DESIGN OF A PHOTOBIOREACTOR BASED ON A BREAKAGE EQUATION GROWTH MODEL

摘要

Microalgae cultivation for carbon capture is a promising technology for the future. Microalgae take in carbon dioxide and can be converted to valuable products. However, the process of microlagaecultivation involves high costs as it has not been optimized yet. The information about microalgae growth kinetics is limited. The breakage equation growth models are obtained at different operating conditions, and some are too simple for use in the design of a photobioreactor. The design of an efficient photobioreactor for microalgae growth requires a competent population growth model in order to determine the optimal harvesting period. The objective of this paper is to usea breakage equation growth model to study the effect of several harvesting cycles. The change in total population as well as population size distribution is observed through simulation. The model considers the growth cycle of microalgae and will provide guidance in maintaining the growth of microalgae in the exponential phase in order to increase the productivity.