The Combined Effects of Carbon Dioxide Concentration and Irradiation on Growth of the Green Alga Haematococcus pluvialis

The biological fixation of carbon dioxide using microalgae have many advantages over chemicals and remove carbon dioxide simultaneously. A ketocarotenoid astaxanthin is hyper-accumulated in the green freshwater microalga, Haematococcus pluvialis. In the present study, the combine effects of carbon dioxide concentration and light intensity on the growth of H. pluvilais were investigated. The carbon dioxide concentration above 10% caused a severe inhibition and around 5% is optimal for growth. Adaptation to high concentration of carbon dioxide enhanced the $CO_2$ tolerance. Specific growth rate calculated differently based upon cell number or dry weight because of the distinctive life cycle patterns of H. pluvialis : small-sized motile green cell and thick cell walled red cyst cell. Based on the light dependence of H. pluvialis, internally illuminated air-lift photobioreactor was designed and operated. Gradual increase of light supply gave more active growth and more effective productivity of astaxanthin than constant light supply.