Quentin Bechet

Citation

Thesis Title
Modelling the impact of temperature of microalgae productivity during outdoor cultivation

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Microalgae cultivation is often heralded for its potential to provide sustainable feedstock for biofuel production. Unfortunately, this perception may be biased because it is largely based on results obtained under conditions unrepresentative of full-scale outdoor cultivation. To address this knowledge gap, Mr Béchet first developed models predicting temperature fluctuations during outdoor cultivation. He then constructed a biological model able to predict how temperature and light impact algal productivity at full-scale. This predictive model was validated against full-scale data collected under different climatic conditions. Mr Béchet finally demonstrated that his model was able to significantly refine previous assessments of the economic and environmental performance of microalgae cultivation. He also demonstrated that his model enables optimization of full-scale process design and operation to maximize productivity while minimizing environmental impacts.

Supervisors
Professor Benoit Guieysse
Professor Andrew Shilton