A photobioreactor for production of algae biomass from gaseous emissions of an animal house

ABSTRACT: Sustainable approaches to circular economy in animal agriculture are still poorly developed. Here, we report an approach to reduce gaseous emissions of CO(2) and NH(3) from animal housing while simultaneously using them to produce value-added biomass. To this end, a cone-shaped, helical photobioreactor was developed that can be integrated into animal housing by being freely suspended, thereby combining a small footprint with a physically robust design. The photobioreactor was coupled with the exhaust air of a chicken house to allow continuous cultivation of a mixed culture of Arthrospira spec. (Spirulina). Continuous quantification of CO(2) and NH(3) concentration showed that the coupled algae reactor effectively purifies the exhaust air from the chicken house while producing algal biomass. Typical production rates of greater than 0.3 g/l*day dry mass were obtained, and continuous operation was possible for several weeks. Morphological, biochemical, and genomic characterization of Spirulina cultures yielded insights into the dynamics and metabolic processes of the microbial community. We anticipate that further optimization of this approach will provide new opportunities for the generation of value-added products from gaseous CO(2) and NH(3) waste emissions, linking resource-efficient production of microalgae with simultaneous sequestration of animal emissions. KEY POINTS: • Coupling a bioreactor with exhaust gases of chicken coop for production of biomass. • Spirulina mixed culture removes CO (2) and NH (3) from chicken house emissions. • High growth rates and biodiversity adaptation for nitrogen metabolism. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: Towards a sustainable circular economy in livestock farming. The functional coupling of a helical tube photobioreactor with exhaust air from a chicken house enabled the efficient cultivation of Spirulina microalgae while simultaneously sequestering the animals’ CO(2) and NH(3) emissions. [Image: see text] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00253-023-12815-7.