Evaluating the Effect of Light Intensity, Carbon Dioxide, and Sodium Nitrate on Microalgae Growth in Channel and Tubular Photobioreactor

Algae are highly taken into consideration because of their nutritional value and different applications. Nowadays, Algae are also considered as a source for generating energy. Light intensity, carbon dioxide, and the amount of nitrate are important restrictive factors in microalgae growth. Today, efficient photobioreactors are used for increasing the mass of micro-algae. However, one of the limiting factors in the cultivation of micro-algae is the biomass movement and the appropriate application of nutrients. In this research, the tubular photobioreactor designed in Islamic Azad University, Varamin branch, is evaluated. For so doing, by fixing some of the factors affecting the growth such as temperature and pH, the impact of different amounts of sodium nitrate, light, and carbon dioxide on microalgae growth in tubular photobioreactor was explored. A factorial experiment with three replications was carried out with different amount of NaNo3 (0.75, 15, and 3mM), CO2 (0.2, 0.35, and 0.5Lit /S) and light intensity (150, 200, and 250 µ.mol.photon/m2.s). The results showed that the growth of microalgae significantly increased by increasing CO2 and NaNO3 quantities (at p