Thermal Reactor Model for Large-Scale Algae Cultivation in Vertical Flat Panel Photobioreactors
| Autor: | Christian H. Endres, Arne Roth, Thomas Brück |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Engineering
Time Factors Scale (ratio) 020209 energy Photobioreactor Biomass 02 engineering and technology 010501 environmental sciences Raw material 01 natural sciences Photobioreactors Algae Thermal 0202 electrical engineering electronic engineering information engineering Microalgae Environmental Chemistry 0105 earth and related environmental sciences biology Waste management Geography business.industry Environmental engineering Temperature General Chemistry Models Theoretical biology.organism_classification Biofuel Sunlight Shading business Biotechnology |
| Zdroj: | Environmental sciencetechnology. 50(7) |
| ISSN: | 1520-5851 |
| Popis: | Microalgae can grow significantly faster than terrestrial plants and are a promising feedstock for sustainable value added products encompassing pharmaceuticals, pigments, proteins and most prominently biofuels. As the biomass productivity of microalgae strongly depends on the cultivation temperature, detailed information on the reactor temperature as a function of time and geographical location is essential to evaluate the true potential of microalgae as an industrial feedstock. In the present study, a temperature model for an array of vertical flat plate photobioreactors is presented. It was demonstrated that mutual shading of reactor panels has a decisive effect on the reactor temperature. By optimizing distance and thickness of the panels, the occurrence of extreme temperatures and the amplitude of daily temperature fluctuations in the culture medium can be drastically reduced, while maintaining a high level of irradiation on the panels. The presented model was developed and applied to analyze the suitability of various climate zones for algae production in flat panel photobioreactors. Our results demonstrate that in particular Mediterranean and tropical climates represent favorable locations. Lastly, the thermal energy demand required for the case of active temperature control is determined for several locations. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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