Engineering Commons^™

Optimization Of Environmental Conditions To Maximize Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Through Algal Growth, Kenneth M. Karcher

Theses and Dissertations

The micro-alga Chlorella vulgaris was cultivated under a variety of environmental conditions in various culture media solutions to assess and optimize growth rate and biomass productivity. Efforts during this work investigated growth parameters at the micro-scale in an air-lift bubble system with the goal of interpreting performance characteristics that can be applied to a larger serpentine tubular Photo-bioreactor. Maximum growth rates and biomass yields were 0.65 d^-1 and 2.003 g biomass/L and achieved in seven days using urea in de-ionized water under a 24:0 Photoperiod (Light:Dark). Additionally, growth rates and biomass yields of 0.65 d^-1 and 1.964 g …