Abstract
The present energy scenario of depleting sources of fossil fuel, increasing the cost of processed fuel and geopolitical policies have made it imperative that alternate energy sources and processes that reduce greenhouse gas emissions be identified. Biofuels from algae, in recent times, have emerged as a potential alternative to fossil fuels, as it can be easily produced, stored, and used as transportation fuels. Here, mathematical design models are developed for tubular, bubble column, and airlift photobioreactors to calculate their productivity for the growth of algal biomass. A modified Monod kinetic equation is used to estimate the specific growth rate of the biomass. The model equations are solved for tubular reactor systems and the estimated productivities are successfully validated against values available in published literature. It is found that the tubular reactor has productivity, around 2.1 g/L.day. The analysis is also done to identify the effect of light, nutrient, and carbon dioxide on overall productivity.
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