Laboratory scale air-lift helical photobioreactor to increase biomass output rate of photosynthetic algal cultures

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A laboratory scale air-lift helical photobioreactor to increase biomass output rate of photosynthetic algal cultures

New PhytologistVolume 116 Issue 2 Page 331 - October 1990

EDMUND T.-Y. LEE 11Microbial Physiology Group, Division of Biosphere Sciences, King's College (University of London), Campden Hill Road, London W8 7AH
MICHAEL J. BAZIN11Microbial Physiology Group, Division of Biosphere Sciences, King's College (University of London), Campden Hill Road, London W8 7AH

1Microbial Physiology Group, Division of Biosphere Sciences, King's College (University of London), Campden Hill Road, London W8 7AH

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 h1 permitted a light-limited photosynthetic culture of Porphyridium cruentum to be maintained at a steady state biomass concentration of 4·6 g l1 compared to 1·7 g l1 in the stirred reactor under similar illumination. When operated at an air flow rate of 0·75 1 min1, the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient was 160 h1 in the helical reactor and a Reynolds number of 2000 was obtained.

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