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. 2021 Oct 25;12:6166. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-26393-7

Fig. 4. Cyanobacteria cultivation unit metrics required for the bio-ISRU production of 2,3-BDO.

Fig. 4

Schematic of cyanobacteria growth systems (green) and payload mass broken down into nutrients (orange), frame (red) and material (brown): a Suspended growth: cyanobacteria grown in photobioreactors (0.3 mm-thick low-density polyethylene, LDPE) filled with water; b Biofilm growth: cyanobacteria grown in a thin film on a porous substrate (0.3 mm thick cotton fabric); c Open pond: cyanobacteria grown open to the atmosphere. Not evaluated for use on Mars. d Cyanobacteria biomass productivity, water use and power requirement for biofilm and suspended growth. Results are based on 10 tons of 2,3-BDO produced over 500 sols. Source data underlying a, b, and d are provided as a Source Data file.