Coupling a simple irradiance description to a mechanistic growth model to predict algal production in industrial-scale solar-powered photobioreactors.

ABSTRACT: Various innovative photobioreactor designs have been proposed to increase production of algae-derived biomass. Computer models are often employed to test these designs prior to construction. In the drive to optimise conversion of light energy to biomass, efforts to model the profile of irradiance levels within a microalgal culture can lead to highly complex descriptions which are computationally demanding. However, there is a risk that this effort is wasted if such optic models are coupled to overly simplified descriptions of algal physiology. Here we demonstrate that a suitable description of microalgal physiology is of primary significance for modelling algal production in photobioreactors. For the first time, we combine a new and computationally inexpensive model of irradiance to a mech

SUBMITTER: Kenny P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5155024 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature