Model-driven continuous cultivation of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis on a technical scale

Photosynthesis-active microorganisms are one of the most important sustainable raw material sources of the future, since the regenerative energy sources of light and the inorganic carbon source CO2 are used for biomass construction. The high protein and lipid content as well as numerous biologically active cellular components make these organisms interesting for many industrial fields, e.g. the food (sustainable supply of the growing world population with proteins), cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. One of the most important aspects of algae biotechnology is that biomass formation is not dependent on agricultural areas, but rather is performed in closed photobioreactor system such as plants of MINT Engineering GmbH that are not competing with the cultivation of food crops.

The aim of this joint transfer project between the Institute of Natural Materials Technology and MINT Engineering GmbH is the establishment of a continuous model-based bioprocess for cultivating the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis on technical scales of 30 L and 200 L (Figure 1). The continuous process operation is expected to result in a significant increase in productivity and process stability. This implementation is intended to provide the basis for scalability to large industrial standards for the economical industrial production of high-quality biomass from cyanobacteria. The process model will be integrated into the company-specific process control (MINT.control) in order to realize predictive control routines for outdoor cultivations. For this purpose, investigations are conducted on the dependence of the essential growth parameters on the light and temperature conditions as well as on a hydrodynamic characterization of the MINT Engineering GmbH photobioreactor systems.