Desempenho global de fotobiorreatores híbridos

Abstract

Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms, which have the versatility of associating the processes of CO2 bioconversion with the parallel production of inputs with high added value. However, the main problem for the consolidation of these microorganisms is the unavailability of photobioreactor configurations that support high volumes of work, to meet the industrial demands, without interfering in the metabolic performance of the cultures. The objective of this study was to: (i) characterize hydrodynamic performance in hybrid photobioreactors, (ii) to evaluate the kinetic performance of the hybrid photobioreactor, (iii) to define the CO2 absorption capacity and O2 production in hybrid photobioreactors, (iv) to determine the inorganic and organic carbon concentration profiles in the liquid and gaseous phases of the systems, (v) to standardize the method for calculating carbon balance in photobioreactors, (vi) to establish the energy balance of the hybrid photobioreactor, (vii) measure the surface area required by the hybrid photobioreactor. The results showed that the hybrid photobioreactor presented adequate hydrodynamic performance, with values for mixing time of 98 s, circulation time of 39 s, Reynolds number of 2500 and EBRT of 60 s. The microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus presented satisfactory kinetic performance, with maximum rates of carbon dioxide consumption and biomass productivity of 76.27 kg/m³/d and 57.19 kg/m³/d, respectively. According to the carbon balance analysis, volatile organic compounds (82.75%) are the main bioproducts formed. Finally, the results evidenced the hybrid photobioreactor as a potential configuration for environmental applications and commodity production.