Scaling Up and Harvesting of Algae

Abstract

The scaling up and increment of the algal cultures cultivation process is a complex task that requires experienced staff. Some parameters such as biomass yield, biomass productivity, and specific growth should be calculated using the findings of laboratory scale that might be relevant for large-scale production as it provides a baseline to visualize and to verify production balance-related problems in the algal production system. The main goal of scale-up is to increase the production quantities with comparable or higher productivity and product quality. The harvesting process of the algal biomass represents a major hindrance in microalgae industry as it is approximately ranged from 20 to 30% of the total cost of the cultivation. There are many harvesting techniques such as physical, chemical, biological methods, and magnetic particle facilitated separation. This chapter has summarized the research progress in algal scaling up by optimizing different parameters such as light, temperature, nutrients, and strain selection.