In the present invention, a photobioreactor and process for producing and harvesting microalgae involves a vessel for cultivating microalgae that is at least partially transparent to admit light into the vessel. At least a portion of the transparent part of the vessel is coated with a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer. The TCO layer is transparent to visible light necessary for algae growth, but is opaque to infrared light thereby reducing thermal heating load in the photobioreactor. The TCO layer also acts as an electrode, which when combined with a counter-electrode can provide a potential difference across at least a portion of the interior of the vessel between the TCO layer and the counter-electrode. The electrode arrangement can be utilized in an electrochemical process (e.g. electrodeposition and/or electroflotation) to dewater and harvest the microalgae in the same apparatus as the microalgae was cultivated.

Described is a method for the culture of microalgae, comprising: providing a consortium of at least two living species of microalgae; culturing under illumination the consortium in a controllable bioreactor and under non-sterile aqueous culture conditions; and controlling the culture conditions for affecting at least one of the following output: (i) flocculation and/or settling of said consortium of microalgae; and (ii) adhesion of the microalgae to surfaces of the bioreactor; wherein said culture conditions are controlled to promote (i) and/or to minimize (ii), without adversely affecting growth of the consortium of microalgae. It is also possible to control the culture conditions for affecting iii) the protein, carbohydrate, and/or fat content of the said microalgae consortium. A system for carrying out the method is also described.

The invention relates to a bioreactor comprising a tank (100) capable of being operated for a working period, said tank (100) being intended to receive a culture medium comprising a cellular culture of photosynthetic microorganisms, a light source (200) arranged to emit incident light having a chosen incoming light intensity (Iin) in the direction of the tank, a temperature probe (400) for measuring the temperature of said culture medium in the tank, and a temperature regulator (500) capable of raising and lowering the temperature of said culture medium in the tank, and further comprising a control (700) of the temperature regulator arranged to adjust the temperature of the culture medium to a low setpoint value (VCB) during a first period, and to adjust the temperature of the culture medium to a high setpoint value (VCH) during a second period, the succession of said first and second periods making it possible to induce a cellular stress in at least some of said photosynthetic microorganisms during the working period.

A process for production of biofuels from algae can include cultivating an oil-producing algae by promoting sequential photoautotrophic and heterotrophic growth. The method can further include producing oil by heterotrophic growth of algae wherein the heterotrophic algae growth is achieved by introducing a sugar feed to the oil-producing algae. An algal oil can be extracted from the oil-producing algae, and can be converted to form biodiesel.

Quantum dot (QD) LEDs useful for plant, algael and photosynthetic bacterial growth applications. The QD LEDs utilizes a solid state LED (typically emitting blue or UV light) as the primary light source and one or more QD elements as a secondary light source that down-converts the primary light. The emission profile of the QD LED can be tuned to correspond to the absorbance spectrum of one or more photosynthetic pigments of the organism.

The present disclosure provides methods and materials for the cultivation and/or propagation of a photosynthetic organism. Such methods may comprise the use of a lamp assembly that comprises a plurality of circuit boards, each comprising at least three edges, arranged in a substantially spherical shape defining an interior lamp assembly volume, wherein the plurality of circuit boards comprise a first planar surface in contact with the interior lamp assembly volume and an opposing second planar surface comprising light emitting diodes (LEDs); and a barrier that surrounds the plurality of circuit boards forming the substantially spherical shape.

The invention relates to a method and to a device for feeding gases or gas mixtures into a liquid, suspension, or emulsion in a reactor in a specific manner. According to the invention, gases or gas mixtures are fed into a liquid, suspension, or emulsion in a reactor in a specific manner, wherein the gas or gas mixture is fed in a specific amount and/or at defined points in time in one pulse as a gas bubble into a flowing liquid in a tilted reactor system, whereby a pulsation effect is obtained, wherein a driving force is produced by means of an adiabatic relaxation of the fed-in gas or gas mixture, by means of which driving force wall adhesions on the reactor are prevented.

A triiodide resin (TR) tube of the present invention has a cylindrical shape. A resin exhaust preventing part is provided at a lower portion of the TR tube, and a triiodide resin is received inside the TR tube. A contaminated culture passes through the TR tube to allow an axenic culture to flow out. When a microalgae culture contaminated with bacteria passes through the TR tube filled with the triiodide resin, a pure culture of microalgae can be prepared by using the sterilizing rate of bacteria populations, which is relatively higher than that of microalgae, due to characteristics of iodine exhibiting negative polarity. An axenic inoculation system for microalgae using the TR tube of the present invention comprises the steps of: sterilizing a photobioreactor (PBR) with peracetic acid, washing the PBR with purified water, and filling the PBR with a sterilized culture; allowing a microalgae culture contaminated with bacteria to pass through a TR tube attached on an upper portion of the PBR, thereby obtaining an axenic culture; and inoculating the axenic culture into a culture liquid inside the PBR to culture microalgae. According to the present invention, the microalgae contaminated with bacteria are sterilized together with bacteria in external air flowing in the TR tube while passing through the TR tube, thereby causing no secondary contamination at the time of inoculation or culture.

A system and a method for producing biomass from a mixed community of algal species. The method comprises the steps of culturing the mixed community of at least two algal species as biofilms on transparent surfaces having structural features and an optical filter, providing a continuous supply of a culture medium comprising at least 0.5 mol/L aqueous (bi)carbonate and having a pH greater than 9. The method disclosed herein facilitates online monitoring of mixed community productivity by the quantification of oxygen production.

An interconnected photosynthesis matrix and bio-energy production system. More specifically, a self-sustaining bio-system that uses the bio-energy production system, which comprises a selection process, an extraction process, and a transfer process, to create an energy enhanced organism and then uses the energy from the energy enhanced organisms for human use and/or for the second portion of the system, the photosynthesis matrix, where photosynthesis takes place. The energy is extracted from the energy enhanced organism by creating an energy rich homogenate, and then the energy is transferred to the grid, to an energy storage device, or to the photosynthesis matrix. The photosynthesis matrix consumes carbon dioxide and reduces carbon dioxide concentration while producing glucose, which it then provides to the bio-energy production system. The two systems work together in a feedback loop to allow continuous chemical reactions.