Introduction:

Intensive culture of algae reduces the emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, giving algal biomass as added value.

Objective:

To estimate the micro- and macroalgae photosynthetic potential in biological reactors.

Materials and Methods:

The proposed methodology allows estimating photosynthetic potential of algae grown in bioreactors that use industrial residual carbon dioxide. Calculation of photosynthetically active and ultraviolet radiation reaching reactor surface, the modeling of their propagation in water column and calculation of the consequent photosynthetic potential are contemplated.

Results and Discussion:

The results show that the differences in biomass productivity between different algae species are more conditioned by differences in the efficiency of nutrient assimilation and sensitivity to temperature and pH than to differences in photosynthetic efficiency.

Conclusions:

Preliminary results were presented for bioreactors that would be fed with coastal marine waters. For analyzed cases, the results show that in turbid coastal waters the photosynthetic potential is greater than for clearer coastal waters, which is conditioned by the greater inhibitory power of ultraviolet radiation in clear waters at bioreactors small depths. Likewise, the efficiency in the processing of photosynthetically active radiation, characteristic of each algae species, has little influence on the photosynthetic potential, due to the dominance of ultraviolet radiation in shallow waters.

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