TY - JOUR
T1 - Preliminary Development of 3D Printed Custom Substrata for Benthic Algal Biofilms
AU - Kardel, Kamran
AU - Carrano, Andres L.
AU - Blersch, David M.
AU - Kaur, Manjinder
N1 - If the address matches an existing account you will receive an email with instructions to reset your password
PY - 2015/3/16
Y1 - 2015/3/16
N2 - Due to their fast rates of growth and regeneration, algae are a promising source of biomass for biofuels, aquatic pollution recovery, and a source of protein nutrients, among others. Cultivation of benthic algal biofilm communities, in particular, shows promise for these functions, yet control of quality and yield are strongly dependent on substrata characteristics that affect algal attachment and growth. No previous research efforts have taken advantage of the recent developments in additive technology to support algal biofilm development. Additive manufacturing allows for the design and control of surface features and provides a platform for developing substrata with surface topographies customized for algal colonization. This article seeks to establish the feasibility of colonizing 3D-printed custom substrata with algal biomass. Three exploratory experiments on algal biofilm colonization of printed surfaces were conducted under a variety of laboratory and natural environments, and all printed substrata showed various degrees of colonization success. The preliminary results seem to indicate that (1) 3D-printed substrata can be successfully colonized by algal communities; (2) there is a roughness effect on the colonization rate of benthic algae; (3) substratum roughness can be designed for optimal interstitial spacing between surface asperities, providing refugia for regenerative growth that allows shorter lifecycles of the next algae crop; and (4) increased efficiencies in the packing of biomass can be achieved by complex 3D-printed geometries that provide very high surface area in compact volumes. Future research will seek to quantify these effects as well as to establish substrata conditions that optimize attachment, colonization, and regeneration rates.
AB - Due to their fast rates of growth and regeneration, algae are a promising source of biomass for biofuels, aquatic pollution recovery, and a source of protein nutrients, among others. Cultivation of benthic algal biofilm communities, in particular, shows promise for these functions, yet control of quality and yield are strongly dependent on substrata characteristics that affect algal attachment and growth. No previous research efforts have taken advantage of the recent developments in additive technology to support algal biofilm development. Additive manufacturing allows for the design and control of surface features and provides a platform for developing substrata with surface topographies customized for algal colonization. This article seeks to establish the feasibility of colonizing 3D-printed custom substrata with algal biomass. Three exploratory experiments on algal biofilm colonization of printed surfaces were conducted under a variety of laboratory and natural environments, and all printed substrata showed various degrees of colonization success. The preliminary results seem to indicate that (1) 3D-printed substrata can be successfully colonized by algal communities; (2) there is a roughness effect on the colonization rate of benthic algae; (3) substratum roughness can be designed for optimal interstitial spacing between surface asperities, providing refugia for regenerative growth that allows shorter lifecycles of the next algae crop; and (4) increased efficiencies in the packing of biomass can be achieved by complex 3D-printed geometries that provide very high surface area in compact volumes. Future research will seek to quantify these effects as well as to establish substrata conditions that optimize attachment, colonization, and regeneration rates.
KW - 3d printed custom substrata
KW - Benthic Algal Biofilms
KW - Preliminary development
UR - https://doi.org/10.1089/3dp.2014.0024
U2 - 10.1089/3dp.2014.0024
DO - 10.1089/3dp.2014.0024
M3 - Article
SN - 2329-7662
VL - 2
JO - 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing
JF - 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing
ER -