Optimization of a raceway pond system for wastewater treatment: a review

Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms with potential for biofuel production, CO mitigation and wastewater treatment; indeed they have the capacity to assimilate pollutants in wastewaters. Light supply and distribution among the microalgae culture is one of the major challenges of photo-biorea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCritical reviews in biotechnology p. 1
Main Authors Rayen, Filali, Behnam, Taidi, Dominique, Pareau
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 11.02.2019
Subjects
raceway pond
wastewater treatment
Microalgae
hydrodynamics
mass transfer
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Summary:Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms with potential for biofuel production, CO mitigation and wastewater treatment; indeed they have the capacity to assimilate pollutants in wastewaters. Light supply and distribution among the microalgae culture is one of the major challenges of photo-bioreactor design, with many studies focusing on microalgae culture systems such as raceway ponds (RWP), widely used and cost-effective systems for algal biomass production. This review focuses on possible improvements of the RWP design in order to achieve optimal microalgal growth conditions and high biomass productivities, to minimize energy consumption and to lower the capital costs of the pond. The improvement strategy is based on three aspects: (1) hydrodynamic characteristics of the raceway pond, (2) evaluation of hydrodynamic and mass transfer capacities of the pond and (3) design of the RWP. Finally, a possible optimal design for the RWP is discussed in the context of wastewater treatment.
ISSN:1549-7801