Development of Production and Nutrition Characteristics of HISTAR: Beta II Evaluation

Commercial microalgal production still relies heavily on batch culture methods. Recent investigations have been successful in the development of enclosed photobioreactors, though mostly still at the research level. Due to several factors, production costs of continuous culture methods remain high and thwart the adoption within the commercial aquaculture sector. This project will investigate the use of greenhouses and control algorithms to enhance production and reduce energy input in a Hydraulically Integrated Serial Turbidostat Algal Reactor (HISTAR). Phase I results indicate that HISTAR is capable of sustained production and contaminant mitigation under varying temperature and irradiance regimes seen in greenhouses. The objective of this Phase II project is to refine the HISTAR technology at AST, develop design production and operational criteria, determine nutritional consistency, determine profitability and execute beta II testing at three commercial sites. A suite of 15-month studies will be performed over the two-year project period to collect the productivity data required for modeling and economic analysis efforts. The data will also be compared to performance data collected historically on HISTAR operated under artificially illuminated conditions. Systems will be installed at three commercial sites in the second year and evaluated using the same protocols developed for the AST system. Successful results will position the HISTAR technology for commercial adoption within one year following the end of this product.