The NMSU RAFT testbed, located in Las Cruces, NM experiences the coolest climate of the RAFT testbeds as it is located at 3,900 ft above sea level. The testbed includes three 600-L open raceway growth systems for cultivation and several PBR systems. The open raceways and Solix PBR system with multiple individual reactor bags will be employed for long-term growth studies. Three enclosed raceways are available with variable volume capacity (typically 250-L each). The NMSU testbed also permits cultivation of an acidophilic, moderate thermophile, Galdieria sulphuraria, inside enclosed plastic bags fitted with an internal paddlewheel for mixing and berms created with sand bags. The “closed-bag” raceways have been located directly outdoors in summer and inside a hoop-house in winter to achieve daytime temperatures of 30-52 C depending on the season at pH 2.5. These conditions have been shown to kill antibiotic resistant E. coli cultures within minutes. These systems will be used for RAFT-supported algal cultivation experiments using municipal wastewater and/or dairy wastewater.
Technical and Management Expertise of Project Team |
|
Pete Lammers |
|
Meghan Starbuck |
|