As much as algae tend to take over everything from aquariums to natural lakes, it’s surprising that it needs any care at all to flourish. But all algae species have specific conditions that make them reproduce rapidly, and that multiplication factor is essential to concentrating enough growth to make it profitable. Optimizing everything about the culture system, even right down to the amount of circulation between the layers of water and the exact depth of the pond, is essential to getting the desired algae growth. Here are the basic building blocks of healthy algae that any algaculture system will need to provide.
Water Supply
Unlike other crops, algae are surprisingly versatile in their ability to thrive in polluted water. Each species is different, but there’s one of 70,000 species of algae that can grow in almost any liquid solution. Some prefer or don’t mind salinity, while others feast on dissolved manure and other effluents to clean up the water. Algaculture is a good way to make use of a large quantity of water that is unfit for drinking, animal use, or traditional agriculture. Even if some amount of processing is needed to make the water fit for the algae species desired, it’s still far less than would be required to make the water potable for other uses.
Plenty of Light
Aside from water, light is the next most important thing to supply for algae. Sunlight is free and relatively effective in most parts of the world, but even direct noon light only penetrates a few inches of water that is murky with particles of plant matter. Artificial lighting penetrates more deeply, yet still leaves a “dark zone” at the bottom that stops algae from growing. Circulation is essential to keeping the algae exposed to the light. No amount of extra lighting can help unless you’re growing the algae in vertical panels, bioreactors, or extremely shallow ponds that are prone to evaporation. Light exposure and water circulation go hand in hand in algaculture.
Fertilizers and Nutrients
If the water used as the solution for algae growth doesn’t already contain nitrogen and other nutrients, you’ll have to add them in the form of fertilizer. Algae species tend to use only a fraction of what terrestrial plants require, but they still need steady levels of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Completely sterile water will result in sluggish to poor algae growth due to a lack of nutrients. In fact, wastewater is often recommended for algaculture specifically because it eliminates the need for additional and costly fertilizers.
Constant Circulation
Constant circulation is necessary to mix the algae, primarily to give all the particles an equal amount of light exposure. However, circulation with a paddlewheel or other device does more than just distribute the light. It’s also an essential way of exposing the algae to the CO2 it needs to grow. Like other plants, algae need a steady supply of the gas to photosynthesize sugars. Pumping CO2 into the water is costly and only so efficient, but circulation and agitation are all that’s needed in most systems. The same circulation methods used for accomplishing even light exposure double as CO2 management methods.
Sugars
For some species of algae that don’t rely on photosynthesis, sugar may be required for optimal growth and reproduction rates. Applying sugars directly to an algaculture system can become quite expensive, so this technique is generally limited to pharmaceutical production and research facilities. Tanks and raceways that hold these solutions are generally designed the same way, but pumps and circulation devices may need extra maintenance due to the development of secondary biofilms that feed on the sugar.
Algae doesn’t require much to grow, but it can’t thrive without the right ingredients. Every algaculture will have to supply some amount of each element, regardless of how tough the particular algae species is that’s under cultivation. Design a system that protects your algae while giving them what they need to grow with durable, flexible liner products from us here at BTL Liners.
