Microalgal Cultivation under Artificial Light: Cost-Effective and Energy-Efficient Superfood Production

The Research Group of Algal and Microbial Biotechnology has long been dedicated not only to the potential applications of microscopic algae in environmental and food technologies but also to the study and engineering description of fundamental biophysical and biochemical processes crucial for efficient microalgal growth. Particular attention is paid, for example, to the influence of specific light sources and to mechanisms for removing oxygen, which is produced as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Although these questions fall within the realm of basic research, their resolution has a fundamental impact on the stability, scalability, and economic sustainability of large-scale industrial cultivation.

Research led by Dr. Irena Brányiková, recently published in the prestigious biotechnology journal Journal of Applied Phycology (Q1), focused on studying the influence of LED lighting intensity and spectral composition on biomass productivity and production costs during the cultivation of the cyanobacterium Limnospira maxima (commercially known as spirulina).

The research demonstrated that while higher light intensity linearly increases biomass productivity, the most energy-efficient operation occurs at lower values, around 100 µmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹. When testing various light colors (daylight and warm white, red, yellow, green, and blue), daylight and warm white emerged as the most advantageous, offering the best balance between growth and electricity consumption. Conversely, blue and yellow light exhibit significantly lower efficiency in terms of both yield and operational costs. These results provide practical guidance for industrial cultivation, where it is crucial to balance biological yield with direct lighting costs. During the experiments, an extensive dataset was created, enabling linking the organism’s physiological response to measurements of electrical wall-plug power.

• Vásquez Guevara C.M., Lucáková S., Jedlička M., Gürlek Kliber C., Muzika F., Brányiková I.: Systematic insights into electricity cost of LED lighting in photobioreactors for biomass and pigment production in Limnospira maxima (Spirulina)—Light spectra and intensities examined. J. Appl. Phycol. 2026. doi.org/10.1007/s10811-025-03749-w