MEASUREMENT OF LIGHT-ABSORPTION AND DETERMINATION OF THE SPECIFIC RATE OF LIGHT UPTAKE IN CULTURES OF PHOTOTROPHIC MICROORGANISMS

This article describes a novel method for the measurement of light abs orption by cultures of phototrophic microorganisms. The rate of light absorption is calculated as the difference between the rate of light o utput from a culture containing cells and the rate of light output fro m a culture containing only growth medium. The specific rate of light uptake is Calculated by dividing the rate of light absorption by the t otal biomass present in the culture. Application of the method to seve ral case studies shows that light output from a culture varies widely depending on the absorption and scattering characteristics of the susp ension.