Preventing biofouling in microalgal photobioreactors

[Display omitted] •Biofouling issue, possible solutions and their efficacy under operational conditions.•Fouling necessitates frequent operation shutdowns to clean the photobioreactor.•Transparent amphiphilic coatings are successful in avoiding microalgae cell adhesion.•PEG/PDMS-based coatings seem...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bioresource technology 2024-09, Vol.407, p.131125, Article 131125
Main Authors: Soriano-Jerez, Y., Gallardo-Rodríguez, J.J., López-Rosales, L., García-Camacho, F., Bressy, C., Molina-Grima, E., Cerón-García, M.C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antifouling surface
Cell adhesion
Culture system
Fouling-release coating
Microalgae
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:[Display omitted] •Biofouling issue, possible solutions and their efficacy under operational conditions.•Fouling necessitates frequent operation shutdowns to clean the photobioreactor.•Transparent amphiphilic coatings are successful in avoiding microalgae cell adhesion.•PEG/PDMS-based coatings seem the best option to obtain efficient photobioreactors. Photobioreactors (PBRs) are used to grow the light-requiring microalgae in diverse commercial processes. Often, they are operated as continuous culture over months period. However, with time, biofouling layer develops on the inner surfaces of their walls. The fouling layer formation deteriorates the PBR performance as foulants reduce light penetration in it. Light is essential for photosynthetic cultures, and a deterioration in lighting adversely impacts algae growth and biomass productivity. Fouling requires a frequent shutdown to clean the PBR and add to the environmental impact of the operation by generating many wastewaters contaminated with the cleaning chemicals. Antibiofouling coatings could be used to modify the surfaces of existing and future PBRs. Therefore, transparent and non-toxic fouling-release coatings, produced using hydrogel technology, could transform the existing PBRs into efficient and enduring microalgae culture systems, requiring only the application of the coating to the inner walls, without additional investments in new PBRs.
ISSN:0960-8524
1873-2976
1873-2976
DOI:10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131125