Internally lit photobioreactors for enhanced product formation from algae using LED systems: Energy transformed into high value chemical products

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Algae are an incredibly diverse group of organisms that are becoming increasing important of economically and scientific interest the potential providing efficient low carbon processes that will not compete for food production or land use. However, large scale processes using these organisms are hamstrung by the requirement to use natural light which although it is free is unpredictable in intensity, quality and periodicity being dependent weather conditions. Natural light also restricts potential photobioreactor (PBR) geometries, raceways and tubular PBR's making large scale operation problematic, unreliable reducing the productivity of these systems. Internally lit PBR's could revolutionise these with the intensive production of high quality, high value algae and open up the field to exploitation using the tools of synthetic biology to develop the safe productive capacity these systems. The project therefore aims to investigate internally lit PBR's. This is multidisciplinary collaboration of biologists, physicists and engineers. We will design, construct and test internally lit PBRs have substantially higher productivity and capability over conventionally natural lit systems. On the face on it, the investment and cost of internally lit PBR's are much higher than natural lit systems, however, this can more than compensated by the potential advantages and benefits of growing and manipulating algae in highly controlled lighting environments. This includes more efficient use of light that is provided by LED's which has narrow spectra and easily controlled intensity reducing the cost of production. The sophisticated use of LED lighting also offers up exciting opportunities to control and monitor biochemical composition and product formation much of which is influenced by the quality and intensity of light. With internal lighting reactors can also be scaled in three dimensions and are independent of natural light. Reactors can be tailored and optimised for different products and simplified the strategies for the development of genetically engineered algae can be safely implemented. The project will focus on the testing of novel flexible PBR design to realise the potential of this approach. The work consists of 5 work packages (i) The development of new methods of selection and use of LED's. (ii) The development of lighting plates where LED's will be mounted internally of light weight lighting plates within the reactor that also facilitating good heat and mass transfer. Lighting control systems will also be developed to minimise energy consumption while allowing efficient growth and product formation of algae. (iii) The PBR systems will be designed an operated at 1 m3 scale which will be sufficient scale to allow easy scale of these systems (iv) The reactor will constructed, commission and characterised. (v) These internally lit PBR concepts will be centred on high value product formation and will be tested and evaluated with Heamotoccus pluvalis for the production of cells and astaxanthin.