What this work is about, in plain words
Can one calculate in advance how much biomass a culture will give in continuous cultivation? The authors showed this using the alga Dunaliella salina and simple mathematical models.
In production, it is important to know in advance how much biomass a culture will give under the chosen regime. There are many models of microalgae growth, but many of them are complex, and a researcher without mathematical training finds it hard to understand where they can be applied. The authors wanted to show that simple models are enough for a forecast.
Using the brackish-water green alga Dunaliella salina as an example, the authors took the main growth characteristics of the culture and calculated how its density would change at different dilution rates and different moments of switching on the flow. The calculation was compared with experiment.
According to the authors, these characteristics can be used to forecast the level at which culture density will settle in continuous cultivation. Simple calculations do not take into account some important factors, such as cells adapting to conditions and selection among them. Nevertheless, the authors consider them justified for quick forecasts in production.
The work provides a practical tool for planning cultivation regimes.
Limitations. The model is simplified and was tested on one culture under laboratory conditions.