Mixing strategies combined with shape design to enhance productivity of a raceway pond

This paper focuses on mixing strategies and designing shape of the bottom topographies to enhance the growth of the microalgae in raceway ponds. A physical-biological coupled model is used to describe the growth of the algae. A simple model of a mixing device such as a paddle wheel is also considered. The complete process model was then included in an optimization problem associated with the maximization of the biomass production. The results show that non-trivial topographies can be coupled with some specific mixing strategies to improve the microalgal productivity. Copyright (C) 2021 The Authors.

Automated summary

This paper focuses on optimizing the growth of microalgae in raceway ponds by exploring mixing strategies and designing the shape of the bottom topographies. A physical-biological coupled model is used to describe the growth of the algae, along with considering a simple model of a mixing device like a paddle wheel. The results suggest that specific mixing strategies and non-trivial topographies can enhance microalgal productivity in raceway ponds.