Growth of the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii under red and blue lasers

Red and blue lasers, holding promise as an electric light source for photosynthetic systems on account of being true monochromatic, high-power, and having high electrical-conversion efficiency, were employed in growing a green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The laser treatments tested included: 655-nm Red; 680-nm Red; 655-nm Red+474-nm Blue and 680-nm Red+474-nm Blue. A white cold cathode lamp with spectral output similar to that of white fluorescent lamp served as control. C. reinhardtii successfully grew and divided under the 655 and 680-nm red lasers as well as under the white-light control. Supplementing either red with blue laser, however, resulted in increased algae cell count that significantly exceeded those under both red lasers and the white-light control on average by 241%.

Research highlights► Microalga C. reinhardtii successfully grew and divided under red laser illuminations. ► Red plus blue laser illuminations resulted in significantly increased algae cell count. ► Use of lasers for the mass cultivation of microalgae holds significant promise.