Investigation of growth limitation by CO2 mass transfer and inorganic carbon source for the microalga Chlorella vulgaris in a dedicated photobioreactor

International audienceh i g h l i g h t s An experiment was set up to characterize the CO 2 assimilation by microalgae. Accurate time monitoring of the various carbon fluxes was validated. Carbon fluxes were modeled to determine on-line k L a. k L a value was found to be affected by the presence of cells. Growth rate was found to be related to the gas-liquid mass transfer rate