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Review
. 2023 Aug 10;21(8):445.
doi: 10.3390/md21080445.

Overview and Challenges of Large-Scale Cultivation of Photosynthetic Microalgae and Cyanobacteria

Lucie Novoveská  1 , Søren Laurentius Nielsen  2 , Orhan Tufan Eroldoğan  3 , Berat Zeki Haznedaroglu  4 , Baruch Rinkevich  5 , Stefano Fazi  6 , Johan Robbens  7 , Marlen Vasquez  8 , Hjörleifur Einarsson  9
Affiliations
Review

Overview and Challenges of Large-Scale Cultivation of Photosynthetic Microalgae and Cyanobacteria

Lucie Novoveská et al. Mar Drugs. .

Abstract

Microalgae and cyanobacteria are diverse groups of organisms with great potential to benefit societies across the world. These organisms are currently used in food, feed, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In addition, a variety of novel compounds are being isolated. Commercial production of photosynthetic microalgae and cyanobacteria requires cultivation on a large scale with high throughput. However, scaling up production from lab-based systems to large-scale systems is a complex and potentially costly endeavor. In this review, we summarise all aspects of large-scale cultivation, including aims of cultivation, species selection, types of cultivation (ponds, photobioreactors, and biofilms), water and nutrient sources, temperature, light and mixing, monitoring, contamination, harvesting strategies, and potential environmental risks. Importantly, we also present practical recommendations and discuss challenges of profitable large-scale systems associated with economical design, effective operation and maintenance, automation, and shortage of experienced phycologists.

Keywords: cyanobacteria cultivation; large-scale cultivation; microalgae cultivation; scale-up.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Examples of large-scale cultivation of photosynthetic microalgae and cyanobacteria. (a) Open pond (Israel) (photo credit Soren Nielsen) (b) Floating offshore closed PBRs with capacity 8000 L each at Algae Systems LTD (USA) (photo credit Lucie Novoveská) (c) 1000 L pond (Turkey) (d–g) Large-scale 40,000 L tubular PBRs at Akvatek (Turkey).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Informatics highlighting the most common challenges associated with large-scale cultivation systems.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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