Validated numerical fluid simulation of a thin‐layer cascade photobioreactor in OpenFOAM

Severin, Timm Steffen; Brück, Thomas; Weuster‐Botz, Dirk

doi:10.1002/elsc.201800097

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…About 500 mL of tap water was automatically added via a magnetic valve to compensate for evaporation as soon as a binary level-sensor (LFFS, Baumer, Friedberg, Germany) registered a reduced volume in the retention tank. A detailed description of design, construction and computational fluid dynamics simulations of the TLC was given previously [17,28].…”

Section: Thin-layer Cascade Photobioreactor Operationmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-Density Microalgae Cultivation in Open Thin-Layer Cascade Photobioreactors with Water Recycling

et al. 2020

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(1) Background: Recycling of water and non-converted nutrients is considered to be a necessity for an economically viable production of microalgal biomass as a renewable feedstock. However, medium recycling might also have a negative impact on algal growth and productivity due to the accumulation of growth-inhibiting substances. (2) Methods: Consecutive batch processes with repeated water recycling after harvesting of algal biomass were performed with the saline microalga Microchloropsis salina in open thin-layer cascade photobioreactors operated at a physically simulated Mediterranean summer climate. The impact of water recycling on culture performance was studied and the composition of the recycled water was analyzed. (3) Results: Water recycling had no adverse effect on microalgal growth and biomass productivity (14.9−21.3 g m−2 d−1) if all necessary nutrients were regularly replenished and KNO3 was replaced by urea as the nitrogen source to prevent the accumulation of K+ ions. Dissolved organic carbon accumulated in recycled water, probably promoting mixotrophic growth. (4) Conclusion: This study shows that repeated recycling of water is feasible even in high-density cultivation processes with M. salina of more than 30 g L−1 cell dry weight, increasing culture performance while reducing nutrient consumption and circumventing wastewater production.

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Section: Thin-layer Cascade Photobioreactor Operationmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-Density Microalgae Cultivation in Open Thin-Layer Cascade Photobioreactors with Water Recycling

et al. 2020

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“…During the day, pH was controlled at pH 8.5 by the addition of pure CO 2 via a mass flow controller (red-y smart, Vögtlin, Aesch, Switzerland) through perforated hoses (Solvox B, Linde, Pullach, Germany) with a total surface area of 226 cm 2 installed at the bottom of the retention tank. A detailed description of design, construction, and computational fluid dynamics simulations of the 8 m 2 TLC photobioreactor was published previously [17,28].…”

Section: Thin-layer Cascade Photobioreactor Operationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continuous Production of Lipids with Microchloropsis salina in Open Thin-Layer Cascade Photobioreactors on a Pilot Scale

et al. 2021

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Studies on microalgal lipid production as a sustainable feedstock for biofuels and chemicals are scarce, particularly those on applying open thin-layer cascade (TLC) photobioreactors under dynamic diurnal conditions. Continuous lipid production with Microchloropsis salina was studied in scalable TLC photobioreactors at 50 m2 pilot scale, applying a physically simulated Mediterranean summer climate. A cascade of two serially connected TLC reactors was applied, promoting biomass growth under nutrient-replete conditions in the first reactor, while inducing the accumulation of lipids via nitrogen limitation in the second reactor. Up to 4.1 g L−1 of lipids were continuously produced at productivities of up to 0.27 g L−1 d−1 (1.8 g m2 d−1) at a mean hydraulic residence time of 2.5 d in the first reactor and 20 d in the second reactor. Coupling mass balances with the kinetics of microalgal growth and lipid formation enabled the simulation of phototrophic process performances of M. salina in TLC reactors in batch and continuous operation at the climate conditions studied. This study demonstrates the scalability of continuous microalgal lipid production in TLC reactors with M. salina and provides a TLC reactor model for the realistic simulation of microalgae lipid production processes after re-identification of the model parameters if other microalgae and/or varying climate conditions are applied.

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“…To overcome the low production efficiency induced by a thick layer depth, an open thin-layer cascade system (TLCS) has been widely suggested and studied. , The microalgal culture of TLCS is pumped from the retention tank to the top of a sloped channel (Figure c), and the culture gravimetrically flows along the sloped channel to the retention tank for recycling circulation. This design can control the layer at a low depth (<1.0 cm) and maintain efficient mixing for microalgal growth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novel Thin-Layer Fountain Photobioreactors for the High-Density Cultivation of Spirulina sp

Wang,

Hu,

et al. 2023

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

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Microalgae have been considered great candidates for carbon reduction and sustainable feedstock for foods, biofuels, and biochemicals, but their production usually features low productivity, high costs, and intensive energy inputs. The thick culture layer adopted in conventional cultivation systems (5.0−30 cm) has been established as a significant reason for the above problems. In this study, a novel mixing-based thin-layer fountain photobioreactor (TLF-PBR) was developed. A fountain pump was used to pump and spray microalgal culture for mixing. The results showed that the mixing mode could support sufficient mixing to efficiently cultivate Spirulina sp. in a 50 cm-diameter TLF-PBR, with the lowest mixing time of 13.580 ± 0.522 s, the highest oxygen mass transfer coefficient of 142.555 ± 5.791 h −1 , and the highest biomass concentration of 3.118 ± 0.009 g L −1 in the 1.0 cm layer. The TLF-PBR was successfully scaled to a diameter of 1.5 m (1.766 m 2 ), with a maximum biomass density of 3.955 ± 0.037 g L −1 , which was 71.0 and 44.7% higher than that of the flat panel PBR and thin-layer cascade system, respectively. This study provides a novel approach for developing thin-layer, scalable PBRs that could support cost-effective, efficient microalgae production.

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Validated numerical fluid simulation of a thin‐layer cascade photobioreactor in OpenFOAM

Cited by 7 publications

References 26 publications

High-Density Microalgae Cultivation in Open Thin-Layer Cascade Photobioreactors with Water Recycling

High-Density Microalgae Cultivation in Open Thin-Layer Cascade Photobioreactors with Water Recycling

Continuous Production of Lipids with Microchloropsis salina in Open Thin-Layer Cascade Photobioreactors on a Pilot Scale

Novel Thin-Layer Fountain Photobioreactors for the High-Density Cultivation of Spirulina sp

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