CULTIVATION OF SPIRULINA MAXIMA IN AN ANNULAR PHOTO-CHEMICAL REACTOR

An 8‐L annular photochemical reactor has been designed and built for the cultivation of micro‐ or semi‐microalgae at the laboratory scale. It may be operated in batch or continuous mode and is controlled for pH, temperature, gas mixture ratio (CO2 and air), flow rate, light intensity and also illumination type (daylight or plant growth light) and mode (continuous or intermittent). It behaves as a perfect mixed reactor for all concentrations of algal cells. The reactor was used for the cultivation of the blue‐green alga Spirulina maxima in a synthetic medium in both batch and continuous operations. At the dilution rate of 0.24 day−1, the optimal productivity was 0.91 g/L‐day for biomass or 0.55 g/L‐day for protein. This is equivalent to 14.5 g/m2‐day for biomass or 8.7 g/m2‐day for protein. The optimal productivity as well as the chemical composition of the algal biomass were comparable to results obtained from pilot plant studies and reported in the current literature. Copyright © 1979 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering