Materials , geometry , and net energy ratio of tubular photobioreactors for microalgal hydrogen production

We estimate the energy content, the operational energy inputs, and the net energy ratio (NER) of an industrial tubular photobioreactor used for the photosynthetic production of H2 by microalgae. The calculated H2 output of the photobioreactor is based on a range of algal photosynthetic H2 generation efficiencies, and on the application of standard theory for tubular solar collectors. Small diameter reactors have a low NER as the mixing energy becomes large. For a tubular photobioreactor, low density polyethylene (LDPE) film and glass have significantly higher NERs than rigid polymers such as polymethyl methylacrylate (acrylic). Using a hypothetical improved microalgal H2 generation efficiency of 5 %, a NER ~ 6 can be obtained for LDPE film and for glass. For mechanical and assembly reasons LDPE film is the material of choice. These results show that photobiohydrogen could be a viable H2 generation technology.

[1]  J. Munksgaard,et al.  Energy and CO2 life-cycle analyses of wind turbines—review and applications , 2002 .

[2]  Johannes Tramper,et al.  Enclosed outdoor photobioreactors: light regime, photosynthetic efficiency, scale-up, and future prospects. , 2003, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[3]  T. Williamson,et al.  Australian Solar Radiation Data Handbook (7 volumes) , 1995 .

[4]  J. Rochaix.  Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as the photosynthetic yeast. , 1995, Annual review of genetics.

[5]  Jose C. Merchuk,et al.  Comparison of photobioreactors for cultivation of the red microalga Porphyridium sp , 2000 .

[6]  Ephraim Cohen,et al.  A closed system for outdoor cultivation of Porphyridium , 1989 .

[7]  A. Melis,et al.  Green alga hydrogen production: progress, challenges and prospects , 2002 .

[8]  Jeff Shrager,et al.  Chlamydomonas reinhardtii at the Crossroads of Genomics , 2003, Eukaryotic Cell.

[9]  Miguel Olaizola,et al.  Commercial production of astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis using 25,000-liter outdoor photobioreactors , 2000, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[10]  A. Grossman,et al.  THE USE OF CHLAMYDOMONAS (CHLOROPHYTA: VOLVOCALES) AS A MODEL ALGAL SYSTEM FOR GENOME STUDIES AND THE ELUCIDATION OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC PROCESSES , 1998 .

[11]  Andreas Züttel,et al.  Hydrogen storage methods , 2004, Naturwissenschaften.

[12]  Elizabeth H. Harris,et al.  The Chlamydomonas Sourcebook: A Comprehensive Guide to Biology and Laboratory Use , 1989 .

[13]  R. Seals,et al.  Calculating Solar Radiation Received by Tubular Collectors , 1995 .

[14]  W. A. Amos,et al.  Updated Cost Analysis of Photobiological Hydrogen Production from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Green Algae: Milestone Completion Report , 2004 .

[15]  John R. Benemann,et al.  Hydrogen production by microalgae , 2000, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[16]  George Baird,et al.  The Energy Embodied in Building Materials - Updated New Zealand Coefficients and Their Significance , 1997 .

[17]  G. C. Zittelli,et al.  Efficiency of sunlight utilization: tubular versus flat photobioreactors , 1998, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[18]  O. Pulz,et al.  Photobioreactors: production systems for phototrophic microorganisms , 2001, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[19]  Paul M. Grant,et al.  Hydrogen lifts off — with a heavy load , 2003, Nature.

[20]  Peter Kjeldsen,et al.  Evaluation of gas diffusion through plastic materials used in experimental and sampling equipment , 1993 .

[21]  Jeff Shrager,et al.  Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Genome Project. A Guide to the Generation and Use of the cDNA Information1 , 2003, Plant Physiology.

[22]  W. Beckman,et al.  Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes , 1985 .

[23]  F. G. Acién,et al.  Tubular photobioreactor design for algal cultures. , 2001, Journal of biotechnology.

[24]  A. Melis,et al.  Hydrogen production. Green algae as a source of energy. , 2001, Plant physiology.

[25]  Michael Seibert,et al.  Demonstration of sustained hydrogen photoproduction by immobilized, sulfur-deprived Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells , 2006 .

[26]  M. Mann,et al.  Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Hydrogen Production via Wind/Electrolysis , 2004 .

[27]  A. Grossman.  Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and photosynthesis: genetics to genomics. , 2000, Current opinion in plant biology.

[28]  E. H. Harris,et al.  CHLAMYDOMONAS AS A MODEL ORGANISM. , 2003, Annual review of plant physiology and plant molecular biology.

[29]  John R. Benemann,et al.  Feasibility analysis of photobiological hydrogen production , 1997 .

[30]  Manfred Lenzen,et al.  GREENHOUSE GAS ANALYSIS OF SOLAR-THERMAL ELECTRICITY GENERATION , 1999 .

[31]  F. G. Fernández,et al.  A model for light distribution and average solar irradiance inside outdoor tubular photobioreactors for the microalgal mass culture. , 1997, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[32]  Lu Zhang,et al.  Sustained photobiological hydrogen gas production upon reversible inactivation of oxygen evolution in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. , 2000, Plant physiology.

[33]  A. Richmond,et al.  A new tubular reactor for mass production of microalgae outdoors , 1993, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[34]  Bryce S. Richards,et al.  Permanently dispelling a myth of photovoltaics via the adoption of a new net energy indicator , 2007 .

[35]  Tariq Muneer,et al.  Energy and environmental impact analysis of double-glazed windows , 1998 .

[36]  M. Ghirardi,et al.  Sustained hydrogen photoproduction by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: Effects of culture parameters. , 2002 .

[37]  Jyotirmay Mathur,et al.  Cumulative energy demand for selected renewable energy technologies , 1999 .

[38]  Pasquale Trotta,et al.  A simple and inexpensive system for continuous monoxenic mass culture of marine microalgae , 1981 .

[39]  Pamela L. Spath,et al.  Life Cycle Assessment of Hydrogen Production via Natural Gas Steam Reforming , 2000 .

[40]  H. Hamid,et al.  Plastics in Agriculture , 2005 .

[41]  J. Weissman,et al.  Photobioreactor design: Mixing, carbon utilization, and oxygen accumulation , 1988, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[42]  M. Seibert,et al.  Genomics of green algal hydrogen research , 2004, Photosynthesis Research.

[43]  Debabrata Das,et al.  Hydrogen production by biological processes: a survey of literature , 2001 .

[44]  Patrick C. Hallenbeck,et al.  Biological hydrogen production; fundamentals and limiting processes , 2002 .