Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons^™

Behavior Of Light In A Photobioreactor And Design Of Light Guides, Anand Rajendran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of the thesis is to explain the microalgae cultivation in a photobioreactor system; demonstrate the light activity in a flat-plate photobioreactor; and design the light channeling system. Generally, microalgae are cultivated in open ponds and in closed photobioreactor systems. In open ponds, the productivity of microalgal biomass is very low, due to lack and improper use of carbon and energy sources. In photobioreactor systems, all required inputs can be supplied effectively to the microalgae which in turn increases the biomass productivity. However, these systems are expensive to build and to maintain in a largescale basis. In a photobioreactor, …