Pilot-scale bubble column photobioreactor culture of a marine dinoflagellate microalga illuminated with light emission diodes

Production of biomass of the shear-sensitive marine algal dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum was successfully scaled-up to 80 L using a bubble column photobioreactor. The scale factor exceeded 28,500. Light-emission diodes were used as the light source. The diel irradiance profile mimicked the outdoor profile of natural sunlight. The final cell concentration in the absence of nutrient limitation in the scaled-up photobioreactor was nearly 12 x 10(5) cells mL(-1), or the same as in laboratory culture systems. The pH-controlled culture (pH = 8.5) was always carbon-sufficient. The culture was mixed pneumatically by using a superficial air velocity of 1.9 x 10(-3) m s(-1) and the temperature was controlled at 21 +/- 1 degrees C. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.