This review paper describes systems

Is used to cultivate microalgae for biofuel production. It addresses general design

considerations pertaining to reactors that use natural light and photosynthetic growth
mechanisms, with an emphasis on large-scale reactors. Important design aspects include
lighting, mixing, water consumption, CO2 consumption, O2 removal, nutrient supply,
temperature, and pH. Though open pond reactors are the most affordable option, they provide
insufficient This review paper describes systems used to cultivate microalgae for biofuel
production. It addresses general design considerations pertaining to reactors that use natural
light and photosynthetic growth mechanisms, with an emphasis on large-scale reactors.
Important design aspects include lighting, mixing, water consumption, CO 2 consumption,
O2 removal, nutrient supply, temperature, and pH. Though open pond reactors are the most
affordable option, they provide insufficient control of nearly all growth conditions. In contrast, a
variety of closed reactors offer substantial control, but few feature the likelihood for levels of
productivity that offset their high cost. One of the greatest challenges of closed photobioreactor
design is how to increase reactor size in order to benefit from economy of scale and produce
meaningful quanThis review paper describes systems used to cultivate microalgae for biofuel
production. It addresses general design considerations pertaining to reactors that use natural
light and photosynthetic growth mechanisms, with an emphasis on large-scale reactors.
Important design aspects include lighting, mixing, water consumption, CO 2 consumption,
O2 removal, nutrient supply, temperature, and pH. Though open pond reactors are the most
affordable option, they provide insufficient control of nearly all growth conditions. In contrast, a
variety of closed reactors offer substantial control, but few feature the likelihood for levels of
productivity that offset their high cost. One of the greatest challenges of closed photobioreactor
design is how to increase reactor size in order to benefit from economy of scale and produce
meaningful quantities of biofuel. This paper also highlights the concept of combining open and
closed systems and concludes with a discussion regarding a possible optimal reactor
configurationtities of biofuel. This paper also highlights the concept of combining open and
closed systems and concludes with a discussion regarding a possible optimal reactor
configurationcontrol of nearly all growth conditions. In contrast, a variety of closed reactors offer
substantial control, but few feature the likelihood for levels of productivity that offset their high
cost. One of theThis review paper describes systems used to cultivate microalgae for biofuel
production. It addresses general design considerations pertaining to reactors that use natural
light and photosynthetic growth mechanisms, with an emphasis on large-scale reactors.
Important design aspects include lighting, mixing, water consumption, CO 2 consumption,
O2 removal, nutrient supply, temperature, and pH. Though open pond reactors are the most
affordable option, they provide insufficient control of nearly all growth conditions. In contrast, a

variety of closed reactors offer substantial control, but few feature the likelihood for levels of
productivity that offset their high cost. One of the greatest challenges of closed photobioreactor
design is how to increase reactor size in order to benefit from economy of scale and produce
meaningful quantities of biofuel. This paper also highlights the concept of combining open and
closed systems and concludes with a discussion regarding a possible optimal reactor
configuration greatest challenges of closed photobioreactor design is how to increase reactor
size in order to benefit from economy of scale and produce meaningful quantities of biofuel.
This paper also highlights the concept of combining open and closed systems and concludes
with a discussion regarding a possible optimal reactor configuration