Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/5417
Title: Living microalgae-textile and cyanobacteria-loofah biocomposites for intensified carbon capture, utilisation and storage
Authors: In-na, Pichaya
Issue Date: 2020
Publisher: Newcastle University
Abstract: Microalgae and cyanobacteria have been intensively studied as biological routes for carbon capture. Conventionally, they are cultivated in suspension within open ponds or enclosed photobioreactors (PBR); however, these systems suffer from many drawbacks including large land and water consumption, slow mass transfer rates, and high risk of contamination. This thesis presents a biocomposite culture system to overcome these disadvantages by immobilising cells onto solid supports (textiles and loofah sponge) using non-toxic hydrogel and latex-based binders. The performance of Chlorella vulgaris (a eukaryote microalga) textile-based hydrogel top coated biocomposites were tested in semi-batch CO2 absorption tests, resulting in enhanced CO2 capture. The highest CO2 absorption rate was 1.82 ± 0.10 g CO2 g-1 biomass d-1 from coated cotton biocomposites, followed by 1.55 ± 0.27 g CO2 g-1 biomass d-1 from uncoated cotton biocomposites. There was some degradation of the cotton, which could limit operational lifetime of the biocomposites. Loofah-based Synechococcus elongatus (prokaryote cyanobacterium) latex-based biocomposites had CO2 absorption rates of 0.68 ± 0.18 and 0.93 ± 0.30 g CO2 g-1 biomass d-1 for S. elongatus strain PCC 7942 (PCC) and CCAP 1479/1A (CCAP) respectively; however, cell outgrowth occurred midway through the trials. The formulations of synthetic latex binders were adjusted using different styrene/butyl acrylate blends and a coalescence agent (i.e. TexanolTM), increasing CO2 uptake rates by 14-20 and 3-8 fold for CCAP and PCC relative to their suspension controls. The CCAP biocomposites lasted in excess of 12 weeks whereas the PCC biocomposites experienced cell leaching after four weeks. A simplified techno-economic analysis was conducted, revealing that water and energy consumption were significantly reduced compared to raceway ponds, flat plate PBRs and biofilm-based PBRs.
Description: PhD Thesis
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10443/5417
Appears in Collections:School of Engineering

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