What this work is about, in plain words
What share of light energy does a culture convert into biomass? The authors gave an algorithm for calculating this efficiency for a flow culture, with an example on spirulina.
Photosynthetic efficiency shows what share of absorbed light energy a culture converts into biomass. For production under artificial light this is a key value, since light costs money. Yet it is rarely calculated: the computations are cumbersome, and cultivators in the form of flasks and test tubes make an accurate calculation almost impossible. The authors set out to develop an algorithm for calculating efficiency for a flow culture in a steady regime.
The algorithm is built for a flat cultivator and illustrated with a culture of spirulina (Spirulina platensis).
In the authors' assessment, the calculation is most convenient for flat photobioreactors or vertical cylinders lit from above or below. If the walls are mirrored, errors due to light scattering are excluded. The authors point out that lux, in which biologists usually measure light, is not suitable for such calculations: it must be converted into energy units, and conversion factors are already known for many light sources.
The work helps to compare the efficiency of different regimes and installations by a single indicator.
Limitations. This is a calculation algorithm for a flow culture in a steady regime and for cultivators of simple shape.