Cultivation of Chlorella sorokiniana IPPAS C-1 in Flat-Panel Photobioreactors: From a Laboratory to a Pilot Scale

• Published in: Life (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 12; no. 9; p. 1309
• Main Authors: Gabrielyan, David A., Sinetova, Maria A., Gabel, Boris V., Gabrielian, Alexander K., Markelova, Alexandra G., Rodionova, Margarita V., Bedbenov, Vladimir S., Shcherbakova, Natalia V., Los, Dmitry A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 25.08.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Algae; Aquatic microorganisms; Biomass; Chlorella; Chlorella sorokiniana; Cultivation; Cyanobacteria; Dilution; flat-panel photobioreactor; Laboratories; Light emitting diodes; microalgae; Optical density; Photobioreactors; System effectiveness; Russia
• ISSN: 2075-1729; 2075-1729
• DOI: 10.3390/life12091309

Flat-panel photobioreactors are effective systems for microalgae cultivation. This paper presents the growth characteristics of the microalgae Chlorella sorokiniana IPPAS C-1 as a result of three-stage scale-up cultivation in a specially designed cultivation system. First, C. sorokiniana was grown aseptically in 250 mL glass vessels; then, it was diluted and inoculated into a 5-liter flat-panel horizontal photobioreactor; and, at the last stage, the culture was diluted and inoculated into a 70-liter flat-panel vertical photobioreactor. In the presented cycle, the cultured biomass increased by 326 times in 13 days (from 0.6 to 195.6 g dw), with a final biomass concentration of 2.8 g dw L−1. The modes of semi-continuous cultivation were considered. The biomass harvest and dilution of the suspension were carried out either every day or every 3–4 days. For C. sorokiniana IPPAS C-1, a conversion coefficient of optical density values to dry biomass (g L−1) was refined through a factor of 0.33. The key parameters of the photobioreactors tested in this work are discussed.