• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.630-637
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• 2018

The high rate algal ponds (HRAP) powered and mixed by a paddlewheel have been widely used for over 50 years to culture microalgae for the production of various products. Since light incidence is limited to the surface, water depth can affect microalgal growth in HRAP. To investigate the effect of water depth on microalgal growth, a mixed microalgal culture constituting three major strains of microalgae including Chlorella sp., Scenedesmus sp., and Stigeoclonium sp. (CSS), was grown at different water depths (20, 30, and 40 cm) in the HRAP, respectively. The HRAP with 20cm of water depth had about 38% higher biomass productivity per unit area ($6.16{\pm}0.33g{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}d^{-1}$) and required lower nutrients and energy consumption than the other water depths. Specifically, the algal biomass of HRAP under 20cm of water depth had higher settleability through larger floc size (83.6% settleability within 5 min). These results indicate that water depth can affect the harvesting process as well as cultivation of microalgae. Therefore, we conclude that water depth is an important parameter in HRAP design for mass cultivation of microalgae.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1890-1896
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• 2006

Lumostatic operation for cultivation of Haematococcus pluvialis was assessed to test the scale-up strategy of photobioreactors. Lumostatic operation is a method of maintaining a proper light condition based on the specific light uptake rate ($q_e$), by cells. Lumostatic operations were performed in 0.4-, 2-, 10-, and 30-1 scale bubble column photobioreactors and the results were compared with cultures illuminated with constant light intensity. Significant differences were observed in the maximal cell concentrations obtained from 0.4-, 2-, 10-, and 30-1 scale photobioreactors under constant light intensity, yielding the maximal cell concentrations of $2.8{\times}10^5$, $2.2\times10^5$, $1.5\times10^5$, and $1.1\times10^5$ cells/ml, respectively. The maximal cell concentration in a 0.4-1 photobioreactor under lumostatic operation was $4.3\times10^5$ cells/ml. Furthermore, those in 2-, 10-, and 30-1 scale photobioreactors were about the same as that in the 0.4-1 photobioreactor. The results suggest that lumostatic operation with proper $q_e$ is a good strategy for increasing the cell growth of Haematococcus pluvialis compared with a constant supply of light energy. Therefore, lumostatic operation is not only an efficient way to achieve high cell density cultures with minimal power consumption in microalgal cultures but it is also a perfect parameter for the scale-up of photobioreactors.