Oil from microalgae: species selection, photobioreactor design and process optimization
Year: 2012
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This PhD research project was focused on microalgal oil production for biofuel. The work includes mostly an experimental part on microalgal species selection and optimization of growth conditions and a part of process simulation and photobioreactor design. After an overview of literature on the algal biology and cultivation and photobioreactor design, the experimental activities started with the set up of materials, methods and experimental apparatus, several microalgal species were screened, in order to select the most promising ones from an industrial point of view. In addition, an experimental apparatus was set up for optimizing growth conditions, under non-limiting CO2 supply. The effect of light and of other relevant operating variables on growth were addressed and discussed, and some suggestions to better understand the process behavior were given with respect to lipid content maximization, carbon dioxide and nitrogen supply, and illumination conditions. The possibility of exploiting mixotrophy to support algal growth overnight or in dark zones of a photobioreactor was also investigated. Finally, a continuous photobioreactor was designed and built, in order to test the feasibility of the algal biomass production in an industrial continuous process operated at steady-state. Together with experiments, a process simulation work was also carried out, by using the software Aspen PlusTM. This part of the thesis was focused on the calculation of the microalgal biomass production and photobioreactor performances under different operating conditions.
Author: Eleonora Sforza
Language: English
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W43924580