<i>Porphyridium purpureum</i> Cultivation in Outdoor Pilot-Scale: Economic Assessment and Life Cycle Assessment of Photobioreactor-Based Cultivation Systems

The present study aims to explore the potential of pilot-scale cultivation of Porphyridium purpureum FJ-12 (P. purpureum FJ-12) in 5 m3 open raceway ponds (ORWPs) and 1 m3 tubular photobioreactors (TB-PBRs) for high-value products under outdoor conditions and to conduct an economic assessment and life cycle assessment (LCA) of this process. The results showed that microalgae cultivated in TB-PBRs exhibited higher biomass, greater CO2 fixation efficiency, and active substance yields (phycobiliproteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and exopolysaccharides) compared to the results of ORWPs. Moreover, regarding economic assessment and LCA to evaluate the feasibility of the established process, microalgal cultivation by TB-PBRs for high-value bioresources attained lower economic cost and environmental carbon footprint value compared with the process by ORWPs. Taken together, the cultivation process with P. purpureum FJ-12 in the outdoor pilot-scale TB-PBRs was a potential approach to promote the microalgal growth and desired high-value bioproducts biosynthesis in a cost-effective manner.