Contaminant washout in a hydraulically integrated serial turbidostat algal reactor (HISTAR)

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-1-1999

Abstract

A hydraulically integrated serial turbidostat algal reactor (HISTAR) was mathematically modeled and designed for large-scale production of microalgae. HISTAR, which combines turbidostats with a series of continuous-flow stirred-tank reactors (CFSTRs), was designed with contaminant mitigation as a primary design parameter. The concept of contaminant mitigation in the series of CFSTRs is discussed and three mathematical models presented to predict contaminant washout within the CFSTRs. Model simulations indicated that the hydraulic regime within each CFSTR is crucial to the contaminant mitigation process in the series of CFSTRs. Experiments on the HISTAR system with a liquid volume of about 8500 1, culturing Chaetoceros muelleri (CHAET 10), demonstrated that 0.8 million live rotifers, intentionally added to the first CFSTR, were washed out of the six CFSTRs at a local dilution rate of 4 day-1. In another experiment, Thalassiosira sp. cultured at a dilution rate of 0.667 day-1 fell victim to a few rotifers that inadvertently entered the CESTRs. The validity of the washout concepts was demonstrated further when the ≃300 million live rotifers in the CFSTRs were completely washed out by simply increasing the dilution rate to 4 day-1.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Aquacultural Engineering

First Page

223

Last Page

241

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