Photobioreactor facade panels: enhancing comfort, reducing energy use, and capturing carbon in temperate continental climates

Abstract

Buildings contribute around 37% to global carbon emissions, prompting a growing interest in innovative carbon capture technologies. Among these, the integration of microalgae-based photosynthesis into building facades has emerged as a promising solution. This approach offers multiple benefits, including carbon sequestration, reduced energy consumption, dynamic shading, and improved thermal regulation. This paper investigates the impact of integrating photobioreactor (PBR) facade elements, specifically on the south-facing facade of an office building in a temperate continental climate. The study evaluates the system’s effects on indoor thermal and visual comfort, energy production, and carbon dioxide (CO₂) sequestration for three distinct PBR facade alternatives and compares them with a commercial curtain wall. The continuous PBR system varies in performance depending on production intensity, necessitating an initial optimization for thermal and visual comfort alongside energy use. Simulations were conducted using Rhinoceros/Grasshopper plug-ins, with optimization performed via the Octopus tool. The results, focusing on the Chlorella vulgaris algae strain, demonstrate that all facade configurations achieve a daylight performance exceeding 50% and meet desired thermal comfort levels. Although the energy generated by the PBR facade does not fully offset the building’s energy consumption, annual CO₂ sequestration ranges from 84.87 kg to 770.13 kg. This study concludes that microalgae facades offer a viable strategy for enhancing a building’s energy performance and reducing CO₂ emissions, without compromising occupant comfort. Additionally, the findings provide valuable insights for designers, researchers, investors and stakeholders and provides a payback period of these systems (16–24 years) for commercialization in the building industry.

Keywords

Photobioreactor / Microalgae facade / CO₂ fixation / Building performance / Environmental performance / Simple payback period

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Funding

Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu(218M580)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Jiangnan University