Photobioreactors for microalgal cultures: A model for photosynthesis rate assessment

A model aimed at the assessment of photobioreactor performances was developed. It was focused on coupling photosynthesis kinetics and photobioreactor hydrodynamics. A lumped kinetic parameter model of photosynthetic factor was adopted to relate local irradiance and photosynthetic rate. Hydrodynamics was modelled according to a Lagrangian approach based on isotropic turbulence hypothesis. The photobioreactor performances - expressed in terms of local and global photosynthesis rate - were assessed with reference to a flat photobioreactor configuration. Irradiance level and biomass concentration were changed in the typical range of operating conditions adopted for processes reported in the literature. Results showed that set the biomass concentration, the photosynthesis rate may be optimized by tuning the level of wall irradiance. Copyright �� 2013, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l