PFI:AIR - TT: Passive membrane photobioreactor for cultivation and harvesting of algal biomass and sustainable nutrient management

该PFI：AIR技术转化项目的重点是转化被动浮膜光生物反应器技术，以满足生物质/生物燃料可持续微藻培养的需求，同时从受损的沃茨（如废水）中去除营养物质。 ICARUS工艺（代表利用选择性隔离培养藻类资源）非常重要，因为它可以同时生产低成本和可持续的藻类衍生生物燃料和生物产品，同时减少过量营养物径流造成的环境污染和废水处理的相关成本。 该项目将产生一个ICARUS豆荚原型系统，该系统能够在废水处理设施中培养和收获高质量的微藻。 ICARUS具有以下独特功能：被动性、模块化、作物隔离和保护以及与现有基础设施的兼容性。 当与该市场空间中领先的竞争藻类培养和收获技术相比时，这些特征提供了以下优点：1）在“脏”环境如废水中培养藻类单一培养物的能力，同时利用可自由获得的碳、营养物和水; 2）单独但在同一原料罐内生长多种藻类物种的能力; 3）使废水处理设施的现有基础设施能够同时得到多种使用，从而加速过程强化; 4）被动脱水的致密培养物的生产，从而大大降低了收获和下游加工的成本。本项目解决了以下技术差距当它从研究发现转化为商业应用时：1）按比例放大反应器体积的几何考虑; 2）将多个吊舱连接到互连ICARUS系统中的策略; 3）连接系统的过程控制; 4）大体积藻类生长动力学和生产率; 5）膜的长期性能。 此外，参与该项目的人员，包括一名博士后，一名博士生和两名本科生，将接受创业，知识产权和商业化，数字3D设计，工艺缩放，藻类生物学，废水工艺设计和建模，该项目与佛罗里达的废水处理设施和藻类公司合作，开发一种可持续的商业产品（藻类生物质用于生物产品/生物燃料），同时降低废水处理成本，帮助公用事业公司实现其监管目标。

This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on translating a passive floating membrane photobioreactor technology to fill the need for sustainable microalgae cultivation for biomass/biofuel while simultaneously removing nutrients from impaired waters such as wastewater. The ICARUS process (which stands for Isolated Cultivation of Algal Resources Utilizing Selectivity) is important because allows the simultaneous production of low-cost and sustainable algal-derived biofuel and bioproducts, while reducing environmental pollution from excess nutrient runoff and the associated costs of wastewater treatment. The project will result in a prototype system of ICARUS pods which are capable of cultivating and harvesting high-quality microalgae at a wastewater treatment facility. ICARUS has the following unique features: passivity, modularity, crop isolation and protection, and compatibility with existing infrastructure. These features provide the following advantages when compared to the leading competing algae cultivation and harvesting technologies in this market space: 1) ability to cultivate algae monocultures in a "dirty" environment like wastewater, while utilizing freely-available carbon, nutrients and water; 2) ability to grow multiple algal species separately but within the same feedstock tank; 3) enabling multiple simultaneous use of existing infrastructure at a wastewater treatment facility, thereby accelerating process intensification; 4) production of dense cultures which passively dewater, thereby greatly reducing the costs of harvesting and downstream processing.This project addresses the following technology gap(s) as it translates from research discovery toward commercial application: 1) geometric considerations for scaling up reactor volume; 2) strategy for linking multiple pods into an interconnected ICARUS system; 3) process control for a linked system; 4) large-volume algal growth kinetics and productivity; 5) long-term membrane performance. In addition, personnel involved in this project, including a post-doc, a PhD student, and two undergraduate students, will receive training on entrepreneurship, intellectual property and commercialization, digital 3D design, process scaling, algal biology, wastewater process design and modeling, and membrane science.The project engages Florida wastewater utilities and algae companies to develop a sustainable commercial product (algae biomass for bioproducts/biofuel), while simultaneously reducing the costs of wastewater treatment and helping utilities meet their regulatory goals.