Enhanced Scenedesmus obliquus Cultivation in Plastic-Type Flat Panel Photobioreactor for Biodiesel Production

Amira Abdel-Baset, Ibrahim A. Matter () and Mohamed A. Ali
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Amira Abdel-Baset: Agricultural Microbiology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt
Ibrahim A. Matter: Agricultural Microbiology Department, National Research Centre, 33 EL-Buhouth St., Dokki, Cairo 12622, Egypt
Mohamed A. Ali: Agricultural Microbiology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 8, 1-19

Abstract: A plastic-type flat panel photobioreactor (PTFPP) prototype was designed for microalgae cultivation as biodiesel feedstock. The growth, biomass, and lipid production of the oleaginous microalga Scenedesmus obliquus were optimized through the enhanced design and cultivation conditions in the PTFPP. The optimization conditions include cultivation of the microalga in a flat panel photobioreactor manufactured from a 10 µm-thick plastic sheet with dimensions of 40 cm in width and 60 cm in height. The width of the designed plastic bags was adjusted by “4 ports” of circular adhesion points which make the volumetric cultural capacity 5 L. Cultivation of the microalga was optimized through the replacement of the sodium nitrate of the BBM medium with urea as a nitrogen source. Cultivation bags were subjected to continuous illumination with 3000 lux white, fluorescent lamps and aerated with 1.5 L air/min (equal to 0.3 VVM). Biomass production from the designed PTFPP reached 3 g/L with around 40% lipid content (on a dry weight basis). Based on a GC-MS analysis of the produced fatty acid methyl ester (biodiesel) from S. obliquus , the percentage of C16 and C18 fatty acids reached more than 90% of the defined fatty acids. Out of this percentage, 66.6% were unsaturated fatty acids. The produced fatty acid profile of the S. obliquus biomass cultivated in the designed PTFPP prototype could be considered a suitable feedstock for biodiesel production.

Keywords: plastic-type; flat panel photobioreactor; microalgae; biodiesel; Scenedesmus obliquus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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