Evan Le

Chanwoo Park
1
e-mail: chanwoo@unr.edu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Nevada,
Reno, NV 89557-0312
Sage Hiibel
Department of Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology,
University of Nevada,
Reno, NV 89557-0330
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, CO
2
transfer, mixing, and harvesting.
Since pumping affects the mixing and CO
2
transfer, which are the main factors in algae
productivities, solutions to reduce the required energy for pumps can signicantly make
algae biodiesel production more economically feasible. An investigation on the effect of
Scenedesmus obliquuss growth from low to high biomass concentration inside a horizon-
tal tubular photobioreactor to determine the impact that it has on hydrodynamic perform-
ances, which will affect cost and production efciency, 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 10
8
cell/ml (1.372 10
3
61.32
10
4
Pa s) compared to the Modied Bolds 3N medium (1.408 10
3
69.41 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 rheo-
logical properties of autotrophic algae will not have signicant impact on energy
requirements until technology improves so that the concentrations reach those of hetero-
trophic algae. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4005245]
Keywords: renewable diesel, biodiesel, algae, energy systems analysis, alternative
energy sources, energy from biomass, energy storage systems
1 Introduction
It is todays biggest challenges to develop clean alternative
renewable energy fuel. Solar, wind, fuel cells, and ethanol based
sources all have severe limitations that prevent them from meeting
projected energy needs [1]. Algae biodiesel has been identied as
the most promising alternative due to algaes rapid growth rate,
large oil yields, and because it is nontoxic, renewable, biodegrad-
able, and carbon neutral. In addition, algae do not compete with
arable farm land compared to other alternatives such as ethanol
made from corn or sugarcane. It can also be grown in environ-
ments unsuitable for agricultural crops, such as the seashore,
because of its salt and heat tolerance [2]. Algaes remarkably ef-
cient physiology means that it requires less sunlight, grows faster,
and has more potential for genetic engineering [3].
In order to be a competitive alternative fuel, the algae biodiesel
must cost less to produce than petroleum diesel. At around of
$100 per barrel of crude oil, microalgal biomass with an oil con-
tent of 55% will need to be produced at less than $340/t. This will
depend mainly on the cost of producing the algae biomass [4].
One of the main factors affecting the production cost is the selec-
tion of the host organism. Current criteria in selecting the host for
a successful algae biodiesel plant includes: (1) photosynthetic ef-
ciency to obtain high biomass yield from light, (2) biomass
growth rate, (3) oil content of the biomass, (4) temperature toler-
ance, (5) the value of biomass residue and byproducts, (6) the
ease of extraction, purication, and conversion process, (7) sensi-
tivity to high oxygen concentration, (8) resistance to photoinhibi-
tion, (9) response to diurnal uctuations, (10) amount of dark
respiration, and (11) sensitivity to osmotic stress [3,5,6]. How-
ever, biodiesel production at the moment is not protable with the
main challenge being scale up. Most of the production cost in
algae biodiesel plant utilizing photobioreactors (PBRs) comes
from the energy required to power the pump, mixing, and harvest-
ing [68]. As a result, solutions to reduce the required energy can
signicantly make algae biodiesel production more economically
feasible. There have been few researches on the maximum cell
density and morphologys impact on the demanding auxiliary
energy required for an algae biodiesel plant. Instead, the solution
to the auxiliary energy problem focuses mainly on the photobior-
eactor design [8,9]. Using the microalgae strains that fulll the
traditional criteria in host selection as well as favorable rheologi-
cal properties in a photobioreactor with high biomass concentra-
tion can signicantly reduce the pump power consumption but
maintain the algae overall productivity. This can make algaes
biodiesel a more economically competitive alternative fuel.
The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of Scenedesmus
obliquuss (UTEX 1450) growth from low to high biomass concen-
trations inside a horizontal tubular PBR, one of the most widely
used and investigated photobioreactors, to determine the impact
that they have on hydrodynamic performances (such as liquid ow
rate, culture velocities, and power consumed) that will affect cost
and production efciency. The study compares algae cultures with
1
Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Advanced Energy Systems Division of ASME for publication
in the JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESOURCES TECHNOLOGY. Manuscript received September
11, 2010; nal manuscript received August 16, 2011; published online December 23,
2011. Assoc. Editor: Sarma V. Pisupati.
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2012 by ASME
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varying biomass concentrations with the performances of the same
reactor with only water. S. obliquus has been identied as promis-
ing source for algae oil content [10,11]. Furthermore, it has a
unique morphology, aggregates, and relatively large size compared
to other biofuel algae, which are the main factors in affecting the
viscosity of the system [12].
2 Theory
If a uid is Newtonian, then the shear stress, s
yx
, should be pro-
portional to the rate of deformation (shear rate), du=dy, and is
given by
s
yx
/
du
dy
(1)
At low biomass concentrations, many algae cultures will behave
like a Newtonian uid. Fluids in which shear stress is not directly
proportional to deformation rate are non-Newtonian. Non-Newto-
nian algae cultures at high biomass concentrations have been
investigated [1216]. Some examples of non-Newtonian uid and
their rheological behavior are given in Fig. 1. The slope of these
curves is often called apparent viscosity, and is denoted by l
app
.
One of the simplest laws describing non-Newtonian uid behavior
is the Ostwald-de Wael model (power-law uid)
s
yx
m
du
dy

n1
du
dy
(2)
When n 1, Eq. (2) reduces to Newtons law viscosity with
ml
f
. If n <1, it describes a pseudoplastic uid, and if n >1, the
behavior is dilatants. Besides non-Newtonian and Newtonian u-
ids, another way to identify types of ow is through laminar and
turbulent ows. Laminar ow is characterized by smooth motion
of one lamina of uid past another, while an irregular and nearly
random motion superimposed on the main motion of the uid
characterizes turbulent ow. The two types of ow can be identi-
ed through the Reynolds number
Re
q
f

U
f
D
t
l
f
(3)
The transition from laminar to turbulent ow in a pipe was found
to be around Re 21004000 for Newtonian uid. However, for
non-Newtonian uid, the transition can take place at either very low
or very high Reynolds number, up to 70,000, depending on the n
value [17].
The friction factor, f , for Newtonian/non-Newtonian uids
depends on whether there is laminar or turbulent ow in the pipe.
The experimental friction factor is obtained by using the follow-
ing equation:
f Dp
f
D
t
L
t
2
q

U
2
f
(4)
When the uid is Newtonian, the friction factors for both types of
ows in a circular tube are given by the following equations [17]:
f
64
Re
for laminar flow (5)
1

f
p 2 log
10
e=D
t
3:7

2:51
Re

f
p

for turbulent flow (6)
For fully developed ow through a constant-area and horizontal
pipe, the pumping power to the uid can be calculated with the
following equation:
P
p
Q
f
Dp
f
(7)
In general, the rheological properties of the cultures were found to
have great inuences in bioreactor designs, scale ups, and opera-
tions [16]. The processes for product recovery are also inuenced
by this behavior. As a result, studies on such aspects are necessary
for a successful industrial process.
3 Experimental Methods and Materials
3.1 Horizontal Tubular Photobioreactor Description. The
experiment was carried out using a customized liquid loop (hold-
ing approximately 600 ml of liquid) with a clear acrylic tube
(inner tube diameter; D
t
1:25 cm) equipped with a ow meter
and a differential pressure transducer to collect pressure drops in
the horizontal tube (length; L
t
38:1cm) at varying ow rates
(Fig. 2). Note that acrylic is a common material used for photo-
bioreactors. Turbulent ow is necessary as it produces a variety of
benecial effects on algal production including enhancing mass
transfer of dissolved oxygen and carbon, the uid and the gas bub-
bles, advecting algae through the optical gradient from light to
Fig. 1 Behavior of non-Newtonian uids
Fig. 2 Schematic presentation of the experimental setup
showing a centrifugal pump, a differential pressure transducer,
and a culture reservoir: The inner diameter (D
t
) of the acrylic
tube used for the pressure drop measurement is 1.25 cm, and
the length (L
t
) between the two pressure taps is 38.1 cm. The
total volume of the system is about 600 ml.
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dark zones and vice versa, increasing transfer of nutrients to the
cells (and decreasing cell boundary layers) by increasing relative
velocity between algae cells and the surrounding medium, and
preventing biomass sedimentation [18]. Algae culture ow is pro-
duced using a mechanical pump. A positive displacement pump is
recommended to be used when circulating algae culture with a
mechanical pump as it minimizes the hydrodynamic stress that
can signicantly reduced algae productivity [19]. However, for
the purpose of this experiment, a centrifugal pump (MCP655-B,
Swiftech) is suitable, since the algae are not growing in the liquid
loop. The liquid ow rate studied was based on the Reynoldss
number ranging from 0 to 6000 instead of the typical range of
900030,000 to operate this type of reactor. Increasing the
Reynoldss number from 0 to 6000 was found to increase algae
productivity, but beyond that reduces the productivity due to
hydrodynamic stress [20].
3.2 Algal Strain and Cultivation Conditions. Scenedesmus
obliquus (UTEX 1450) was rst cultivated in Modied Bolds 3N
medium in 250 ml Erlenmeyer asks (100 ml of culture) main-
tained on a ask shaker at a temperature of 25

C under continu-
ous illumination (about 200 lmol PAR photons/m
2
/s) provided by
daylight uorescent tubes. This was cultivated for 2 weeks before
transferring into 2 l asks (1.5 l of culture). The 2 l asks were
grown under similar conditions without the shaker and under 18:6
light: dark cycle at 26:20

C in a growth chamber. Additionally,

sterile air was continuously bubbled into the culture.
Biomasses concentrations were determined daily by measuring
the absorbance of samples at 600 nm (OD
600
) using a spectropho-
tometer (DU720, Beckman Coulter). The following correlation
equation was used to convert the OD
600
to its corresponding bio-
mass concentration:
Cell Density cell=mL 624;064;523 OD
600
5;755;215
(8)
To obtain the correlation equation, two separate batches of algae
cultures were grown under similar conditions to cover the desired
OD
600
range. A hemocytometer was then employed to count
enough cells corresponding to OD
600
to satisfy the statistical
requirement (Fig. 3).
3.3 Hydrodynamic Properties Measurement. Density meas-
urements of the algae culture for each corresponding OD
600
were
taken along with the viscosity using a falling ball viscometer (0.2
to 2/1 to 10 cP, Gilmont). Using the algae that were grown in
batch cultures in the growth chamber, the pressure drop was then
measured using the liquid loop (Fig. 2) with a differential pressure
transducer (PX2300, OMEGA) and recorded at ow rates ranging
from 0 to 5 l/min in increments of 0.5 l/min.
4 Results and Discussion
The horizontal tubular PBR can usefully satisfy only medium
level production demands. A study by the University of Wagenin-
gen found that when comparing types of photobioreactors, the
main contributor to biomass production cost for the horizontal tu-
bular photobioreactor was the energy cost associated with the
pump (46% of the overall cost) [21]. In fact, it requires the most
energy for its pumps compare to a raceway pond and a at plate
PBR. This type of photobioreactor was used in the investigation
to examine how signicantly the rheological properties of algae
cultures can affect and impact the overall energy consumption of
an algae biodiesel plant.
Daily biomass concentrations of S. obliquus in Modied Bolds
3N medium were measured by taking OD
600
readings and convert-
ing it to cell density (cell/ml) (Fig. 4). Cell density is an important
parameter in the cultivation of microalgae. Optically, dilute cultiva-
tions waste energy by allowing light to pass through the medium
without absorption by chlorophyll molecules, while very dense cul-
tivation reduces the productivity by causing excessive respiration
Fig. 3 The conversion curve of the absorbance measurement at 600 nm (OD
600
) of samples of
S. obliquus grown in Modied Bolds 3N medium
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losses as well as serious problems in mass transfer [22]. Addition-
ally, light/dark cycle frequency depends on the cell density and op-
tical properties of the culture. Ten varying densities and viscosities,
along with their corresponding cell densities, were measured and
compared. Constant density with increasing biomass concentration
was observed (Fig. 5); however, no correlations between cell den-
sity and viscosities were found (Fig. 5), which was unexpected. The
higher cell density is expected to have higher viscosities due to
the algaes unique morphology. Furthermore, the viscosity of the
Modied Bolds 3N medium appears to be higher than most of the
algae culture biomass concentrations, including the highest cell
density (2.4810
8
cell/ml). Despite this, the viscosities were
always higher than that of water at 20

C. The maximum possible

cell density for S. obliquus in this study is still within appropriate
range that it will not affect the performance of a typical horizontal
tubular PBR according to a study by Hulatt and Thomas [22].
Ten measurable ow rates were taken ranging from 0.0 to
5.0 l/min, along with their associated pressure drop and energy
losses in the acrylic PBR tube shown in Fig. 2 for biomass con-
centrations ranging from 0 to 2.48 10
8
cell/ml. Based on Fig. 6,
no signicance differences in power consumption were observed
as the biomass concentrations increased. However, both the me-
dium and the algae culture require more energy for the same
Reynolds number than water. Figure 7 reports a plot of friction
factors against Reynolds number compared with the friction fac-
tors for laminar ow [Eq. (5)] and turbulent ow [Eq. (6)] of a
Newtonian uid in a circular tube. In general, the algae cultures,
the medium, and water (compared as a Newtonian uid) in the
PBR resulted in higher friction factors and therefore larger pres-
sure drops than expected for the corresponding Reynolds number
in the acrylic tube (roughness ratio, e=D
t
0:000551). Any dif-
ferences are likely due to errors from air bubbles from the culture
reservoir affecting the differential pressure transducer output read-
ings. There were minor turbulences even at low Reynolds number
due to the design of the PBR and the cells itself. However, since
the trends for the algae culture at varying biomass concentrations
are very similar to the water owing in the PBR, it can be con-
cluded that the algae culture remain Newtonian from low to high
biomass concentrations.
Fig. 4 The growth of S. obliquus over time in Modied Bolds
3N medium
Fig. 5 Bulk liquid densities and viscosities (at 23

C) of S. obli-
quus grown in Modied Bolds 3N medium at various cell den-
sities compared with pure water and Modied Bolds 3N medium
Fig. 6 Hydraulic pumping power consumed by the algae cul-
ture ow through the acrylic tube at different Reynolds num-
bers and various cell densities
Fig. 7 Friction factors of the algae culture ow for different
Reynolds numbers and various cell densities compared with
the friction factors of laminar and turbulent ows of a Newto-
nian uid in a circular tube
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The viscosities of the supernatant of the algal culture suggested
that no (or very few) viscous byproducts were excreted by this
alga during the cultivation. Furthermore, any possible aggrega-
tions due to its unique morphology and growing characteristics
were quickly dissociated due to the high turbulence as observed
under a microscope. The largest inuence on the power consump-
tions then is due to the medium it lives off. Even at a high biomass
concentration of 2.48 10
8
cell/ml (1.372 10
3
61.32 10
4
Pa s) with the current growing conditions, the viscosity was found
to be slightly lower than the pure medium (1.408 10
3
69.41
10
5
Pa s) (Fig. 5). A different medium that has higher viscos-
ity or higher attainable biomass concentrations, such as N 11 me-
dium, could be used to compare the effects, the media has on
energy, hydrodynamic stress, algae productivity, and the overall
cost. When comparing the highest biomass concentrations with
that of water at Re 6000, the algae culture required 234.7%
more energy overall. The difference becomes signicantly higher
as the Reynolds number increases, making the energetic per-
formance for this type of reactor unsustainable for producing
S. obliquus with the given growing conditions as suggested by
Hulatt and Thomas [22].
Additionally, since the diameter of the liquid loop is 1.25 cm,
the energy required for pumping becomes more signicant. The
solar collector tubes are generally 10 cm or less in diameter. Tube
diameter is limited because light does not penetrate deeply into
the dense cultures necessary to ensure a high biomass productivity
of the photobioreactor [3]. However, a study found that for tube
diameters less than 5 cm, the mixing energy becomes a signicant
or dominant energy input, but when the diameter is greater than
25 cm, it becomes negligible [23]. Increasing the size of the tubes
within the desired range can help to reduce the energy consump-
tions, while maintaining the overall desired algal productivity.
Furthermore, reducing the energy for mixing may be assisted by
using a mechanical pump system that has been optimized for
energy input, an airlift pump instead of a mechanical one, or
installing stationary devices, such as bafes or disks, to improve
gasliquid mass transfer inside tubular photobioreactors without
using high energy inputs [22,24]. Inert particles that circulate
around the photobioreactor have also been used to improve turbu-
lent ow. It has been suggested that the design of the horizontal
tubular photobioreactor is inherently awed and should be replace
with the more energy-efcient photobioreactors, such as vertical
bubble columns [25].
Recent renewed interest in closed photobioreactor technologies
has increased the optimum biomass concentration and therefore
the ow resistance of the system. The physical properties of
S. obliquus do not yet appear to be the main obstacle in energy
mixing consumptions. The properties, however, do affect the ease
of the recovery process that can be a major component of produc-
tion, accounting for up to 2030% of the total cost [26]. Until the
biomass concentrations for autotrophic algae species are as high
as those heterotrophic algae grown in fermentors, the main culprit
in energy mixing consumptions will be the overall design of the
photobioreactors.
5 Conclusions
The objective of this investigation was to determine whether the
types of algal species along with their maximum cell densities,
sizes, and morphologies have signicant affects on the energy
consumptions of the horizontal photobioreactor. By growing
S. obliquus with varying biomass concentrations, it was possible to
examine how the concentration affects the density, viscosity, and
therefore the energy consumption required to keep the ow rate at
the recommended Reynolds number for high algal productivity. As
the biomass concentration increased, the algal culture was found to
remain Newtonian. Additionally, the biomass concentration was
found to have lower viscosity even at concentrations of 2.4810
8
cell/ml (1.37210
3
61.3210
4
Pa s) compare to the Modied
Bolds 3N medium alone (1.40810
3
69.4110
5
Pa s).
Furthermore, the total energy consumption does not appear to
depend on the S. obliquus biomass concentrations, but on the me-
dium it is grown in. Hence, the main obstacle in reducing the
energy consumption is through the design of the photobioreactor as
suggested in the literatures [7,27]. The rheological properties of
autotrophic algae will not have signicant impact on energy
requirement until technology improves so that the concentrations
reach those of heterotrophic algae.
Acknowledgment
The authors would like to thank the National Science Founda-
tion (Grant No. 0814372) for supporting this research. The authors
gratefully thank Dr. John Cushman of the Biochemistry and Mo-
lecular Biology Department at the University of Nevada, Reno for
the use of laboratory equipment and supplies.
Nomenclature
D diameter (cm)
f friction factor
g gravitational constant (m/s
2
)
L length (m)
m constant
n ow behavior index
P pumping power (W)
p pressure (Pa)
Q volumetric ow rate (m
3
/s)
Re Reynolds number

U area-averaged velocity in x axis (m/s)

u velocity in x axis (m/s)
y dimension in y axis (m)
Greek Symbols
e roughness (m)
l viscosity (Pa s)
q density (kg/m
3
)
s shear stress (N/m
2
)
Subscripts
app apparent
f uid
p pump
t tube
yx yx plane
Symbols
area-averaged
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