Abstract
SUMMARYThe cultivation of Chlorella sp., the most abundant microalga in the Persian Gulf, took place in a novel pyramid photobioreactor (PBR), a modified version of plate PBR, consisting of four completely separate equal-volume chambers. In this study we used two light sources incident in each chamber: light-emitting diode (LED) at various wavelengths (red, white and blue) of 108 µmol/(m2·s) photosynthetic photon flux density as internal lighting, and the same photon flux density for external white lighting. PBR served to study the effects of light sources on chlorophyll a production, maximum specific growth rate (µmax), biomass productivity rate (rp) and photon performance. The results showed that the highest chlorophyll a production was obtained under red LED illumination. The highest values for rp, µmax and photon performance were obtained under white light.
Highlights
Green technologies have been developing rapidly in recent years to combat some of the major problems that humans have faced in the 21st century, such as global warming and climate change [1]
The sunlight is a cheap source of light for the microalgal growth systems, microalgae are capable of producing high-value food supplements like carotenoids, polyunsaturated fatty acids and phycobilins; the use of artificial light sources like light-emitting diode (LED) is economically feasible [18,19,20]
Red LED lighting resulted in a higher chlorophyll content due to higher stimulation of algal cells at the beginning of cultivation
Summary
Green technologies have been developing rapidly in recent years to combat some of the major problems that humans have faced in the 21st century, such as global warming and climate change [1]. Biomass is viewed as a renewable energy resource which contains chemical energy derived from sunlight via photosynthesis [4]. Algae as a third generation of biofeedstocks are regarded as a promising energy resource for fuel and chemical production [10,11]. High photosynthesis rate of microalgae promises a versatile feedstock when the growth conditions are well provided [16,17]. The growth of microalgae requires much smaller arable land area and fresh water than terrestrial biomass [21,22,23]. These merits make microalgae the third generation of versatile feedstock for use as an alternative energy resource. Two major routes for mass production of microalgae are open
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
