GROWTH AND COMPOSITION OF Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis IN A TUBULAR PHOTOBIOREACTOR USING AMMONIUM NITRATE AS THE NITROGEN SOURCE IN A FED-BATCH PROCESS

AbstractNH4NO3 simultaneously provides a readily assimilable nitrogen source (ammonia) and a reserve of nitrogen (nitrate), allowing for an increase in Arthrospira platensis biomass production while reducing the cost of the cultivation medium. In this study, a 22plus star central composite experimental design combined with response surface methodology was employed to analyze the influence of light intensity (I) and the total amount of added NH4NO3 (Mt) on a bench-scale tubular photobioreactor for fed-batch cultures. The maximum cell concentration (Xm), cell productivity (PX) and biomass yield ...