Microalgae culturing in thin-layer photobioreactors

One of the problems for the high cost of production of microalgal biomass is represented by the productivity rate which is almost one order of magnitude below the theoretical one. there is a general consensus that light saturation effect represents one of the most important factors limiting the microalgal productivity. This work presents an experimental analysis of the flow achieved in a modified cascade photobioreactor, and discusses its basic fluid-dynamic characterization and its growth performances with a microalgal culture (Chlorella vulgaris and Nannochloropsis sp.) in a laboratory 0.2-m(2) scale and in a outdoor waved-surface 5-m(2) unit.