Evaluation of CO₂ Sequestration by Microalgae Culture in Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) Medium

Abstract:

The microalgae Chlorella sp. grows well in POME medium sparged with a mixture of carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas and air under 10,000 lx of lighting. The percentage of CO₂ in the mixture, and the flow rate of the mixture (representing agitation) have important effects on the microalgae biomass yield. However, the percentage recovery of CO₂ as microalgae biomass was very low in all cases, indicating that most of the sparged CO₂ did not dissolve in the POME and was not sequestered by the microalgae but has in fact escaped with the bubbles into the head-space and out into the atmosphere. This result indicates that in order to increase the percentage of CO₂ recovered, the area of improvement is mainly in the mass transfer of CO₂ from the gas phase into the liquid phase. To ensure that dissolved CO₂ does not re-form bubbles, the mass transfer has to be demand-driven, where the rate of uptake of dissolved CO₂ by the microalgae has to be higher than the rate of mass transfer of CO₂ from gas phase into the liquid medium.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volume 1113)
• Pages: 311-316
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.1113.311
• Online since: July 2015
• Authors: Adibah Dayana Ahmad, Jailani Salihon, Ding Gong Tao
• Keywords: CO₂ Sequestration, Microalgae, POME

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