Cultivation of the PHB-producing cyanobacterium Synechococcus leopoliensis in a pilot-scale open system using nitrogen from waste streams

The cultivation of PHB-producing cyanobacteria is a promising approach to obtain the raw material for bio-based and biodegradable plastics. To commercialise photoautotrophic PHB production, the cultivation needs to be scaled up in open cultivation systems and to improve sustainability of the process, nutrients must be obtained from waste streams. Different PHB-producing cyanobacteria were compared in laboratory-scale cultivations using either water from recirculating aquaculture systems or pre-processed liquid digestate as nutrient sources. The species Synechococcus leopoliensis was cultivated in an open thin-layer photobioreactor (18 m2, 200 L), were growth in mineral Z-medium was again compared to said waste streams. Cultivation in mineral medium resulted in both the highest final biomass yield (6 g L-1) and productivity (0.7 g L-1 d-1). Both waste stream-based media showed lower biomass yields and productivities (2 g L-1 and 0.25–0.3 g L-1 d-1). However, due to differences in the cul..., Standard laboratory methods, both online and offline measurements, All data are provided as csv files and can be opened with text editors.