I see a company in India is using very long plastic tubes to grow algae. These are outside, laying on sand, perhaps 12 inches in diameter. For some reason they felt they needed to create waves in the tubes, so the engineered a pretty complicated electric motor and plunger system to do so.
I have long propounded a system of using silage bags to grow algae in. Perhaps you have seen them around farms; long white tubes. In America these have replaced the concrete and blue steel silos sitting mostly empty around farms.
My proposal is to use clear plastic tubes similar to the silage tubes. Lay them out on a flat surface, turn up both ends, and pump water into them to a depth of several inches or maybe a foot. Let the tubes spread out as wide as they want to.
Seed them with green algae, pump CO2 or sewage/manure water thru them slowly to feed the algae.
I would also suggest trying our local wild algae found here in SE Iowa, this is a filamentous algae that grows in masses, rather like wet wool. It is very easy to harvest, as it clings tightly together. The shallow ponds around here fill up with it in the summer. It does not like deep water or too much disturbance.
To harvest I would suggest rolling the tubes up. Letting the water slowly flow out.If you are using filamentous algae, it should remain behind, fixed to the tube.
The algae filled ponds are very easy to spot with Google Earth. Just look for bright green ponds in this SE Iowa area.
This growing technique is my own idea, but it is available to anyone wanting to use it. I have published it several times before.
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