3.2.2 Biomass Productivity in Flat-Plate Photobioreactor
Some values of biomass productivity reported in the literature are shown in Table 5,
which range from 0.16–4.3 g/L/d. These values vary according to the species and
parameters used for photobioreactor construction and cultivation. Due to the large
light exposure surface area, high biomass productivity is found in these systems,
however, are still limited to laboratory scale and pilot scale.
3.2.3 Costs in Flat-Plate PBRs
Tredici et al. (2016) evaluated the production cost of the microalga Tetraselmis
suecica in a 1-ha plant made of “Green Wall Panel-II” (GWP
® -II) photobioreactors
located in Tuscany-Italy. The GWP
® is flat disposable photobioreactor, designed
and patented in 2004 and commercialized by Fotosintetica & Microbiologica S.r.l.
Through a techno-economic analysis, they conclude that, for a 1-ha, the total capital
investment is about € 1,661,777 and the total fixed capital per annum is of
€ 101,260. Also in this analysis, they found a cost of € 12.4 to produce 1 kg of
biomass (dry weight). This cost can be reduced when the plant is installed in a
region with more favorable climatic conditions. The authors related that in Tunisia,
the cost of biomass production is of € 6.2 kg/in a 1-ha plant with the same PBR.
Lower production costs (€ 5.96/kg) in a vertical flat-panel photobioreactor of
commercial scale were found by Norsker et al. (2011), but if we update this value
by calculating the inflation correction described in Chisti (2013), this value is of
about € 6.36/kg.
Table 5 Biomass productivities in flat-plate photobioreactor
Microalgae
Photobioreactor
Total
volume
(L)
Productivity
(g/L/d)
References
Nannochloropsis sp.
Flat-plate
440
0.27
Cheng-Wu et al.
(2001)
Spirulina platensis
Flat-plate
inclined
6–50
0.3–4.3
Hu et al. (1996)
Chlorella vulgaris
Flat-plate airlift
30
0.16–0.95
Munkel et al.
(2013)
Thermosynechococcus
elongatus
Flat-plate airlift
10
2.9
Bergmann and
Trösch (2016)
Nannochloropsis
oculata
Short-light path
flat-plate
–
12
Cuaresma et al.
(2009)
Chlorella sorokiniana
Short-light path
flat-plate
1
2.9–14.8
Tuantet et al.
(2014)
2 Microalgal Production Systems with Highlights …
23
Some values of biomass productivity reported in the literature are shown in Table 5,
which range from 0.16–4.3 g/L/d. These values vary according to the species and
parameters used for photobioreactor construction and cultivation. Due to the large
light exposure surface area, high biomass productivity is found in these systems,
however, are still limited to laboratory scale and pilot scale.
3.2.3 Costs in Flat-Plate PBRs
Tredici et al. (2016) evaluated the production cost of the microalga Tetraselmis
suecica in a 1-ha plant made of “Green Wall Panel-II” (GWP
® -II) photobioreactors
located in Tuscany-Italy. The GWP
® is flat disposable photobioreactor, designed
and patented in 2004 and commercialized by Fotosintetica & Microbiologica S.r.l.
Through a techno-economic analysis, they conclude that, for a 1-ha, the total capital
investment is about € 1,661,777 and the total fixed capital per annum is of
€ 101,260. Also in this analysis, they found a cost of € 12.4 to produce 1 kg of
biomass (dry weight). This cost can be reduced when the plant is installed in a
region with more favorable climatic conditions. The authors related that in Tunisia,
the cost of biomass production is of € 6.2 kg/in a 1-ha plant with the same PBR.
Lower production costs (€ 5.96/kg) in a vertical flat-panel photobioreactor of
commercial scale were found by Norsker et al. (2011), but if we update this value
by calculating the inflation correction described in Chisti (2013), this value is of
about € 6.36/kg.
Table 5 Biomass productivities in flat-plate photobioreactor
Microalgae
Photobioreactor
Total
volume
(L)
Productivity
(g/L/d)
References
Nannochloropsis sp.
Flat-plate
440
0.27
Cheng-Wu et al.
(2001)
Spirulina platensis
Flat-plate
inclined
6–50
0.3–4.3
Hu et al. (1996)
Chlorella vulgaris
Flat-plate airlift
30
0.16–0.95
Munkel et al.
(2013)
Thermosynechococcus
elongatus
Flat-plate airlift
10
2.9
Bergmann and
Trösch (2016)
Nannochloropsis
oculata
Short-light path
flat-plate
–
12
Cuaresma et al.
(2009)
Chlorella sorokiniana
Short-light path
flat-plate
1
2.9–14.8
Tuantet et al.
(2014)
2 Microalgal Production Systems with Highlights …
23