Modeling microalgal growth in an airlift-driven raceway reactor

Abstract In previous proof-of-concept studies, feasibility of a new airlift-raceway configuration and its energetic advantage and improved CO 2 utilization efficiency over the traditional raceways and photobioreactors have been documented. In the current study, a mathematical model for predicting biomass growth in the airlift-raceway reactor is presented, which includes supply and transfer of CO 2 and the synergetic effects of light, CO 2 , nitrogen, and temperature. The model was calibrated and validated with data from prototype scale versions of the reactor on two test species: Nannochloropsis salina and Scenedesmus sp., cultivated under indoor and outdoor conditions. Predictions of biomass concentrations by the proposed model agreed well with the temporal trend of the experimental data, with r 2 ranging from 0.96 to 0.98, p