Nutrient RequirementsFrom Phyco.orgAlgae requires dissolved nutrients, similar to terrestrial flora. Nitrates and phosphates are two notable nutrients, as well as sodium and silicates.
[edit] f/2 Medium(Guillard & Ryther 1962, Guillard 1975)
See: Provasoli-Guillard_National_Center_for_Culture_of_Marine_Phytoplankton - f/2 Medium and Derivatives Trace Nutirent - MicroNutrients Nualgi contains - Fe, Mn, Co, Mo, S, Ca, Mg, Zn, Si, B, P, N, K, Cl. In a form that is redispersible in water. Vitamins- Yeast. [edit] Zarrouk's Medium Simulant
10 gal water, 30 tbsp bicarb (feed grade) (30Na@20%) (Na done), 1 tbsp even fertilizer (1N-1P-1K@16%-16%-16%) (P done, K done), 1 tbsp ammonium sulphate fertilizer (1N-1S@20%-20%) (S done), .5 tbsp urea fertilizer (.5N@40%) (N done), .5 tbsp salt (.5Cl@50%) (Cl done), .2 tbsp epsom salts Need traces of Ca and Fe: .04 Ca and .01 Fe This formula is a rough approximation of Zorrouk's Medium (see attachment), based on its empirical formula which is about (ignoring H, O and C) Na=30 N=3 P=.5 K=1 S=1.23 Cl=1.04 Ca=.04 Mg=.2 Fe=.02 Caveat: When I say "rough" I mean I haven't really done the molar or specific gravity calculations needed to get within "scientific" distance of the right volumetric recipe -- tbsp being a unit of volume. I felt this deserved a message of its own as it qualifies as a signifiant discovery -- having successfully grown a arthrospira platensis as well as having readily accessible and affordable sources for small famers and even gardeners (who know where the small farmers go to get things they need) near mid-sized towns (say 5,000 to 10,000). [edit] Dissolved GasesAlgae use Oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N2) from the medium. Water naturally dissolves these nutrients from the air as they are used. Although, they may be added to the medium as fertilizer. [edit] Carbon Dioxide (CO2)The big interest of algae production is to use CO2 produced by industrial plant, not to produce more CO2. People are looking for solution to store CO2 into the ground. Using it for algae oil production makes more sens.
2 liters of luke warm water mixed with 2 cups of sugar and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. After mixing sugar add 1 tablespoon of baker's yeast. This produces CO2 bubbles every second. I started this experiment one evening and it displacement 200ml of water from another bottle within the first 1.5 hrs. I left experiment overnight it easier emptied 1800ml of water from other bottle. According to web posting the will produce CO2 for two weeks. [edit] PhosporousRef: http://www.internal.eawag.ch/~bossard/publication/litchmanFWB2003.pdf Photosynthetic and Growth Responses of Three Freshwater Algae to Phosphorous Limitation and Daylength, 2003, Elena Litchman, Daniel Steiner and Peter Bossard, Freshwater Biology, (2003) 48, pp. 2141-2148. Summary Three common fresh water algae species, a diatom, green, and blue-green algae, demonstrated they reacted differently to various levels of dim light and amounts of phosphorous. Insufficient phosphorous causes slower growth that is similar to photoinhibition, which means growth slows due to too much light. Thus, phosphorous is most important to algae in bright light and long day length. Phosphorous limitation is less pronounced in spring and autumn. |
