Ricerc@Sapienza

Microalgal productivity under changing conditions of light intensity and temperature is a crucial parameter for evaluating profitability and sustainability of an outdoor cultivation in cylindrical photobioreactors. The control of the principal outdoor variables, even for the more accurate systems, is subject to a wide number of factors that might influence the measures taken, thus falsifying their correlation with the microalgal growth.

An empirical model for prediction of microalgal growth in outdoor photobioreactors cultivation, using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression method, is implemented. Experimental data of biomass production were collected over 1 year of operation of a bubble column prototype, monitoring light and temperature and changing cultivation's conditions. PCA isolates 2 Principal Components that explain 80% of the variance and are associated with Environmental Conditions and Cultivation Conditions.