Research on the mass culturing of microalgae has been carried out over the past 30 years in many parts of the world. Today there are numerous potential applications for algal mass cultures including protein production, wastewater treatment, water renovation, closed life-support systems, production of commercial chemicals, aquaculture, and bioconversion of energy. Photosynthetic yields over 30 gr dry wt m/sup -2/ day/sup -1/ have been attained on occasion in many locations for short periods and yields between 15 to 25 gr dry wt m/sup -2/ day/sup -1/ for longer periods are now common. This apparent upper limit in productivity is not coincidental. Under outdoor conditions peak yields are possible only under conditions of light limitation. Photosynthetic algae absorb light energy and convert it to stored chemical energy under rigid adherence to the laws of thermodynamics. By examining the basic physics of photosynthesis, it is possible to clearly demonstrate that under conditions of full sunlight in the most ideal locations maximum yields of 30 to 40 gr m/sup -2/ day/sup -1/ can be expected. For long-term operation of large-scale outdoor cultures, many bioengineering factors are involved and realistic yields considerably less than the maximum potential can be anticipated. Manipulation of the two …

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