Characterization of an Aerosol-Based Photobioreactor for Cultivation of Phototrophic Biofilms
Dorina Strieth,
Andreas Weber,
Johannes Robert,
Judith Stiefelmaier,
Jonas Kollmen,
Marianne Volkmar,
Michael Lakatos,
Volkmar Jordan,
Kai Muffler,
Roland Ulber
Affiliations
Dorina Strieth
Bioprocess Engineering, University of Kaiserslautern, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
Andreas Weber
Math2Market, 67655 Kaiserslautern, Germany
Johannes Robert
Chemical Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Münster, 48565 Steinfurt, Germany
Judith Stiefelmaier
Bioprocess Engineering, University of Kaiserslautern, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
Jonas Kollmen
Bioprocess Engineering, University of Kaiserslautern, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
Marianne Volkmar
Bioprocess Engineering, University of Kaiserslautern, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
Michael Lakatos
Integrative Biotechnology, Applied Logistics and Polymer Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, 66953 Pirmasens, Germany
Volkmar Jordan
Chemical Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Münster, 48565 Steinfurt, Germany
Kai Muffler
Department of Biotechnology, Enzyme and Fermentation Technology, Bioprocess Technology and Fundamentals of Microbiology, University of Applied Sciences Bingen, 55411 Bingen, Germany
Roland Ulber
Bioprocess Engineering, University of Kaiserslautern, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
Phototrophic biofilms, in particular terrestrial cyanobacteria, offer a variety of biotechnologically interesting products such as natural dyes, antibiotics or dietary supplements. However, phototrophic biofilms are difficult to cultivate in submerged bioreactors. A new generation of biofilm photobioreactors imitates the natural habitat resulting in higher productivity. In this work, an aerosol-based photobioreactor is presented that was characterized for the cultivation of phototrophic biofilms. Experiments and simulation of aerosol distribution showed a uniform aerosol supply to biofilms. Compared to previous prototypes, the growth of the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. could be almost tripled. Different surfaces for biofilm growth were investigated regarding hydrophobicity, contact angle, light- and temperature distribution. Further, the results were successfully simulated. Finally, the growth of Nostoc sp. was investigated on different surfaces and the biofilm thickness was measured noninvasively using optical coherence tomography. It could be shown that the cultivation surface had no influence on biomass production, but did affect biofilm thickness.
