Carbon and light limitation in mass algal culture
The carbon limited kinetic responses of various fast growing algal species have been summarized. These results suggest that the growth responses of many algae used in mass culture may best be represented as a Monod fit of the specific growth rate (..mu..) to the free carbon dioxide concentration (CO/sub 2//sub f/). The environmental modifiers of primary importance appear to be light levels, temperature and the ionic strength of the growth media. The various mathematical models describing the algal biological response to limitng CO/sub 2//sub f/ concentration, the carbonate equilibrium chemistry and the physical configration of a flow-through microbial culture are combined to yield equations which predict the pH, total carbon concentration (C/sub T/) and algal cell concentration of a continuous alga culture, given a ..mu../sub max/ and K/sub SCO2/ for the alga of interest. This model is further used to illustrate the under-utilization of inorganic carbon in mass algal cultures in which the pH is uncontrolled. One method of pH control in such cultures involves the utilization of CO/sub 2/ supply from bacterial degradation of waste organics in the influent culture medium. In such a situation both the culture pH and algal cell production will often be governed by either carbon or light limitation depending primarily on the influent BOD loading, detention time and culture depth. In spite of the obvious over-simplification of considering only light and carbon limits in describing the behavior of mass algal culture, comparisons to actual field data suggest that these two parameters will be of paramount importance in controlling net algal cell production rates.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of California, Davis
- OSTI ID:
- 7058423
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-800814-P3
- Journal Information:
- Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Fuel Chem., Prepr.; (United States), Vol. 25:4; Conference: 180. American Chemical Society meeting/2. chemical congress of the North American Continent, Las Vegas, NV, USA, 24 Aug 1980
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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