An Innovative Low-Cost Equipment for Electro-Concentration of Microalgal Biomass
Microalgal harvesting is one of the most challenging processes in the development of algal research and development. Several methods, such as centrifugation, flocculation and filtration, are available at the laboratory scale. However, the requirement for expensive pieces of equipment and the possibi...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/14/4841 |
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| author | Edwar M. Sanchez-Galvis Ingri Y. Cardenas-Gutierrez Jefferson E. Contreras-Ropero Janet B. García-Martínez Andrés F. Barajas-Solano Antonio Zuorro |
| author_facet | Edwar M. Sanchez-Galvis Ingri Y. Cardenas-Gutierrez Jefferson E. Contreras-Ropero Janet B. García-Martínez Andrés F. Barajas-Solano Antonio Zuorro |
| author_sort | Edwar M. Sanchez-Galvis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Microalgal harvesting is one of the most challenging processes in the development of algal research and development. Several methods, such as centrifugation, flocculation and filtration, are available at the laboratory scale. However, the requirement for expensive pieces of equipment and the possibility of biomass contamination are recurring gaps that hinder the development of microalgae R&D (research and development) in different parts of the world. Recently, electroflotation has been proved to be a suitable method for the harvesting of different species of microalgae and cyanobacteria. To this day, there are no companies that sell laboratory-scale electroflotation equipment; this is mainly due to the gap in the knowledge of which factors (time, mixing rate, number of electrodes and others) will affect the efficiency of concentration without reducing the biomass quality. This paper aims to build an innovative, low-cost electroflotation system for under 300 USD (United States dollar) with cheap and resistant materials. To achieve our goal, we tested the interaction of three variables (time, mixing rate and amount of electrodes). Results showed that an efficiency closer to 100% could be achieved in under 20 min using > 10 electrodes and 150 rpm (round per minute). We hope this innovative approach can be used by different researchers to improve our knowledge of the concentration and harvesting of algae and cyanobacteria. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:29:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-552907bb56fe47fcab1359a21b702cc2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:29:34Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-552907bb56fe47fcab1359a21b702cc22023-11-20T06:45:18ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172020-07-011014484110.3390/app10144841An Innovative Low-Cost Equipment for Electro-Concentration of Microalgal BiomassEdwar M. Sanchez-Galvis0Ingri Y. Cardenas-Gutierrez1Jefferson E. Contreras-Ropero2Janet B. García-Martínez3Andrés F. Barajas-Solano4Antonio Zuorro5Grupo Ambiental de Investigación Aplicada-GAIA, Engineering Faculty, Universidad de Santander, 680003 Bucaramanga, ColombiaDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander, Av. Gran Colombia No. 12E-96, 540003 Cucuta, ColombiaDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander, Av. Gran Colombia No. 12E-96, 540003 Cucuta, ColombiaDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander, Av. Gran Colombia No. 12E-96, 540003 Cucuta, ColombiaDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander, Av. Gran Colombia No. 12E-96, 540003 Cucuta, ColombiaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Materials and Environment, Sapienza University, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Roma, ItalyMicroalgal harvesting is one of the most challenging processes in the development of algal research and development. Several methods, such as centrifugation, flocculation and filtration, are available at the laboratory scale. However, the requirement for expensive pieces of equipment and the possibility of biomass contamination are recurring gaps that hinder the development of microalgae R&D (research and development) in different parts of the world. Recently, electroflotation has been proved to be a suitable method for the harvesting of different species of microalgae and cyanobacteria. To this day, there are no companies that sell laboratory-scale electroflotation equipment; this is mainly due to the gap in the knowledge of which factors (time, mixing rate, number of electrodes and others) will affect the efficiency of concentration without reducing the biomass quality. This paper aims to build an innovative, low-cost electroflotation system for under 300 USD (United States dollar) with cheap and resistant materials. To achieve our goal, we tested the interaction of three variables (time, mixing rate and amount of electrodes). Results showed that an efficiency closer to 100% could be achieved in under 20 min using > 10 electrodes and 150 rpm (round per minute). We hope this innovative approach can be used by different researchers to improve our knowledge of the concentration and harvesting of algae and cyanobacteria.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/14/4841dewateringresponse surface methodologyArduinoaluminum electrodesmicroalgae harvesting |
| spellingShingle | Edwar M. Sanchez-Galvis Ingri Y. Cardenas-Gutierrez Jefferson E. Contreras-Ropero Janet B. García-Martínez Andrés F. Barajas-Solano Antonio Zuorro An Innovative Low-Cost Equipment for Electro-Concentration of Microalgal Biomass Applied Sciences dewatering response surface methodology Arduino aluminum electrodes microalgae harvesting |
| title | An Innovative Low-Cost Equipment for Electro-Concentration of Microalgal Biomass |
| title_full | An Innovative Low-Cost Equipment for Electro-Concentration of Microalgal Biomass |
| title_fullStr | An Innovative Low-Cost Equipment for Electro-Concentration of Microalgal Biomass |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Innovative Low-Cost Equipment for Electro-Concentration of Microalgal Biomass |
| title_short | An Innovative Low-Cost Equipment for Electro-Concentration of Microalgal Biomass |
| title_sort | innovative low cost equipment for electro concentration of microalgal biomass |
| topic | dewatering response surface methodology Arduino aluminum electrodes microalgae harvesting |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/14/4841 |
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