Stimulation of commercial algal biomass production by the use of geothermal water for temperature control

Abstract

The first pilot algal biomass production project to use geothermal water for the maintenance of optimal culture temperatures in Nevada is described. The project was initiated during the fall of 1982 by TAD's Enterprises, Inc., Wabuska (near Yerington), Nevada. The facility was designed to produce Spirulina under conditions that would more than meet the requirements of the United States Food and Drug Administration for sale to the health food market. As a result, the algae were grown in large plastic bags in order to prevent contamination by extraneous organisms. Although this system has not been tuned to its optimum potential, preliminary yields obtained over most of a year indicate not only the feasibility of the project but also a stimulation of daily output yields when compared to the daily growth yields for Spirulina reported by Israel.