| 초록 |
Alternative energy sources have been sought for decades to cope with ever-increasing energy demand and upcoming depletion of fossil fuels. Furthermore, the global warming is getting worse. Biofuels from microalgae are considered as one of most promising alternatives, but the production cost should be substantially reduced to compete with fossil fuels. Photobioreactors with selectively permeable membranes (SPMs) could grow microalgae using nutrients in seawater. In a long-term operation, nutrient supply rate could be decreased by plugging of pores of SPMs, which is known as biofouling. In this study, surfaces of SPMs, consist of polyethylene terephthalate, were sulfonated to give negative charge by attaching sulfonic group. Sulfonated SPMs showed lower degree of biofouling and enhanced biomass productivity by 34% compared with the control. The results show that sulfonation of SPMs is an effective way to inhibit biofouling and maintain permeability of SPMs. |
