Effective algal harvesting by using mesh membrane for enhanced energy recovery in an innovative integrated photobioelectrochemical system

In this work, an innovative design of integrated photobioelectrochemcial system (IPB) and an algal harvesting method based on polyester-mesh membrane (MM) were investigated. The algal growth/harvesting period of 6 days led to the highest surface biomass productivity (SBP) of 0.88 g m(-2) day(-1) and the highest energy generation of 0.157 +/- 0.001 kJ day(-1). The harvesting frequency of 3 times in an operational cycle (with three pieces of MM) enhanced the SBP to 1.14 gm(-2) day(-1). The catholyte recirculation for catholyte mixing resulted in a positive net energy production (NEP) of 0.227 +/- 0.025 kJ day(-1). Those results have demonstrated the benefits of both using mesh membrane and the new reactor design for algal collection with positive effects on improving IPB performance.