해양 부유 연못에 설치된 태양전지 구동 혼합장치가 Tetraselmis sp.의 바이오매스 생산성에 미치는 영향

초록

The productivity of microalgal biomass in ocean floating ponds (OFPs) is highly dependent on the energy from irregular ocean waves for algae mixing. This study aimed to enhance the biomass productivity and photosynthetic efficiency (PE) of the green microalga Tetraselmis sp. KCTC12429BP by improving the mixing efficiency of cultures in OFPs. Thus, we installed solar cell-powered mixers (SCPMs; 10 W) at the center of a 4-ton OFP on the coast of Young-Heung Island (Korea) and evaluated the improvement in microalgal biomass productivity, PE, and mixing efficiency by varying the number of SCPMs. SCPM use increased the mixing efficiency and PE by 2.2 and 1.6 times, respectively, compared with the control (wave mixing only). Moreover, the biomass productivity using SCPMs reached 6.0 ± 0.1 g/m2/day, whereas that of the control was 4.4 ± 0.4 g/m2/day. The installation of two SCPMs increased the PE by 133% (4.0% PE) compared with the control. Our findings demonstrate a new approach to enhancing algal biomass productivity in OFPs by integrating natural energy sources (solar energy and wave energy) into microalgal cultures.

키워드