Flocculation and electroflocculation for algal biomass recovery

Chatsungnoen, Tawan; Chisti, Yusuf

doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-64192-2.00011-1

Cited by 28 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…All the experiments performed employed a length of 5 mm, which, according to [16], is an optimal distance to increase the efficiency of the process and reduce the time. According to [21], distances less than 10 mm affect the formation of gas bubbles around the electrode, and more considerable distances can negatively affect the overall efficiency and increase energy consumption. Optimization by Response Surface Methodology can lead to the best results [22][23][24] Another crucial factor is the electrode material.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Innovative Low-Cost Equipment for Electro-Concentration of Microalgal Biomass

et al. 2020

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Microalgal harvesting is one of the most challenging processes in the development of algal research and development. Several methods, such as centrifugation, flocculation and filtration, are available at the laboratory scale. However, the requirement for expensive pieces of equipment and the possibility of biomass contamination are recurring gaps that hinder the development of microalgae R&D (research and development) in different parts of the world. Recently, electroflotation has been proved to be a suitable method for the harvesting of different species of microalgae and cyanobacteria. To this day, there are no companies that sell laboratory-scale electroflotation equipment; this is mainly due to the gap in the knowledge of which factors (time, mixing rate, number of electrodes and others) will affect the efficiency of concentration without reducing the biomass quality. This paper aims to build an innovative, low-cost electroflotation system for under 300 USD (United States dollar) with cheap and resistant materials. To achieve our goal, we tested the interaction of three variables (time, mixing rate and amount of electrodes). Results showed that an efficiency closer to 100% could be achieved in under 20 min using > 10 electrodes and 150 rpm (round per minute). We hope this innovative approach can be used by different researchers to improve our knowledge of the concentration and harvesting of algae and cyanobacteria.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Innovative Low-Cost Equipment for Electro-Concentration of Microalgal Biomass

et al. 2020

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“…All the experiments performed employed a length of 5 mm, which, according to [16] is an optimal distance to increase the efficiency of the process and reduce the time. According to [21], distances less than 10 mm affect the formation of gas bubbles around the electrode, and more considerable distances can negatively affect the overall efficiency and increase energy consumption.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Innovative Low-Cost Equipment for Electro-Concentration of Microalgal Biomass

Sanchez-Galvis¹,

Cardenas-Gutierrez²,

Contreras-Ropero³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Microalgal harvesting is one of the most challenging processes in the development of algal research and development. Several methods, such as centrifugation, flocculation, and filtration, are available at the laboratory scale. However, the requirement of expensive pieces of equipment and the possibility of biomass contamination are recurring gaps that hinder the development of microalgae I+D in different parts of the world. Recently, the electroflotation has been proved as a suitable method for the harvesting of different species of microalgae and cyanobacteria. To this day, there are no companies that sell laboratory-scale electroflotation equipment; this is mainly due to the gap in the knowledge on which factors (time, mixing rate, number of electrodes, and others) will affect the efficiency of concentration without reducing the biomass quality. This paper aims to build an innovative low-cost electroflotation system under 300 USD with cheap and resistant materials. To achieve our goal, we test the interaction of three variables (time, mixing rate, and amount of electrodes) were evaluated. Results showed that an efficiency closer to 100% could be achieved under 20 minutes using >10 electrodes and 150 rpm. We hope this innovative approach can be used by different researchers to improve our knowledge of the concentration and harvesting of algae and cyanobacteria.

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“…Chemical flocculants such as iron and aluminum salts remove the surface charge of cells and results in precipitation of algal biomass. Flocculants like iron chloride and aluminum sulphate can flocculate 95% of microalgae biomass (Chatsungnoen et al 2019). But these chemicals are toxic to nature and the removal process further ads to the cost of production.…”

Section: Microalgae Harvestingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Valorization of microalgae biomass into bioproducts promoting circular bioeconomy: a holistic approach of bioremediation and biorefinery

et al. 2021

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The need for alternative source of fuel has demanded the cultivation of 3rd generation feedstock which includes microalgae, seaweed and cyanobacteria. These phototrophic organisms are unique in a sense that they utilise natural sources like sunlight, water and CO 2 for their growth and metabolism thereby producing diverse products that can be processed to produce biofuel, biochemical, nutraceuticals, feed, biofertilizer and other value added products. But due to low biomass productivity and high harvesting cost, microalgae-based production have not received much attention. Therefore, this review provides the state of the art of the microalgae based biorefinery approach to define an economical and sustainable process. The three major segments that need to be considered for economic microalgae biorefinery is low cost nutrient source, efficient harvesting methods and production of by-products with high market value. This review has outlined the use of various wastewater as nutrient source for simultaneous biomass production and bioremediation. Further, it has highlighted the common harvesting methods used for microalgae and also described various products from both raw biomass and delipidified microalgae residues in order to establish a sustainable, economical microalgae biorefinery with a touch of circular bioeconomy. This review has also discussed various challenges to be considered followed by a techno-economic analysis of the microalgae based biorefinery model.

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Flocculation and electroflocculation for algal biomass recovery

Cited by 28 publications

References 74 publications

An Innovative Low-Cost Equipment for Electro-Concentration of Microalgal Biomass

An Innovative Low-Cost Equipment for Electro-Concentration of Microalgal Biomass

An Innovative Low-Cost Equipment for Electro-Concentration of Microalgal Biomass

Valorization of microalgae biomass into bioproducts promoting circular bioeconomy: a holistic approach of bioremediation and biorefinery

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