Predicting microalgae growth

A generally applicable kineticmodel is presented to predict light limitedmicroalgal growth. Thismodel combines a mathematical description for photoautotrophic sugar productionwith a description for aerobic chemoheterotrophic biomass growth. The model is based on five parameters which are directly measurable but were obtained from literature for the purpose of this study. The modelwas validated for Chlorella sorokinianawith 52 experiments derived from eight publications and for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii with 32 experiments derived from seven publications. The specific growth rate was initially predicted with a mean absolute percent error (MAPE) of 34–36%.<br/>The lowaccuracy ismost likely caused by simplifications in the lightmodel and inaccurate parameter estimations. When optimizing the light model per experimental dataset, a 1–2%MAPE was obtained.When optimizing input<br/>parameters separately from the light model, a 2–18% MAPE was realized. After validating this model on batch data, we conclude that this model is a reliable engineering tool to predict growth in photobioreactors provided the light field is accurately measured or calculated