Growth rate measurements of Chlorella vulgaris in a photobioreactor by Neubauer-improved counting chamber and densitometer

Abstract

The depletion of fossil fuel sources and increased CO2 emissions has triggered intensive research to discover renewable energy sources. With the Low Carbon Scenario, the role of renewable energy will increase to 58% in 2050. As a renewable energy source, bioethanol is environmentally friendly which can substitute gasoline. Currently, the third-generation bioethanol production technology from microalgae is still being developed. Chlorella vulgaris is one of the microalgae types with high carbohydrate content and is easy and fast to cultivate. This study aims to evaluate the growth rate of C. vulgaris cultivated in a bubble column photobioreactor using artificial seawater aerated with pure CO2. Two LED tube lights were used with 12 h light and 12 dark cycles for 12 - 13 days. Microalgae culture population was measured every 24 h using a Neubauer-improved counting chamber and a microscope equipped with a digital camera. The results showed that the maximum specific growth rate,/max, was found to be 0.344 d1, and the highest concentration of 1.88 x107 cells mL1 occurred on day 7. Moreover, the microalgae populations were also measured using a densitometer. Since the calculation of the cell population used secondary data from the literature, the results were less accurate than those of the counting chamber.

Antioxidative Responses of Chlorella vulgaris Under Different Growth Phases

“…As shown in Figure 1, the C. vulgaris growth curve can be divided into five growth phases, i.e., lag, exponential, declining growth, stationary and death. These growth phases agreed with Mao et al (2018) in C. pyrenoidosa andMa'mun et al (2022) in C. vulgaris obtained from a microalgae cultivation center in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia.…”

New insights into Chlorella vulgaris applications

“…Technological shocks that are described as abrupt technological advancements that have a major impact on social, political, economic, or other outcomes play a direct role in investment as well (Akbari et al, 2021). However, the literature lacks information on recent advancements in using Chlorella vulgaris , microalgae known for its ease of cultivation and fast‐growing features (Ma'mun et al, 2022), for biofuels, food additives correlated with health, biocement, and biopolymer production, covering technical and some financial obstacles that hinder Chlorella vulgaris from being utilized on industrial scales, addressing a crucial question regarding the most practical industrial application technically and economically and the future research needed to make certain applications more practical to resolve the present issues with plastic and fossil fuel usage.…”

Bioethanol Production from Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) by Microwave-Assisted Acid Hydrolysis Pretreatment

“…They can overgrow in bodies of water and seas. They do not require agricultural land and thus do not compete with food production, have a very short harvesting cycle (1 -2 weeks) when compared to other bioethanol feedstock, and produce bioethanol with high productivity, such as Arthrospira platensis, Botryococcus braunii, Chlorella vulgaris, and Nannochloropsis (Mussatto et al, 2010;Ma'mun et al, 2022). Moreover, microalgae capture CO2 for photosynthesis, thus lowering greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere (Stewart & Hessami, 2005;Choi et al, 2019;Chen and Xu, 2021;Cheng et al, 2021;Rodas-Zuluaga et al, 2021;Mohapatra et al, 2022;Osat et al, 2023;Yang and Xin, 2023).…”