Reverse Salt Flux Effect on Dewatering Chlorella vulgaris in a Forward Osmosis System

Microalgae shows a high potential to produce biofuel and forward osmosis (FO) has been proposed as a promising dewatering process for algal biomass separation from water. However, the effect of reverse salt flux (RSF) on algal biomass during the dewatering process using FO has not been completely explored. This study was to investigate the effect of different types of salt and their concentrations on algal biomass in terms of conductivity, settling velocity, and lipid contents in FS during a simulated FO-driven dewatering of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae. Three draw solution (DS) salts (NaCl, KCl and NH4Cl) were evaluated in RSF-simulating batch tests. The salt diffusion from the DS to the algal feed solution (FS) caused a static growth of algal biomass while increasing lipid content up to 14.8% at 8 mM NH4Cl. With the addition of the different salts, pH was maintained to the optimal algal thriving range (7.2-10.6), but the presence of salt stressed the algal cells and inhibited photosynthesis and algal growth within the experimental conditions. The settling velocity of the algal cells improved with the increase of salt content from 8 to 80 mM of each DS. It seemed that cell division could be accelerated in the presence of NH4Cl, and microscopic images showed a change in the algal cell size distribution, which may negatively affect algal settleability. DS salt in an FO-algal harvesting system should be selected based on the final algal properties and constituents required.

Automated summary

Microalgae has a high potential for biofuel production and forward osmosis (FO) has been suggested as a promising dewatering process for separating algal biomass from water. However, the impact of reverse salt flux (RSF) on algal biomass during the FO dewatering process has not been fully investigated. This study aimed to examine the effect of different types and concentrations of salts on algal biomass characteristics during a simulated FO-driven dewatering of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae.