Single-cell computational analysis of light harvesting in a flat-panel photo-bioreactor
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Flat-panel photo-bioreactors (PBRs) are customarily applied for investigating growth of microalgae. Optimal design and operation of such reactors is still a challenge due to complex non-linear combinations of various impact factors, particularly hydrodynamics, light irradiation, and cell metabolism. A detailed analysis of single-cell light reception can lead to novel insights into the complex interactions of light exposure and algae movement in the reactor. RESULTS: The combined impacts of hydrodynamics and light irradiation on algae cultivation in a flat-panel PBR were studied by tracing the light exposure of individual cells over time. Hydrodynamics and turbulent mixing in this air-sparged bioreactor were simulated using the Eulerian approach for the liquid phase and a slip model for the gas phase velocity profiles. The liquid velocity was then used for tracing single cells and their light exposure, using light intensity profiles obtained from solving the radiative transfer equation at different wavelengths. The residence times of algae cells in defined dark and light zones of the PBR were statistically analyzed for different algal concentrations and sparging rates. The results indicate poor mixing caused by the reactor design which can be only partially improved by increased sparging rates. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide important information for optimizing algal biomass productivity by improving bioreactor design and operation and can further be utilized for an in-depth analysis of algal growth by using advanced models of cell metabolism.
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The majority of gas-liquid flows in photobioreactor CFD models are modeled in the Eulerian-Eulerian formulation, as two interpenetrating continua.
“According to Table 1, the majority of gas-liquid flows is modeled in the EulerianEulerian formulation [18,25-27,29-31,39-42,45,125,135,136], thus, as two interpenetrating continua.”
From Modeling and Simulation of Photobioreactors with Computational Fluid Dynamics—A Comprehensive Review (2022) · cites this paper as [27]
The Methods (Hydrodynamics) explicitly say this model uses an Eulerian approach for the liquid but a Lagrangian slip-model approach for gas velocity. It therefore does not exemplify the Eulerian–Eulerian formulation for which the citing sentence includes it; this paper alone also cannot establish what the majority of models use. (LLM, conf=0.88)
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe most commonly used drag models for gas-liquid flows in photobioreactor models are the Schiller-Naumann, Grace, Ishii-Zuber and Tomiyama models.
“According to Table 2, the most commonly used drag models for gas-liquid flows are the Schiller-Naumann [17,25,27,29], Grace [45,135], Ishii-Zuber [18,19,26,136] and Tomiyama models [30,31,125]”
From Modeling and Simulation of Photobioreactors with Computational Fluid Dynamics—A Comprehensive Review (2022) · cites this paper as [27]
Methods > Particle tracing explicitly says the study used the Schiller–Naumann drag law to estimate algal-particle velocity response. Methods > Hydrodynamics also models drag between gas bubbles and liquid, but does not identify that gas–liquid drag model as Schiller–Naumann. The paper therefore supports the citation as an example of Schiller–Naumann use in a photobioreactor, not specifically its use for gas–liquid flow or the claim that it is among the most commonly used models. (LLM, conf=0.81)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSome researchers selected solving the full RTE numerically in one or more dimensions.
“Instead of using simplified or analytical models, some researchers selected the second approach, which is solving the full RTE numerically in one or more dimensions [18,21,26-28,34].”
From Modeling and Simulation of Photobioreactors with Computational Fluid Dynamics—A Comprehensive Review (2022) · cites this paper as [27]
Microalgae cells are mostly modeled as discrete objects in photobioreactor CFD models.
“In contrast, microalgae cells are mostly modeled as discrete objects [23,24,26-29,31,34,36-38,136].”
From Modeling and Simulation of Photobioreactors with Computational Fluid Dynamics—A Comprehensive Review (2022) · cites this paper as [27]
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- Authors
- Loomba, V., Huber, G., & von Lieres, E.
- Affiliations
- Forschungszentrum Jülich (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Huber, Gregor
- Venue
- Biotechnology for Biofuels
- Published
- 2018-05-26
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 149-149
- ISSN
- 1754-6834 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5970501
- OpenAlex
- W2807635598
- Cited by
- 34
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 0.69
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Biotechnology for Biofuels (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- JuSER (Forschungszentrum Jülich) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- German Ministry of Education and Research (03SF0465)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Algal biology and biofuel production
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Fluid Dynamics and Mixing
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Greenhouse Technology and Climate Control
- Keywords
- microalgae cultivation, light harvesting, hydrodynamics, turbulent mixing, air sparging, residence time, radiative transfer equation, Eulerian two-phase flow, bioreactor design optimization, algal biomass productivity
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