Influência dos elementos climáticos e tipologia em fotobiorreatores microalgais

Abstract

Commercial scale microalgae cultivation systems are carried out outdoors, so it is extremely necessary to highlight the role of the local climate in the performance of microalgae biotechnological processes. Thus, the identification of locations with suitable climates for the large-scale implementation of microalgae-based processes has become a hot spot, as it is associated with the development of process techniques and economic issues. In this sense, the objective of the present work was to simulate the effect of geographic position and local climate on the performance of photobioreactors in the subtropical climate zone (25 to 35° N and S) and in the mid-latitude zone (35 to 55 °N and S) of the world. The study focused on simulation climatic elements (day length, solar irradiance and temperature) and seasons of 11 climate types distributed in 15 geographic locations. Subsequently, the behavior of Scenedesmus obliquus CPCC05 on the production of biomass, lipids and fatty acids was evaluated. The results showed that the subtropical zone presented the best cultivation conditions, where the hot desert climate (BWh) presented the best conditions, in terms of biomass and lipid production, in an annual scenario. The highest average annual biomass yields (0.210 g-1 d-1) and annual averages of lipids (0.037 g L-1 d-1) were recorded in the municipality of Hermosillo-MÉX. In this way, productivity keeps growing throughout the year and so they can be harvested simultaneously, without the need for an inter-harvest period. Therefore, considering that only highly productive cultivation facilities are potentially viable, it is essential to design specific sites for the implementation of microalgae-based processing facilities.