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Influence of subsidiary energy on growth ofDunaliella viridis Teodoresco: the role of extra energy in algal growth

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Abstract

An account is given of the influence of different levels of mechanical energy, in the form of bubbling, on the growth of the microalgaDunaliella viridis when other variables (e.g. temperature, nutrient supply, photon fluence) do not change. The extra energy was quantified accurately through the application of the classical equations of mass and energy conservation providing a method for the calculation of the energy efficiency of primary production related to the total energy input, in which photon fluence was found to be the most important. The specific growth rate (μ) of the population vs the input of auxiliary energy fits to a second order polynomial function with a maximum growth rate at 0.63 W m−2. The increase of maximal cell density follows a hyperbolic saturation kinetics, with saturation at those same values of extra energy. Both primary production and the efficiency of energy transformation inD. viridis vs the variation of total energy input fit to hyperbolic functions, reaching a maximum efficiency for primary production of 0.85%.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Málaga, 29071, Málaga, Spain

    José Aguilera, Carlos Jiménez & F. X. Niell

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences, University of Málaga, 29071, Málaga, Spain

    J. M. Rodríguez-Maroto

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  1. José Aguilera
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  2. Carlos Jiménez
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  3. J. M. Rodríguez-Maroto
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  4. F. X. Niell
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Aguilera, J., Jiménez, C., Rodríguez-Maroto, J.M. et al. Influence of subsidiary energy on growth ofDunaliella viridis Teodoresco: the role of extra energy in algal growth. J Appl Phycol 6, 323–330 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02181946

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02181946

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