Microalgal Productivities in Photobioreactors

초록

Algal biotechnology is drawing increasing interest due to its potential as a source of valuable pharmaceuticals, pigments, carbohydrates, and other fine chemicals. Currently, its application is being extended to the areas of wastewater treatment and agriculture. However, lack of suitable photobioreactors (PBRs) makes the cost of algally-derived compounds higher than those derived by chemical synthesis and thus has prevented widespread use of algal cultures. The culture of algae prior to the late 1940s was apparently restricted to laboratory scale operations. Experiments on outdoor algal mass production began in the late 1940s with nearly concurrent development of experimental culture facilities in Germany and the United States. For the next two decades, outdoor mass culture of algae was undoubtedly the hottest topic in the algal biotechnology area. Two major approaches to the design of mass cultivation of algae have emerged. 1. Cheap open units that are easy to maintain in order to compete with other methods of production. 2. Sophisticated closed photobioreactors (PBRs) for the cultivation of specialized algal strains for the production of specific biochemicals. Every photobioreactor has its own merits and disadvantages, a brief comparison of the reactors and the performance will be given.