title: A mini review: photobioreactors for large scale algal cultivation.
abstract: Microalgae cultivation has gained much interest in terms of the production of foods, biofuels, and bioactive compounds and offers a great potential option for cleaning the environment through CO2 sequestration and wastewater treatment. Although open pond cultivation is most affordable option, there tends to be insufficient control on growth conditions and the risk of contamination. In contrast, while providing minimal risk of contamination, closed photobioreactors offer better control on culture conditions, such as: CO2 supply, water supply, optimal temperatures, efficient exposure to light, culture density, pH levels, and mixing rates. For a large scale production of biomass, efficient photobioreactors are required. This review paper describes general design considerations pertaining to photobioreactor systems, in order to cultivate microalgae for biomass production. It also discusses the current challenges in designing of photobioreactors for the production of low-cost biomass.
authors.affiliation: Department of Energy and Environment Convergence, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung, 210701, South Korea.
authors.forename: Prabuddha L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Seung-Mok
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hee-Jeong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D061249:Batch Cell Culture Techniques / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D018533:Biomass; D004867:Equipment Design; D058086:Microalgae / Q000254:growth & development*; D058433:Photobioreactors / Q000191:economics