SBIR Phase I: Algae Trickle-Screen Test

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will provide an outdoor demonstration of a high intensity algae photo-bioreactor system called turbulent trickle-screen thin-film photo-bioreactor. The photo-bioreactor uses thin film culture to achieve a high density of algae culture, trickle-screen to attenuate light in a suspension of algae, and make-up water to deliver pre-dissolved CO2. A lab-scale unit has been tested to produce the algae of Botryococcus brunii at a cell concentration higher than 20 g dry biomass/L and oil production higher than 5 g/L. The broader/commercial impact of the proposed project will be the enhancement of algal production, and the technology to capture CO2 and treat waste water during the algal production. The success of this project will provide highly efficient and compact photo-bioreactors for the production of microalgae at an ultra high cell density on a large scale.