Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Master's Theses

Airlift pump

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Photobioreactor Design For Improved Energy Efficiency Of Microalgae Production, Alexander Burns Dec 2014

Photobioreactor Design For Improved Energy Efficiency Of Microalgae Production, Alexander Burns

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Photobioreactor Design for Improved Energy Efficiency of Microalgae Production

Alexander Burns

The objective of this research was to investigate a new photobioreactor (PBR) design for microalgae production that retains the typical advantages of existing tubular PBRs while reducing power consumption by providing simultaneous culture circulation and gas exchange with airlift alone and no centrifugal recirculating pump. Traditional tubular PBR designs feature a compressed air supply and a centrifugal pump for culture circulation and gas exchange. Circulation and gas exchange in a closed-system PBR is necessary to keep the algae suspended and to provide sufficient mass transfer (mainly for the …