Investigation of the Effect of Growth From Low to High Biomass Concentration Inside a Photobioreactor on Hydrodynamic Properties of Scenedesmus obliquus

Most of the current production cost in algae biodiesel plants utilizing photobioreactors comes from the high energy required for pumping, CO₂ transfer, mixing, and harvesting. Since pumping affects the mixing and CO₂ transfer, which are the main factors in algae productivities, solutions to reduce the required energy for pumps can significantly make algae biodiesel production more economically feasible. An investigation on the effect of Scenedesmus obliquus’s growth from low to high biomass concentration inside a horizontal tubular photobioreactor to determine the impact that it has on hydrodynamic performances, which will affect cost and production efficiency, was performed. As the biomass concentration increased, the algal culture was found to remain Newtonian. Additionally, the biomass concentration (expressed in cell density) was found to have lower viscosity even at the highest concentrations evaluated at 2.48 × 10⁸ cell/ml (1.372 × 10⁻³ ± 1.32 × 10⁻⁴ Pa s) compared to the Modified Bold’s 3N medium (1.408 × 10⁻³ ± 9.41 × 10⁻⁵ Pa s). Furthermore, the total energy consumption does not appear to depend on the S. obliquus biomass concentrations, but rather on the medium the algae grows in. The rheological properties of autotrophic algae will not have significant impact on energy requirements until technology improves so that the concentrations reach those of heterotrophic algae.