Development of an Energy-Efficient Rapid Microalgal Cell-Harvesting Method Using Synthesized Magnetic Nanocomposites
Due to high consumption and non-renewable nature of fossil fuels, rapid development of potential renewable energies such as biofuel derived from microalgae is necessary for achieving the goals of sustainable growth and carbon neutrality. However, the high energy consumption required for microalgal b...
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/3/545 |
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| author | Kwan-Shing Chan Shu-Kei Leung Sammie Sum-Yi Wong Shui-Shing Chan Dawson Wai-Shun Suen Chi-Wing Tsang Cho-Yin Chan |
| author_facet | Kwan-Shing Chan Shu-Kei Leung Sammie Sum-Yi Wong Shui-Shing Chan Dawson Wai-Shun Suen Chi-Wing Tsang Cho-Yin Chan |
| author_sort | Kwan-Shing Chan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Due to high consumption and non-renewable nature of fossil fuels, rapid development of potential renewable energies such as biofuel derived from microalgae is necessary for achieving the goals of sustainable growth and carbon neutrality. However, the high energy consumption required for microalgal biomass harvesting is regarded as a major obstacle for large-scale microalgal biofuel production. In the present study, the marine green microalgae <i>Tetraselmis</i> sp. was used to investigate a rapid and energy-efficient biomass collection method among different methods such as gravity sedimentation, auto-flocculation (at target pH), flocculation by polymers followed by magnetic separation, and centrifugation. The results showed that sufficient high cell densities of microalgae were obtained under the optimized growth conditions after 21 days of cultivation, and the microalgae could be easily flocculated and collected by magnetic separation using synthesized magnetic nanocomposites. The results also showed that among the different methods, magnetic separation was more efficient for biomass harvesting because of its simple and fast processing steps as well as low energy consumption. However, further investigation on different target microalgal species and their cultivation conditions, such as salinity and medium pH, will be required before application for large-scale biofuel production in the future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:19:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3d0743a8552b40aa95c07d265af52cec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:19:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-3d0743a8552b40aa95c07d265af52cec2023-11-16T18:24:12ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412023-01-0115354510.3390/w15030545Development of an Energy-Efficient Rapid Microalgal Cell-Harvesting Method Using Synthesized Magnetic NanocompositesKwan-Shing Chan0Shu-Kei Leung1Sammie Sum-Yi Wong2Shui-Shing Chan3Dawson Wai-Shun Suen4Chi-Wing Tsang5Cho-Yin Chan6Faculty of Science and Technology, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), Hong Kong 999077, ChinaFaculty of Science and Technology, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), Hong Kong 999077, ChinaFaculty of Science and Technology, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), Hong Kong 999077, ChinaFaculty of Science and Technology, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), Hong Kong 999077, ChinaFaculty of Science and Technology, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), Hong Kong 999077, ChinaFaculty of Science and Technology, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), Hong Kong 999077, ChinaFaculty of Science and Technology, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), Hong Kong 999077, ChinaDue to high consumption and non-renewable nature of fossil fuels, rapid development of potential renewable energies such as biofuel derived from microalgae is necessary for achieving the goals of sustainable growth and carbon neutrality. However, the high energy consumption required for microalgal biomass harvesting is regarded as a major obstacle for large-scale microalgal biofuel production. In the present study, the marine green microalgae <i>Tetraselmis</i> sp. was used to investigate a rapid and energy-efficient biomass collection method among different methods such as gravity sedimentation, auto-flocculation (at target pH), flocculation by polymers followed by magnetic separation, and centrifugation. The results showed that sufficient high cell densities of microalgae were obtained under the optimized growth conditions after 21 days of cultivation, and the microalgae could be easily flocculated and collected by magnetic separation using synthesized magnetic nanocomposites. The results also showed that among the different methods, magnetic separation was more efficient for biomass harvesting because of its simple and fast processing steps as well as low energy consumption. However, further investigation on different target microalgal species and their cultivation conditions, such as salinity and medium pH, will be required before application for large-scale biofuel production in the future.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/3/545microalgal biofuel productionmagnetic nanoparticlesauto-flocculationbiofuel downstream processesmagnetic separationeffective biomass harvesting |
| spellingShingle | Kwan-Shing Chan Shu-Kei Leung Sammie Sum-Yi Wong Shui-Shing Chan Dawson Wai-Shun Suen Chi-Wing Tsang Cho-Yin Chan Development of an Energy-Efficient Rapid Microalgal Cell-Harvesting Method Using Synthesized Magnetic Nanocomposites Water microalgal biofuel production magnetic nanoparticles auto-flocculation biofuel downstream processes magnetic separation effective biomass harvesting |
| title | Development of an Energy-Efficient Rapid Microalgal Cell-Harvesting Method Using Synthesized Magnetic Nanocomposites |
| title_full | Development of an Energy-Efficient Rapid Microalgal Cell-Harvesting Method Using Synthesized Magnetic Nanocomposites |
| title_fullStr | Development of an Energy-Efficient Rapid Microalgal Cell-Harvesting Method Using Synthesized Magnetic Nanocomposites |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development of an Energy-Efficient Rapid Microalgal Cell-Harvesting Method Using Synthesized Magnetic Nanocomposites |
| title_short | Development of an Energy-Efficient Rapid Microalgal Cell-Harvesting Method Using Synthesized Magnetic Nanocomposites |
| title_sort | development of an energy efficient rapid microalgal cell harvesting method using synthesized magnetic nanocomposites |
| topic | microalgal biofuel production magnetic nanoparticles auto-flocculation biofuel downstream processes magnetic separation effective biomass harvesting |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/3/545 |
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