THE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND APPLYING A NOVE L MEMBRANE PHOTO BIOREACTOR (MPBR) FOR BOTH CULTIVATION AND SEPARATION OF ARTHROSPIR A PLATENSIS (SPIRULINA)

THE DIVERSITY OF MICROALGAE WORLD CALLS FOR A FLURRY OF RESEAR CH AND DEVELOPMENT TO THE EXTENT THAT THE VALUES AND MERITS OF THESE LIVING CRE ATURES WILL NOT BE OVERLOOKED. MICRO ALGAE HAVE BEEN WIDELY USED FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NAMELY HUMAN AN D ANIMAL NUTRITION, COSMETICS, PHARMACE UTICALS, CO2 CAPTURE, BIOENERGY PRODUC TION, AND NUTRIENT REMOVAL FROM WASTE WATER. TO CULTIVATE THESE MICROALGAE SEVERAL PATHS HAVE BEEN MENTIONED SUCH AS OPEN PONDS AND CLOSED SYSTEMS (P HOTO BIOREACTORS). ALTHOUGH OPEN PON DS ARE USUALLY EASY TO DESIGN, CO NSTRUCT AND OPERATE, THERE ARE SIGN IFICANT RESTRICTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING WATER EVAPORATION, LARGE SPACE REQUIREMENT, CON TAMINATION OF ALGAL CULTURES, AND LACK OF CONTROL OVER OPERATING PARAMETERS. THE ALTERNATIVE PATH TO MICROALGAL CULTIVATION IS THE UTILIZATION OF PHOTO BIOREACTORS (PBRS). HAVING C ONTROL OVER LIGHT, CONTAMINATION, MIXING, GAS EXCHANGE AND CO2 ARE SOME BEN EFITS OF THESE SYSTEMS. IN THIS STUDY THE NOVEL DESIGN CONSISTS OF THREE DI FFERENT SECTIONS TERMED AIRLIFT, MEMBRANES UNIT (RISER SECTION) AND SEDIME NTATION SECTION. TO PREVENT THE GROWTH OF ALGAE ON THE MEMBRANE SURFACE, TW O BLACK BAFFLES WERE USED TO AVOID SUNLIGHT IN ORDER TO INHIBIT THE FOULING PHE NOMENA ON THE SURFACE OF MEMBRANE. THE MEMBRANE PORE SIZE WAS 0.4 MICR ON. THE MEMBRANE WAS PLACED IN A MOV ABLE BOX MADE UP OF DARK PLEXIGLAS. TH E ALGAE CONCENTRATION IN THIS SYSTEM IS HIGHER THAN COMMON SYSTEMS, OW ING TO SEDIMENTATION PART, SINCE THE ALGAL SEDIMENT IS REMOVED FROM THIS PART, IT CAN HELP TO GROW ALGAE AT THE T OP OF SYSTEM DUE TO HAVING THE BETTE R LIGHT PENETRATION IN SUPERNATANT. BI OMASS CONCENTRATION COULD BE EXTRACTE D FROM THE BOTTOM PART OF THE MPBR WITH HIGHER CONCENTRATION IN COMPARIS ON WITH LIQUID MASS. ACCORDING TO IQBA L ET AL., 1993 SPIRULINA PRODUCTIVITY IN A CLOSED SYSTEM WAS VERY HIGH (2.15 G L-1D-1), WHEREAS IN OPEN PONDS UNDER SIMILAR CONDITIONS WAS (0.15 G L-1 D-1). IN THISLINE, PHOTO BIOREACTORS COULD B E MORE EFFICIENT. CONSIDERING SOME PARAMETERS INCLUDING OPTICAL DENSITY, DRY WEIGHT, PH HAS REPRESENTED A GREAT DEAL OF HELPFUL RESULTS TO REGARD THE NOVEL (M PBR) AS A PROMISING APPROACH.