A helical tubular photobioreactor producing Spirulina in a semicontinuous mode

A 211 bench-top, helical tubular photobioreactor was operated, under steady-state conditions, for Spirulina sp. production as a semicontinuous reactor using different dilutions from 1 :20 to 1 :4. A maximum value of 5.82 g dry weight l(-1) was obtained for a dilution rate (D) of 0.0078 h(-1). The maximum productivity value obtained was 0.40 g l(-1) d(-1) (8.52 g rcactor(-1) d(-1) or 6.45 g m(-2) d(-1)) using a dilution of 1 :5 and 0.0078 h(-1) of dilution rate. The reactor was operated for 984 h. The determination of a satisfactory condition for the use of this type of photobioreactor in tropical climates and the study of its performance under various dilutions were the main objectives of this work. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.