Our Photobioreactor Technology


Drawing upon almost 4 decades of research and development, Greenskill have recently engineered game changing photobioreactor (PBR) technology, specifically designed for microalgal cultivation using artificial illumination powered by renewable energy.

Our earlier bioreactor designs relied upon direct sunlight to power photosynthesis, but the land area required for efficient production is prohibitively high.

With support from INNOVATE UK our latest bioreactor design packs a huge amount of light emitting diode (LED) illumination into a very small volume and thus footprint. 

[Background pictures] The Nottingham Microalgae Biorefinery (2007-2015). 16,000 litre photobioreactor coupled to the emissions of the 15MW gas turbine power plant at Boots’ headquarters in Nottingham.




2020 Photobioreactor

Focused R&D at Greenskill has delivered the most advanced and versatile photosynthetic microbe growth platform in the World.

Key features

- Arrays of self cleaning LEDs coupled to a gas recycling system continually mix dense cultures of microalgae.
- The hydraulic retention time of the flue gases can range from seconds to minutes.
- No additional ancillary equipment required (e.g. compressors, aerators etc.).
- 40,000 litre capacity PBRs available as mobile containerised modules that form stackable arrays of multiple carbon capture or wastewater treatment modules.
- Static installations up to 0.5 megalitre module capacity.

Greenskill photobioreactor technologies are engineered solutions and our process development involves the design and construction of all process-related solutions, from the bioreactors to downstream processing, to the energy management systems. We employ cloud based supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA) to manage our processes.

Our 2020 PBR is specifically designed to operate using renewable energy sources, primarily using 24-48 volts DC often used by battery storage facilties coupled to intermittant power sources such as wind & solar.

Worldwide Patents granted 

Mobirise