Martin Gross

BACKGROUND:
Algal biofilm reactors represent a promising cultivation system that can economically produce biomass without the need for expensive harvesting operations. A critical component of algal biofilm systems is the material used for attachment. This research reports a comprehensive study of the effects of material surface physico-chemical properties, the surface texture, and their interactions on the initial colonization and the long-term attached growth in algal biofilm systems. A… Show more

BACKGROUND:
Algal biofilm reactors represent a promising cultivation system that can economically produce biomass without the need for expensive harvesting operations. A critical component of algal biofilm systems is the material used for attachment. This research reports a comprehensive study of the effects of material surface physico-chemical properties, the surface texture, and their interactions on the initial colonization and the long-term attached growth in algal biofilm systems. A total of 28 materials with a smooth surface were tested for initial cell colonization and it was found that the tetradecane contact angle of the materials had a good correlation with cell attachment. The effects of surface texture were evaluated using mesh materials (nylon, polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, polyester, aluminum, and stainless steel) with openings ranging from 0.05 to 6.40 mm.

RESULTS:
The mesh materials with an opening of 0.5 mm resulted in the highest attachment. The interaction of surface physico-chemical properties and surface texture, and their co-effects on the cell attachment, was quantitatively described using a second-order polynomial regression. The long-term algal attached growth for the different materials showed a trend similar to that found in initial colonization.

CONCLUSIONS:
Collectively, nylon and polypropylene mesh with 0.50-1.25 mm openings resulted in the best initial colonization and long-term attached growth, with a 28-30 g m(-2) biomass yield and 4.0-4.3 g m(-2) day biomass productivity being achieved on a pilot-scale revolving algal biofilm system. Show less

Biofilm-based algal cultivation has received increased attention as a potential platform for algal production and other applications such as wastewater treatment. Algal biofilm cultivation systems represent an alternative to the suspension-based systems that have yet to become economically viable. One major advantage of algal biofilm systems is that algae can be simply harvested through scraping and thus avoid the expensive harvesting procedures used in suspension-based harvesting such as… Show more

Biofilm-based algal cultivation has received increased attention as a potential platform for algal production and other applications such as wastewater treatment. Algal biofilm cultivation systems represent an alternative to the suspension-based systems that have yet to become economically viable. One major advantage of algal biofilm systems is that algae can be simply harvested through scraping and thus avoid the expensive harvesting procedures used in suspension-based harvesting such as flocculation and centrifugation. In recent years, an assortment of algal biofilm systems have been developed with various design configurations and biomass production capacities. This review summarizes the state of the art of different algal biofilm systems in terms of their design and operation. Perspectives for future research needs are also discussed to provide guidance for further development of these unique cultivation systems. Show less

A Revolving Algal Biofilm (RAB) growth system in which algal cells are attached to a flexible material rotating between liquid and gas phases has been developed. In this work, different configurations of RAB systems were developed at pilot-scale by retrofitting the attachment materials to a raceway pond (2000-L with 8.5 m2 footprint area) and a trough reservoir (150 L with 3.5 m2 footprint area). The algal growth performance and chemical composition, as well as the water evaporative loss and… Show more

A Revolving Algal Biofilm (RAB) growth system in which algal cells are attached to a flexible material rotating between liquid and gas phases has been developed. In this work, different configurations of RAB systems were developed at pilot-scale by retrofitting the attachment materials to a raceway pond (2000-L with 8.5 m2 footprint area) and a trough reservoir (150 L with 3.5 m2 footprint area). The algal growth performance and chemical composition, as well as the water evaporative loss and specific water consumption were evaluated over a period of nine months in a greenhouse environment near Boone, Iowa USA. Additionally a raceway pond was run in parallel, which served as a control. On average the raceway-based RAB and the trough-based RAB outperformed the control pond by 309% and 697%, respectively. A maximum productivity of 46.8 g m−2 day−1 was achieved on the trough-based RAB system. The evaporative water loss of the RAB system was modeled based on an energy balance analysis and was experimentally validated. While the RAB system, particularly the trough-based RAB, had higher water evaporative loss, the specific water consumption per unit of biomass produced was only 26% (raceway-based RAB) and 7% (trough-based RAB) of that of the control pond. Collectively, this research shows that the RAB system is an efficient algal culture system and has great potential to commercially produce microalgae with high productivity and efficient water use. Show less

Current algal cultivation has been mainly performed in open ponds or photobioreactors in which algal cells are suspended and harvested through flocculation and centrifugation. A unique attachment based Revolving Algal Biofilm (RAB) cultivation system was recently developed for easy biomass harvest with enhanced biomass productivity. The objective of this research was to evaluate the performance (durability, algal growth, and the geometry) of the RAB system at pilot-scale. A yearlong test of the… Show more

Current algal cultivation has been mainly performed in open ponds or photobioreactors in which algal cells are suspended and harvested through flocculation and centrifugation. A unique attachment based Revolving Algal Biofilm (RAB) cultivation system was recently developed for easy biomass harvest with enhanced biomass productivity. The objective of this research was to evaluate the performance (durability, algal growth, and the geometry) of the RAB system at pilot-scale. A yearlong test of the RAB system was successfully conducted at a greenhouse facility at Boone, Iowa, USA. The RAB resulted in an average of 302% increase in biomass productivity compared to a standard raceway pond, with a maximum biomass productivity (ash free) of 18.9 g/m2-day being achieved. The RAB with a vertical configuration generated higher productivity than the triangular RAB. Collectively, the research shows that the RAB as an efficient algal culture system has great potential for being deployed at commercial scale. Show less

This work aimed to develop a rotating algal biofilm (RAB) cultivation system that can be widely adopted by microalgae producers for easy biomass harvest. Algal cells were grown on the surface of a material rotating between nutrient-rich liquid and CO2-rich gaseous phase. Scrapping biomass from the attached surface avoided the expensive harvest operations such as centrifugation. Among various attachment materials, cotton sheet resulted in best algal growth, durability, and cost effectiveness. A… Show more

This work aimed to develop a rotating algal biofilm (RAB) cultivation system that can be widely adopted by microalgae producers for easy biomass harvest. Algal cells were grown on the surface of a material rotating between nutrient-rich liquid and CO2-rich gaseous phase. Scrapping biomass from the attached surface avoided the expensive harvest operations such as centrifugation. Among various attachment materials, cotton sheet resulted in best algal growth, durability, and cost effectiveness. A lab-scale RAB system was further optimized with harvest frequency, rotation speed, and CO2 levels. The algal biomass from the RAB system had a similar water content as that in centrifuged biomass. An open pond raceway retrofitted with a pilot-scale RAB system resulted in a much higher biomass productivity when compared to a control open pond. Collectively, the research shows that the RAB system is an efficient algal culture system for easy biomass harvest with enhanced biomass productivity. Show less

Masters Thesis