Bachelor Thesis Candidate Andreas Kulakowski (2008)

Microalgae have the potential to be one part of future energy economy. The reason: Algae have a very high growth rate compared to normal plants. Consequently, a lot of biomass can be produced in a short time. Together with other sustainable energy sources the kinetic problem of sustainability in our society could be partly solved. Furthermore, the demand of algae in the cosmetic, food and aquaculture industry is still increasing today.

The resulting question from an aquaculture perspective is what are possibilities to produce algae in a fast and efficient way?

One solution is the use of waste water, since it contains important nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous. A recirculation system for marine fish has a high daily output of those nutrients. Problems are the accumulation of nitrate and the high production of carbon dioxide by the fish. Consequences are a sinking pH-value, decreasing biofilter efficiency and stress for the fish.

In this Bachelor thesis a self constructed algae photo-bioreactor will be connected to a marine recirculation system containing sea bass. Parameters like nitrate and ammonia as well as biomass production will be determined. The purpose is to make a statement about the economic and energetic efficiency of such a system and how far it could be an alternative or a complement to the biofilter.

The study is supported by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research and the companies IFFT GmbH and Erwin Sander Elektroapparatebau GmbH.

Supervisor:

Prof. Dr. Bela H. Buck (AWI)
Dr. Bert Wecker (IFFT, Mönchengladbach)