CFD Optimization of a Plate Photobioreactor Used for Cultivation of Microalgae

Microalgae are unicellular phototroph microorganisms producing various metabolites, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, pigments, vitamins and some sulfonized polysaccharides, which can be used in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Most microalgae are cultivated in closed systems. In photobioreactors algae growth depends on the reactor geometry, light intake and fluid dynamics interacting with each other. Modeling the reactor geometry leads to an improved algae growth, as shown in the present contribution.