The aim of this subject is to apply the knowledge acquired in the compulsory part of option 1 "Bioprocesos y Biotecnología Industrial" (bioprocesses and industrial biotechnology) to the design, development and operation of microalgae-based production bioprocesses.

The focus is placed on the design of light-limited photobioreactors, which usually proves to be the bottleneck of these processes and the most difficult topic to find reliable information about. The main study topics in industrial biological systems are dealt with: growth kinetics, gas exchange, pH and temperature control and mixing. Special emphasis is placed on the evaluation of light availability, which is a unique design topic in PBR design and operation.

The developments in molecular genetics are taken into account since these profoundly influence the microalgae based bioprocesses, becoming the key decision factor in a significant amount of design cases.