Aquacultural Engineering 1 (1982) 205-214 CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF MICROALGAE USING A SCOURING FILM REACTOR T. H. ANDERSON Black & Veateh Consulting Engineers, Walnut Creek, California, USA and D. E. BRUNE Department of Agricultural Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA ABSTRA CT A new system for the continuous production ofmicroalgae is described and data from a series of trial runs are presented. This system, termed the Scouring Film Reactor (SFR) is simple and inexpensive to construct and is operated by compressed air alone. This device utilizes a continuously scouring film of glass particles to prevent wall growth and algal settling. Tests of continuous algae production were conducted with a 40 fitre SFR and a non-scoured reactor of similar size, using the marine alga Phaeo- dactylum tricornutum. Over a five-week period, production of algae from the SFR was reliable and required no maintenance. Production from the non-scoured reactor was subject to crashes and required a high degree of maintenance. INTRODUCTION The uncertain reliability of algal cell production systems continues to pose a problem for many aquaculture operations in which single cell algae is the primary feed source for filter feeding aquatic organisms. Many other areas of research and development requiring continuous algal cell production also experience difficulty in meeting needs. Droop (1975) compares the use of batch and continuous systems for the produc- tion of microalgae. Continuous systems are shown to be advantageous over batch because: (1) the product is of constant composition and physiological state; (2) rates 205 Aquacultural Engineering 0144-8609[82/0001-0205/S02.75 © Appfied Science Publishers Ltd, England, 1982 Printed in Great Britain