DESIGN OF A NOVEL PHOTOBIOREACTOR FOR THE OPTIMIZATION OF GROWTH PARAMETERS OF SCENEDESMUS DIMORPHUS AND UTILIZATION OF DAIRY WASTE FOR BIOENERGY CONVERSION

Scenedesmus dimorphus isone of the widely exploited microalgae in several arenas of science, such as in food, nutraceuticals, agriculture, and pharmaceutical industries due to its high nutritional content and bioactivities. The present study designed a novel, cost-effective, eco-friendly, easy-to-operate and rectangular photobioreactor using glass material. Photobioreactor was provided with monochromatic LED light of 3000, 5000, 10,000 and 15,000 lux, agitation, and aeration facility. The effect of inoculum concentration, pH, temperature, and light intensity on the growth of S. dimorphus was evaluated in a novel photobioreactor. Finally, to convert dairy waste into valuable bioresources, dairy waste’s effect on microalgae growth was investigated in an optimized condition using a novel photobioreactor. The optimum inoculum concentration to obtain the highest growth of S. dimorphus was 1-2×10⁷ cells/ml in proteose peptone medium (pH 6.8) at 20ºC with photoperiodicity of Dark/Light (D/L) 12/12h and 12,000 lux.In similar experimental conditions, S. dimorphus revealed maximum growth at pH 7.0 and the optimum light intensity was 15,000lux.Growth temperature optimization in optimum conditions with D/L 12/12h indicated significant growth at 20ºC. The dairy waste at 50% resulted in the highest growth of S. dimorphusin optimum conditions. The growth of S. dimorphus was increased with increased incubation days indicating the highest growth on the 28^th day. Therefore, it is inferred that optimum physical parameters and nutrient-rich dairy waste play a significant role in enhancing the growth of S. dimorphus, which is extensively used in various fields of science.