Climate‐Simulated culturing suggests high microalgal biomass and oil productivities in most of the South American continent

Abstract

Background Current production costs of microalgal biomass indicate that only highly‐productive cultivation facilities will approach commercial feasibility. Geographical site selection for siting those facilities is critical for achieving target productivities. The aim of this study was to provide a semi‐empirical estimation of microalgal biomass and lipids productivity in South America. Methods and Results Simulated‐climate was programed in environmental photobioreactors (Phenometrics) for a simulation of cultivation in open raceway ponds at different geographical sites. The mean annual South American biomass productivity of 20‐cm deep ponds was 12 ± 4 g · m− 2 · d−1. The most productive regions were clustered in the subtropical and tropical regions of the continent. Fortaleza (Brazil) showed a low seasonality and a high annual mean productivity of 23 g · m−2 · d−1 in 5‐cm deep ponds, closely approaching the productivity target. Lipids accumulation and productivity in Fortaleza showed a high microalgal oil accumulation up to 46% (w/w) and a maximum oil productivity of 5 g · m−2 · d−1 for biomass containing around 20% lipids (w/w). Conclusion This study provides the first semi‐empirical estimation of microalgal productivity in South America and supports a high potential of a vast region of the continent.

A seasonal simulation approach for culture depth influence on the temperature for different characterized microalgae strains

“…[ 24 ] The resulting estimations can be employed for decision‐making processes, in addition to the development of new control architectures improving the production of biomass on large‐scale reactors, as similar studies present. [ 25 ] Thus, in this work, a tool capable to determine the performance of large‐scale microalgae reactors at different conditions is developed. The tool allows the user to determine if a microalgae strain can be produced in a specific location, the variation of biomass productivity along the year, and the optimal culture depth at which the reactors must be operated along the year, among other important values.…”

Mapping the performance of photobioreactors for microalgae cultivation. Part III: subtropical and mid‐latitudes climate zone

“…4 Some studies have dedicated themselves to the physical simulation of climate programmed in photobioreactors for a semiempirical estimate of microalgae productivity. 9,25,26 However, given the absence of a comprehensive assessment of the continental surface covered by the subtropical (25°to 35°N and S) and mid-latitudes (35°to 55°N and S) climate zones, we propose to evaluate the performance of microalgae culture in photobioreactors in the four seasons of the year within these two climatic zones. Geographic locations for estimating biomass and lipid productivity were chosen to cover a wide range of solar irradiance, day length and temperature (Table 1; Fig.…”

“…The diversity of the spatial manifestation of sunlight and temperature modifies the photosynthetic apparatus of microalgae and, consequently, can affect the physiological and biochemical properties of the biomass 7 . Therefore, because location‐dependent light and temperature dynamics can play an important role in trends in microalgae productivity, it is crucial to map the performance of cultivation systems for large‐scale production 8,9 …”

“…7 Therefore, because location-dependent light and temperature dynamics can play an important role in trends in microalgae productivity, it is crucial to map the performance of cultivation systems for large-scale production. 8,9 Proof-of-concept experiments investigating the influence of geographic position and local climate on the performance of photobioreactors for large-scale microalgae cultivation taking S. obliquus as the model microorganism are demonstrated in Part I of this study. 2 The results confirm their decisive role in the performance of these processes.…”