Kinetic model for growth of Phaeodactylum tricornutum in intensive culture photobioreactor

A kinetic model has been developed to estimate the specific growth rate of Phaeodactylum tricornutum in batch cultures. The cultures were carried out in a laboratory scale photobioreactor. Some factors like pH, temperature and irradiance were studied. In the first case, an optimum pH of 7.8 and a specific growth rate of 0.064 h(-1) were achieved for certain nitrate conditions and illumination. The temperature influence has been modelled by a modified Sinclair model. The optimum temperature was achieved at 20.4 degrees C in aerated cultures and at 22.3 degrees C in non-aerated cultures. Better adaptation to low temperatures than high ones has been obtained. The experiments carried out with different irradiances drive to a simple Monod's equation for the irradiance influence on growth, with semi-saturation irradiance of 10.2 mu Einstein(-2) s(-1) in aerated cultures and of 6.8 mu Einstein m(-2) s(-1) in non-aerated cultures. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.