A multiscale model approach for cell growth for lipids and pigments production by Haematococcus pluvialis under different environmental conditions.

The development of new technologies is essential to contrast the increasing global CO2 emissions. Microalgae-based biorefineries present a promising tool to reduce the presence of CO2 in our emissions (Bekirogullari et al 2018, Bekirogullari et al 2017). The development of processes for the simultaneous production of more than one product are essential to increase the possibility of making such biorefineries profitable (García Prieto, Ramos, Estrada, Villar, & Diaz, 2017). Microalgae eukaryotic cells are able to produce pigments and lipids. The production of lipids and pigments could vary depending on the environmental stress conditions such as light intensity, nutrients concentration, medium salinity, and temperature (D’Alessandro & Antoniosi Filho, 2016). Haematococcus pluvialis produces lutein, β-carotene, and lipids during growth, which makes it a potential candidate for the simultaneous production of high value products. H.pluvialis’ division pattern ranges from the formation of two daughters up to 32 cells by multiple-fission (Shah, Liang, Cheng, & Daroch, 2016). New born cells achieve after a dimensional growth step a critical size point, where after that, they are able to keep growing and reproduce without any further input in the system, this point is called commitment point (CP). The achievement of an higher number of CP lead to a higher number of cells in the day/night cycle (Bišová & Zachleder, 2014). The above phenomena reaching one commitment point are described using a population balance model (PBM), in order to evaluate the influence of some environmental conditions on the cell growth. The model was fitted against synchronized experimental data, and then tested on a long duration experiment

Production of lipid-based fuels and chemicals from microalgae: An integrated experimental and model-based optimization study

Abstract Cultivation of microalgae is a promising long-term, sustainable candidate for biomass and oil for the production of fuel, food, nutraceuticals and other added-value products. Attention has been drawn to the use of computational and experimental validation studies aiming at the optimisation and the control of microalgal oil productivity either through the improvement of the growth mechanism or through the application of metabolic engineering methods to microalgae. Optimisation of such a system can be achieved through the evaluation of organic carbon sources, nutrients and water supply, leading to high oil yield. The main objective of this work is to develop a novel integrated experimental and computational approach, utilising a microalgal strain grown at bench-scale, with the aim to systematically identify the conditions that optimise growth and lipid production, in order to ultimately develop a cost-effective process to improve the system economic viability and overall sustainability. To achieve this, a detailed model has been constructed through a multi-parameter quantification methodology taking into account photo-heterotrophic biomass growth. The corresponding growth rate is based on carbon substrate concentration, nitrogen and light availability. The developed model also considers the pH of the medium. Parameter estimation was undertaken using the proposed model in conjunction with an extensive number of experimental data taken at a range of operating conditions. The model was validated and utilised to determine the optimal operating conditions for bench-scale batch lipid oil production

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Employees’ Empowerment and Engagement in Attaining Personal and Organisational Goals

Employee empowerment and engagement are critical for any given organization as these positively influence workers to produce better results and attain both personal and company gaols. This specific study focuses on LPG Cyprus Company, where the subject of the employee empowerment and engagement is analysed through a qualitative research design using interviews with the management and the employees about how they are treated and what they think about their company with regards to the subject matter. The findings revealed that while there was a cordial relationship among the management and employees, there was a need for the management to strengthen their strategies to empower the employees and engage them more fruitfully in the working processes.</jats:p