TY - JOUR
T1 - Photic volume in photobioreactors supporting ultrahigh population densities of the photoautotroph Spirulina platensis
AU - Gitelson, Anatoly
AU - Hu, Qiuang
AU - Richmond, Amos
PY - 1996
Y1 - 1996
N2 - Characterization of the photic zone and light penetration depth in cultures with ultrahigh cell densities represents a major issue in mass cultures of phytoautotrophic microorganisms grown in enclosed photobioreactors. In a study of the effect of underwater optical properties on the penetration depth of photosynthetically active radiation, the inherent optical properties of algal suspensions, i.e., absorption and scattering coefficients, as well as their apparent optical properties, i.e., the reflectance and the vertical attenuation coefficient of downwelling irradiance, were determined by using high-spectral-resolution radiometric measurements. The vertical attenuation coefficient was used to estimate quantitatively the depth of light penetration into a reactor containing an ultrahigh cell density (chlorophyll concentration, up to 300,000 mg m-3). For such a high cell density, the photic volume in the reactor was found to be extremely small; nevertheless, it differed between the blue and red light (less than 0.06 mm) and the green light (about 0.5 mm). This suggests a singular role for green light under the unique circumstances existing in ultrahigh-cell-density cultures of photoautotrophs.
AB - Characterization of the photic zone and light penetration depth in cultures with ultrahigh cell densities represents a major issue in mass cultures of phytoautotrophic microorganisms grown in enclosed photobioreactors. In a study of the effect of underwater optical properties on the penetration depth of photosynthetically active radiation, the inherent optical properties of algal suspensions, i.e., absorption and scattering coefficients, as well as their apparent optical properties, i.e., the reflectance and the vertical attenuation coefficient of downwelling irradiance, were determined by using high-spectral-resolution radiometric measurements. The vertical attenuation coefficient was used to estimate quantitatively the depth of light penetration into a reactor containing an ultrahigh cell density (chlorophyll concentration, up to 300,000 mg m-3). For such a high cell density, the photic volume in the reactor was found to be extremely small; nevertheless, it differed between the blue and red light (less than 0.06 mm) and the green light (about 0.5 mm). This suggests a singular role for green light under the unique circumstances existing in ultrahigh-cell-density cultures of photoautotrophs.
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U2 - 10.1128/aem.62.5.1570-1573.1996
DO - 10.1128/aem.62.5.1570-1573.1996
M3 - Article
C2 - 16535309
AN - SCOPUS:15844395828
SN - 0099-2240
VL - 62
SP - 1570
EP - 1573
JO - Applied and environmental microbiology
JF - Applied and environmental microbiology
IS - 5
ER -