P16488 Spirulina to Combat Malnutrition Background 250 million children are currently suffering from malnutrition worldwide. The side effects of malnutrition include mental retardation, growth stunting, anemia, and blindness. In developing nations these side effects cause a reduction in workforce productivity and furthermore an estimated 3% decrease in GDP.   Field studies in Madurai, India have treated mild to medium cases of malnutrition with only 1g of Spirulina per day for two months at a cost of $10/year Rural, small scale Spirulina farms are self-sufficient and provide economic stability for women employees. Spirulina Growth & Media Testing Conclusion: 20% of one of the medias used Cow Dung Ash leading the team to test if all medias could use Cow Dung Ash as a supplement that would reduce over all cost since time constraints resulted in no discernable media to recommend. A final cell count was recorded from a sample of each bioreactor. The image below shows the final samples used in the cell count. A hemocytometer was used to determine the number of spirulina and contaminant algae per unit volume in order to determine culture compositions. The image below shows a progression of spirulina development through microscopic images taken of each bioreactor over the course of the media study. Changes in cell density as well as cell morphology can be observed over the time the images were taken. ARS Vandana RCM CDAM RCM 3-19-16 3-21-16 3-26-16 3-28-16 Agitation Concept Selection Diffuser Design Broom Model Conclusion: The broom design was chosen over the diffuser design due to power requirements, cost, and ease of manufacturing for rural spirulina farms. The broom is a cost effective way to reduce labor intensity while improving labor efficiency, which reduces overall labor costs. Design Pros Cons Diffuser Autonomous System Higher consistency of homogenous mixture Better Aeration Power Requirements Equipment Maintenance and up-keeping Specialty equipment training Provides aggressive agitation Scaling the system for larger operations with multiple tanks Broom Familiar Process Lower Production Cost Affordability Smaller Production Volume No Power Requirement Manual Labor Longer Agitation Time than diffuser Less Consistency of Homogeneous Mixture Agitation Testing & Final Prototype Tank Design Two iterations of broom designs were tested by mixing food dye in a tank and analyzing the flow and time until mixed. Results from these agitation tests determined: Need rotational and longitudinal agitation. Blade designs promote vertical flow. Blades provide increased aeration. A design that provides a vortex effect will help to lift settlement within tanks. Conclusion: The final prototype incorporates aspects of the first two design iterations and the results from agitation testing. This prototype was proven to be the best design through further tests. Broom Prototype Through research it was decided to incorporate baffles and a divider in order to help reduce the loss of energy when agitating. Average walking speed: 3 mi/hour 100 seconds to move all water in tank to 3 mi/hour Conclusion: Approximately 4 minutes are required to mix one tank that creates a raceway pond circulation. Total Deformation: Using ANSYS Workbench the max. deformation of the final broom prototype is ~ 5.7 mm. The broom has a safety factor of 5 based on the flexural yield strength of the oak wood over the maximum stress experience by the 73N applied load in the analysis. Acknowledgements: Jeff Lodge Sarah Brownell David Kozlowski Matthew Marshall David Lake Judy Foster Lent Hill Dairy