Low-Power Acoustic Trapping and Illumination Optimization of Cyanobacteria by Acoustic Layering in Photobioreactors

Low-Power Acoustic Trapping and Illumination Optimization of Cyanobacteria by Acoustic Layering in Photobioreactors | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Low-Power Acoustic Trapping and Illumination Optimization of Cyanobacteria by Acoustic Layering in Photobioreactors Bérénice Dupont, Xavier Benoit-Gonin, Sébastien Vincent-Bonnieu, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6753058/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 25 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in npj Microgravity → Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Space missions necessitate sustainable life support systems capable of producing oxygen and biomass under microgravity conditions. This study examines the use of acoustic levitation to trap and manipulate the filamentous cyanobacterium Limnospira indica PCC 8005 during parabolic flight experiments. We demonstrate that this helicoidal microorganism can be rapidly assembled into thin layers with a standing ultrasonic wave within a millimeter-scale fluidic chamber. Our findings indicate that significantly lower acoustic power is required under microgravity (0.79 mW) compared to terrestrial conditions (1.48 mW) to achieve stable trapping, suggesting energy-efficient bioprocessing in weightless environments. Monte Carlo simulations and light attenuation modelling reveal that structuring cyanobacteria into layered formations enhances light penetration, potentially overcoming the "compensation point" limitation observed in bulk cultures. These results pave the way for advanced photobioreactors that use acoustic manipulation, which improves photosynthetic efficiency and reduces energy consumption for oxygen generation and biomass production in space. Physical sciences/Physics/Biological physics Physical sciences/Physics/Applied physics Physical sciences/Physics/Applied physics/Acoustics Biological sciences/Biological techniques/Lab on a chip Biological sciences/Biophysics Biological sciences/Microbiology Physical sciences/Physics Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files LowPowerAcousticTrappingandIlluminationOptimizationofCyanobacteriabyAcousticLayeringinPhotobioreactorsSupplementarydata.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 25 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in npj Microgravity → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 11 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 11 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 24 Jun, 2025 Reviews received at journal 18 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 31 May, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 29 May, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 27 May, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 27 May, 2025 First submitted to journal 26 May, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6753058","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":464453917,"identity":"c613b958-86c8-4e6d-8898-790bf6f337bb","order_by":0,"name":"Bérénice Dupont","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"ESPCI Paris","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bérénice","middleName":"","lastName":"Dupont","suffix":""},{"id":464453918,"identity":"b3276344-10ac-4b94-b606-50659827609f","order_by":1,"name":"Xavier Benoit-Gonin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"ESPCI 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