Illumination Policies for Stichococcus sp. Cultures in an Optimally Operating Lab-Scale PBR toward the Directed Photosynthetic Production of Desired Products

Paraskevi Psachoulia and Christos Chatzidoukas
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Paraskevi Psachoulia: Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), P.O. Box. 472, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Christos Chatzidoukas: Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), P.O. Box. 472, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: The light spectrum effect on the cultivation efficiency of the microalgae strain Stichococcus sp. is explored, as a means of potentially intensifying the biomass productivity and regulating the cellular composition. Stichococcus sp. batch culture experiments, within a 3 L bench-top photobioreactor (PBR), are designed and implemented under different light spectrum profiles (i.e., cool white light (WL), cool white combined with red light (WRL), and cool white combined with blue light, (WBL)). The obtained results indicate that the studied strain is capable of adapting its metabolite profile to the light field to which it is exposed. The highest biomass concentration (3.5 g/L), combined with intense carbohydrate accumulation activity, resulting in a respective final concentration of 1.15 g/L was achieved within 17 days using exclusively cool white light of increasing intensity. The addition of blue light emitting diodes (LED) light, combined with appropriately selected culture conditions, contributed significantly to the massive synthesis and accumulation of lipids, resulting in a concentration of 1.43 g/L and a respective content of 46.13% w/w, with a distinct impact on biomass, carbohydrates and proteins productivity. Finally, a beneficial contribution of red LED light to the protein synthesis is recognized and this can be conditionally amplified provided nitrogen sufficiency in the culture medium.

Keywords: microalgae biomass composition; blue LED light; red LED light; lipids; proteins; carbohydrates; biorefinery (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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