Scale-up of mixotrophic cultivation with Galdieria sulphuraria

Sùmmary

This thesis explores the large-scale implementation of a novel type of microalgae cultivation known as oxygen-balanced mixotrophy, using the extremophilic microalga Galdieria sulphuraria. This cultivation method improves current practices by combining growth on both light and sugar in a balanced manner within a single cultivation system. In this way, productivity is increased considerably while the sugar is used very efficiently. However, adapting this concept for industrial implementation presents challenges, as cultivation conditions differ significantly at large volumes. To address this issue, we adopted a multi-step approach. Initially, we simulated large-volume conditions in a lab setting. Following this, we conducted computational simulations of the system. Finally, we implemented the process at a pilot scale with the knowledge gained from our previous simulations. Our approach successfully translated the process to an industrially relevant scale while preserving the advantages observed in the laboratory.