FIELD TRIP TO FACULTY OF BIOTECHNOLOGY (MICROALGAE PHOTOBIOREACTOR)

Location 1:

There are two types of microalgae which are marine and freshwater. First of all, monoculture of each species was placed in the incubator machine for blooming. Incubator machine will automatically control the oxygen, light and temperature that microalgae needed for their growth. Once the culture bloom, they upscale to flask with the volume 1.5L to 5L. Since the volume is still low, they do not provide any aeration, but it has to be shakes several times per day or placed them on the shaker. The mass culture was upscale to large scale which is up to 100L – 120L. Price of the machine that used to upscale the microalgae up to 100-120L is RM20k.

The process in making large scale is starting from 20L of culture species added by 20L medium solution. Then, day by day, medium solution will be added until it reaches up to 100-120L. The machine that used has photobioreactor which provide enough light sources to microalgae even when the density is very high. In this place, there are three machines altogether which used for culturing microalgae in big scale. The other way to upscale them into large scale is starting from putting the culture species (depend on their density) and directly added with medium solution until it reaches up to 100-120L. However, the first process is more better and effective compare with the second one.

Once they harvest the mass culture, they will process them from the solution into powder. 5L of mass culture solution normally will produce one petri dish of mass culture powder.

Figure 1: Machine that incubates monoculture for each microalgae species

Figure 2: Mass culture (marine species) that being upscale from incubator (1.5-5L)

Figure 3: Mass culture (freshwater species) that being upscale from incubator (1.5-5L)

Figure 4: Mass culture that placed on the shaker

Figure 5: Machine that used in up-scaling mass culture into 100-120L

Figure 6: Mass culture powder in petri dish that produced from 5L of mass culture solution

Location 2

This location is actually trying to produce mass culture in big scale with the low cost. In this room, total cost to produce them is only RM4k which is cheaper than the other one machine that they used. There are also room that still conducting a research on the effect of different type of LED used towards microalgae growth and nutrient content. This place also produces their own product but it is based on demand from other people or researcher. They do not use outdoor system since direct sunlight and outdoor environment might contaminate mass culture more easily. Thus, they use photobioreactor instead of larger tank (outdoor system) to reduce contamination towards mass culture. Moreover, if they use larger tank or outdoor system, once the density of mass culture is high, direct sunlight cannot penetrate light and it may get not enough light to continue growing. This situation will lead to microalgae crash. 

Figure 7: Mass culture of green algae (Chlorella sp.) 

Figure 8: Mass culture of green algae (aquarium tank) – large scale