Class
Article
College
College of Engineering
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
Algae harvested from the Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility was cultivated in nine 27-gallon Rotating Algae Biofilm Reactors (RABRs) to study the effect of shear forces on biofilm productivity. These bench- scale RABRs, with panel entry angles ranging from 0° to 90°, were designed using computational fluid dynamics. Each acrylic panel had dimensions of 0.220x2.5x12 inches with v-shaped grooves (each with an angle of 90°) running the length of each panel. Three depths of v- grooves were tested in triplicate, these depths being 0.055 in, 0.11 in, and 0.165 in. The RABRs were run with a peripheral velocity of 0.1225 m/s with a 7-day hydraulic retention time. Each RABR was harvested every 7 days, and the algae was collected and weighed. Additionally, using computational fluid dynamics modeling software, the effective shear stresses were measured for each panel. This data can be applied to further upscaled RABR projects to increase their effective range.
Location
Logan, UT
Start Date
4-9-2025 12:30 PM
End Date
4-9-2025 1:20 PM
Included in
Effect of Shear Stresses on Microalgae Biofilm Productivity
Logan, UT
Algae harvested from the Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility was cultivated in nine 27-gallon Rotating Algae Biofilm Reactors (RABRs) to study the effect of shear forces on biofilm productivity. These bench- scale RABRs, with panel entry angles ranging from 0° to 90°, were designed using computational fluid dynamics. Each acrylic panel had dimensions of 0.220x2.5x12 inches with v-shaped grooves (each with an angle of 90°) running the length of each panel. Three depths of v- grooves were tested in triplicate, these depths being 0.055 in, 0.11 in, and 0.165 in. The RABRs were run with a peripheral velocity of 0.1225 m/s with a 7-day hydraulic retention time. Each RABR was harvested every 7 days, and the algae was collected and weighed. Additionally, using computational fluid dynamics modeling software, the effective shear stresses were measured for each panel. This data can be applied to further upscaled RABR projects to increase their effective range.