introduced for continuous photo-cultivation of microalgae. Based on direct determination of the growth rate at constant cell densities and the continuous measurement of O2 evolution, abiotic cultivation conditions (such as light, iron, pH and shear stress) and their effect on the photosynthetic productivity can be directly observed and optimized. In addition, an enrichment process in a continuous cultivation system was developed to screen a high-growth-rate microalga from a mixed culture of the pool. To enhance cellular growth and lipid productivity of microalga, a light filtering through a solution of soluble colored additives was used to alter the light spectrum. A cost-efficient process devoid of several washing steps was developed, which is related to direct cultivation following the catalytic decomposition of peracetic acid. © 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston. All rights reserved.