4 ms·

Out of curiosity, what are the challenges in scaling algae bioreactors?

• hansvm 4y ago
  They're easy to scale in some sense (just make a bunch of small ones), but small reactors have a high surface area to volume ratio -- i.e., a high expense to algae ratio. Making bigger vats is problematic because the work being done is proportional to surface area (light penetration) and because the chance of infection goes up exponentially.
• schainks 4y ago
  Algae also produce waste that SMELLS. Now you have costs to deal with that, which also reduces _where_ you can put them, since most people don’t necessarily enjoy living near the smell of a wetland. Then there are the ocean-based startups trying to just assist with what nature does out in nature. Also tough to scale when dealing with dropping structures in the ocean and making sure they work with as little maintenance as possible. So both indoor “Ideal condition” and outdoor “Ideal condition” growing are actually really tough to scale cost effectively. Doing something _else_ with them while sequestering carbon could be interesting though. I know one team that is using algae to clean up wastewater wile producing electricity. I don’t think they’ll get to cost effective scale, but I think the idea tackles two great problems at once in a creative way, and that’s still progress!