The Effect of aeration rate on growth and lipid content of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae in a flat plate photobioreactor

In the present study, the influence of aeration rate on lipid and biomass production of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae cultivated in municipal wastewater in a 50-liter flat plate photobioreactor (PBR) was investigated. The microalgae was a local strain isolated from Parkandabad wastewater treatment facility, Mashhad. It was cultivated in municipal wastewater under the 16:8 light/dark cycle at a constant temperature of 27±1 ˚C. For the optimal operation of PBRs, turbulent mixing has been recognized as an important factor in determining the overall performance of the PBRs. Two experiments with aeration rates of 240 l/hr (0.08 vvm) and 480 l/hr (0.16 vvm) were carried out. The biomass concentration of 0.540 g/l and lipid content of 21% were obtained with the lower aeration rate, while those of higher aeration rate were 0.910 g/l and 22%, respectively. The findings revealed that higher aeration rate had a significant effect on biomass production, while had no effect on lipid content.