Effect of temperature on yield and night biomass loss in Spirulina platensis grown outdoors in tubular photobioreactors

G. Torzillo, A. Sacchi, R. Materassi, A. Richmond

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    111 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    Outdoor experiments carried out in Florence, Italy (latitude 43.8° N, longitude 11.3° E), using tubular photobioreactors have shown that in summer the average net productivity of a Spirulina platensis culture grown at the optimal temperature of 35 °C was superior by 23% to that observed in a culture grown at 25 °C. The rates of night biomass loss were higher in the culture grown at 25 °C (average 7.6% of total dry weight) than in the one grown at 35 °C (average 5%). Night biomass loss depended on the temperature and light irradiance at which the cultures were grown, since these factors influenced the biomass composition. A net increase in carbohydrate synthesis occurred when the culture was grown at a low biomass concentration under high light irradiance or at the suboptimal temperature of 25 °C. Excess carbohydrate synthesized during the day was only partially utilized for night protein synthesis.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)103-109
    Number of pages7
    JournalJournal of Applied Phycology
    Volume3
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 1 Jun 1991

    Keywords

    • Spirulina
    • carbohydrate
    • night biomass loss
    • outdoor mass culture
    • photobioreactor
    • temperature

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Aquatic Science
    • Plant Science

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