Carbon capture and utilization in waste to energy approach by leading-edge algal photo-bioreactors: The influence of the illumination wavelength

The cultivation of microalgae for carbon capture and utilization (CCU) emerged as sustainable and effective platform to reduce GHGS and produce valuable biomass. In the study, systematic comparison of two identical algal photo-bioreactors (PBRw and PBRp), with white and purple led lights respectively, has been implemented. Carbon removals up to 98% has been obtained, with PBRp supporting enhanced cultivation conditions, higher CO2 removals and increased biomass production (up to 855 mg d−1 of dry algal biomass). The results demonstrate the potential of the proposed solutions as sustainable strategy to increase the applicability of algal photo-bioreactors for carbon capture and utilization.