Biological Fixation of $CO_2$ by Chlorella sp. HA-1 in a Semi-Continuous and Series Reactor System

Biological Fixation of $CO_2$ by Chlorella sp. HA-1 in a Semi-Continuous and Series Reactor System

Characteristics of biological $CO_2$ fixation by Chlorella sp. HA-1 were investigated in a semi-continuous and series reactor system using an internally illuminated photobioreactor to overcome shortcomings of physicochemical technologies such as adsorption and membrane separation. High $CO_2$ fixation rate was achieved in the semi-continuous reactor system, in which the dilution ratios of the culture medium were controlled. The average $CO_2$ fixation rate was maintained almost constantly when the dilution ratio increased by 0.1 increment from the initial value of 0.5. The total removal efficiency of $CO_2$ was enhanced by employing a series reactor system. The average $CO_2$ fixation rate increased until 4.013 g $CO_2\;day^{-1}$ in a series operation of four reactors, compared to 0.986 g $CO_2\;day^{-1}$ in a batch operation mode. The total $CO_2$ fixation rate was proportional to the number of reactors used in the series reactor system. In the series reactor system of semi-continuous operation, a large amount of $CO_2$ was removed continuously for 30 days. These results showed that the present reactor systems are efficient and economically feasible for a biological $CO_2$ fixation.