Cui, J;
Purton, S;
Baganz, F;
(2022)
Characterisation of a simple 'hanging bag' photobioreactor for low-cost cultivation of microalgae.
Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology
, 97
(3)
pp. 608-619.
10.1002/jctb.6985.
Preview |
Text
Baganz_J of Chemical Tech Biotech - 2021 - Cui - Characterisation of a simple hanging bag photobioreactor for low‐cost.pdf Download (2MB) | Preview |
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Microalgae are a diverse group of photosynthetic microorganisms of significant interest to the biotechnology industry, either as a sustainable source of natural compounds, or as light-driven cell factories to produce recombinant metabolites and proteins. Their ability to utilise light, CO2, and basic nutrients leads to a simple and low-cost phototrophic cultivation process. This is particularly relevant to low- and middle-income countries, all of which require a cultivation system that is cheap, technically simple to operate, readily scalable, and can meet basic Good Manufacturing Practice requirements. A disposable ‘hanging bag’-type photobioreactor operated as a bubble column fits these criteria. RESULTS: In this study, the characterisation and design modifications to improve the performance of a 15 L hanging bag is reported. The bubble behaviour using different sparger designs was investigated together with gas hold-up, mixing time, and mass transfer coefficient of CO2. A gas flow rate of 5 L min−1 using a new sparger design and a modified height-to-diameter ratio of the bag led to a two-fold improvement in algal biomass productivity when culturing the green microalga Chlorella sorokiniana. The cultivation of a luciferase-expressing Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strain in the modified hanging bag also demonstrated an 11% increase in luciferase content. CONCLUSION: This is the first attempt to characterise this simple hanging bag system that brings the industry-favoured single-use bag concept into the research field of photobioreactor technology. The hanging bag with modified sparger and dimensions improves microalgal biomass productivity and demonstrates the potential of simple and low-cost systems for microalgal cultivation. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Characterisation of a simple 'hanging bag' photobioreactor for low-cost cultivation of microalgae |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1002/jctb.6985 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1002/jctb.6985 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Keywords: | Microalgae, single-use photobioreactor, hanging bag, bubble column, phototrophic cultivation |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Structural and Molecular Biology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Biochemical Engineering |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10138889 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
