title: Coupled cultivation and pre-harvesting of microalgae in a membrane photobioreactor (MPBR).
abstract: A new and effective concept is proposed for microalgae cultivation and pre-harvesting using a membrane photobioreactor (MPBR), in which the bioreactor is coupled to membrane filtration by cultivating Chlorella vulgaris. A basic simulation was first performed to understand the behavior of the hybrid system. The effectiveness of the MPBR for cultivation and pre-harvesting was proven. The membrane completely retained the biomass, which then was partly recycled into the bioreactor to maintain a high biomass concentration, thus enhancing flexibility and robustness of the system. The MPBR can operate at both higher dilution and higher growth rates, resulting in a 9× higher biomass productivity. In addition, pre-harvesting can be achieved by applying variable concentration factors in the filtration stage. The membrane permeate was recycled to the reactor as feed medium without affecting the algae growth, which offers a substantial reduction of 77% in the water footprint.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 23, Box 2461, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bilad
authors.affiliation: Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 23, Box 2461, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Discart
authors.affiliation: Lab Aquatic Biology, Microbial and Molecular Systems, KU Leuven Kulak, E. Sabbelaan 53, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vandamme
authors.affiliation: Lab Aquatic Biology, Microbial and Molecular Systems, KU Leuven Kulak, E. Sabbelaan 53, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Foubert
authors.affiliation: Lab Aquatic Biology, Faculty of Biology, KU Leuven Kulak, E. Sabbelaan 53, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muylaert
authors.affiliation: Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 23, Box 2461, 3001 Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: ivo.vankelecom@biw.kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Ivo F J
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Vankelecom
mesh_terms: D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D048408:Chlorella vulgaris / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005374:Filtration; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008954:Models, Biological; D018462:Photobiology / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial
keywords: Chlorella vulgaris; Membrane photobioreactor; Microalgae dewatering; Microalgae harvesting; Submerged membranes