Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
Volume 36, Issue 15, Pages 1902-1912Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2015.1015456
Keywords
pre-concentration; harvesting; Chaetoceros calcitrans; microalgae; flocculation
Categories
Funding
- Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation [ENE2011-22761]
- 'Fuels from Biomass' (research programme funded by Excma. Diputacio Tarragona)
- European Regional Development Funds (ERDF, FEDER Programa Competitividad de Catalunya)
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Harvesting is one of the key challenges to determine the feasibility of producing biodiesel from algae. This paper presents experimental results for a cost-effective system to harvest Chaetoceros calcitrans, using natural sedimentation, flocculation, and inducing pH. No efficient sedimentation of microalgal cells was observed only by gravity. By alkalinity-induced flocculation, at a pH value of 9.51, 86% recovery of the cells was achieved with a sedimentation rate of 125 cm/h and a concentration factor (CF) of 4 (volume/volume (v/v)) in 10 min. The maximum photochemical quantum yield of photosystem II (F-v/F-m) of concentrated cells was almost the same as fresh culture (0.621). Commercial flocculants, aluminium sulphate and poly-aluminium chloride (PAC), were also successful in harvesting the studied algal cells. Optimum concentration of aluminium sulphate (AS) could be concluded as 10 ppm with 87.6% recovery and 7.10 CF (v/v) in 30 min for cost-efficient harvesting, whereas for PAC it was 20 ppm with 74% recovery and 6.6 CF (v/v). F-v/F-m yields of concentrated cells with AS and PAC showed a 1% reduction compared to fresh culture. Mg+2 was the triggering ion for alkalinity-induced flocculation in the conditions studied. The rheology behaviour of the concentrated cells was Newtonian with values between 2.2 x 10(-3) and 2.3 x 10(-3) Pa s at 30 degrees C.
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