A Review of the Harvesting Techniques of Microalgae

Abstract

Algae are an important group of photosynthetic autotrophs and are commonly found in different types of water bodies, including paddy fields. The algal group possesses distinctive characteristics and ranges from prokaryotic cyanobacteria to eukaryotic algae. Within these, microalgae are unicellular microorganisms widely distributed in saltwater as well as freshwater environments. Microalgae species have been utilized in different fields, especially animal and human nutrition, medicine, bioremediation, and bio-fertilizers. Recently, numerous studies have reported the importance of microalgae in the production of biofuel. Further, microalgae have great carbon dioxide fixation efficiency during growth, so farmable land is not required for cultivating microalgae. Microalgae biomass production is a three-step process: cultivation, harvesting, and processing. Of these, the harvesting process is considered challenging due to its high cost, and it directly affects the processing step. In addition, several factors influence the harvesting process, including the size of microalgae cells (<30 µm), cultural conditions of microalgae, electronegative property of cell membrane, growth rate, etc. The harvesting of microalgae is an elaborate process that involves different chemical or mechanical approaches. A number of harvesting techniques have been utilized to recover algal biomass, such as membrane filtration, chemical and bio-flocculation, flotation centrifugation, sedimentation, and coagulation. In this context, this review aims to discuss various types of techniques used for harvesting microalgae. This review could be useful for selecting appropriate harvesting technology for enhancing the yield of microalgae biomass.

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“…For example, compared with other feed sources, microalgal biomass is very expensive. This is, at least in part, due to the fact that prevailing culture methods, especially autotrophic culture, have relatively low productivity (Dębowski et al 2020 ), and harvesting and dewatering processes are energy-intensive and costly (Deepa et al 2023 ). Method optimization of large-scale cultivation, harvesting and dewatering, and contamination control are needed to improve commercial viability while ensuring the quantity and quality of microalgal biomass.…”

Sustainable Biotechnology Approaches Using Chlorella vulgaris's Biomass and Lipids as Biofuel Feedstock

“…It relies on a pressure drop across a membrane to facilitate fluid flow, but membrane fouling by microalgal deposits and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) hampers performance, necessitating regular cleaning. While suitable for certain microalgae, filtration is less common in large-scale processes due to high operational costs and membrane replacement needs [47]. Tangential flow filtration (TFF) is preferred for smaller suspended algae, offering better anti-fouling performance.…”