Annotation
The course takes place at the Institute of Chemical Processes of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Research Group of Algal and Microbial Biotechnology in Prague. The course consists of two full-day sessions and one 2-hour session (Friday, March 1, 2024, Friday, March 8, 2024, + 1 session of 2 hours between March 4-7, 2024).
The aim of the course is to introduce students to different photobioreactors and experience the cultivation of the cyanobacterium Limnospira (spirulina), including the evaluation of growth data.
First day – Friday, March 1, 2024 (full day):
Tour of the laboratory and operating hall, tour of the photobioreactors, explanation of aeration, photoinhibition, evaporative replenishment, measurement of CO2 content in aeration gas, nutrient balance during cultivation. Explanation of absorbance measurement and calculation of biomass concentration. The students take a sample of Limnospira, measure absorbance, and calculate the amount of culture needed to initiate a new 200L cultivation. They then inoculate the 200L and 40L photobioreactors themselves (water filling, weighing salts – Zarruk medium, turning on aeration, checking CO2 content, checking pH) and take a zero-biomass sample, measure absorbance and gravimetry. The same suspension is inoculated into 350 ml reactors in three parallels.
Monday, March 4 – Thursday, March 7, 2024 (1-2 hours each day):
Each day, a group of students will come to take a sample of Limnospira (spirulina) for absorbance/gravimetry from 200L, 40L, and 350 ml cylindrical reactors and perform daily maintenance of the large reactors – wipe foam from walls, check temperature, pH, CO2 in 200L.
Last day – Friday, March 8, 2024 (full day): Collection of final samples, construction of growth curves. Filtration of 40L or 200L, harvesting and washing of spirulina, tasting (spreads, smoothies); presentation and interpretation of results.