Application of
Industrial Photosynthesis Process to
Waste-Water Renovation Systems
R. H. T. MATTONI, Senior Project Engineer
S & ID - Life Sciences
North American Aviation, Inc.
El Segundo, California
H. NUGENT MYRICK, Assistant Professor
University of Houston
Houston, Texas
E. C. KELLER, JR. , Assistant Professor
Department of Zoology
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
INTRODUCTION
To define more precisely the potential uses of the industrial photosynthesis
process, in 1964 North American Aviation, Inc. constructed and has since operated
three experimental pilot-scale photosynthetic reactors in Lancaster, California.
The facility has been used to study the applicability of the process in waste water
renovation systems to optimize the system to waste water quality, and biomass
productivity. It is possible to reclaim two valuable commodities from the process:
(1) water, which may be suitable for use in irrigation, recreational lakes, and industrial processes, and (2) biomass, which may be used for animal feed supplements, carbon input for industrial processes, biochemical product recovery, etc.
Waste-water treatment is an additional benefit of these processes. Only a limited
technology exists on the economic large-scale production and harvesting of photo-
synthetic biomasses. The objective of this paper is to define the industrial photosynthesis process, to present a description of the experimental facility, and to
discuss results of an experiment to test the effects of pH control under specified
operational conditions in the utilization of the process for the treatment of settled
domestic waste water.
The term "industrial photosynthesis" refers to the process of growing complex
population of micro-organisms, predominantly unicellular algae, under control.
The growth media are complex liquid organic substrates, such as primary or
secondary waste water effluents. The basic concept of industrial photosynthesis
stems from the basic and fundamental phenomenon of species diversity and adaptation. The basic assumption of the process is a well established fact of population biology: given an infinite array of different organisms (species or genotypes)
in a specific steady state environment, only a relatively few will increase or persist. The remainder are selected against, and in a constant throughput system,
will either perish or be washed out. It is, therefore, theoretically possible to design growth systems which will select a limited array of organisms. Such organisms will subsequently (by virtue of their particular adaptive properties) modify
the environment in specific ways. To attain the goals stated practically, it will
be necessary to understand the dynamics of the physical and chemical environments of the media in relationship to composition of the biomass,   over time.
-  684 -