DYNAMIC MODELING OF MICROALGAE GROWTH AND LIPID PRODUCTION WITH EMPHASES ON OPERATIONAL AND NUTRITIONAL ELEMENTS

This article is about dynamic simulation of micro algae’s biomass growth and lipid accumulationwith respect to environmental parameters. Microalgae are a kind of phototrophic single-celledmicro-organisms that starting up photosynthetic activities with light energy, carbon dioxide andnutrients in controlled environmental parameters. Experimental evidence suggests while nitrogensources has depleted, photosynthesis became uncoupled from growth, resulting in the synthesisand accumulation of neutral lipids. An extensive study has been done on some environmentalparameters affecting cell growth rate and lipid accumulation. However, no mathematical modelsfor algal lipid synthesis with respect to nutrient and light have been developed to predict cellgrowth rate and lipid production. In this article for the first time, the specific growth model” hasbeen developed to investigate the effect of some important environmental parameters on biomassgrowth and lipid production to promote the other growth models. The developed growth model”capable to predict growth rate in harsh situation such as light inhibition, varied concentration ofdissolved oxygen and and different thermal condition. The model assumed that as thenitrogen was depleted, photosynthesis became uncoupled from growth, resulting in the synthesisand accumulation of neutral lipids. For model validation, simulation results were compared withexperimental data which shows close agreements. For instance, in test of growth model theobserved error between simulation results and experimental data of packer et al research [14],was about 4%. Also calculated error bar for cellular lipid accumulation has been reported inapproximately 16%.

Keywords:

Micro algae , Biomass growth rate , Lipid accumulation , Mathematical models , Nutrient limitation