Abstract
Turbulence is known to enhance growth in microalgae. We studied the possible effects of the extra inorganic carbon supplied to the cultures when air bubbling is the source of turbulence. A set of experiments was carried out to separate the effects of the subsidiary action of agitation on growth from those due to possible carbon enrichment from air CO2 when air bubbling was the source of mixing. It was found that air bubbling does not induce an increase of the concentration of inorganic carbon in HCO 3 − -enriched growth media, and that no differences appear between air-bubbled and CO2-free air-bubbled cultures. On the other hand, photosynthetic O2 was accumulated in the medium in non-mixed cultures, which showed higher respiration and lower photosynthetic rates, probably due to photoinhibition induced by oversaturation of O2. Growth rate, maximal cell density and photosynthetic efficiency were higher in aerated cultures than in non-aerated ones.
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