Microalgae dewatering is a major obstruction to industrial-scale processing of microalgae for biofuel production. The dilute nature of harvested microalgal cultures creates a huge operational cost during dewatering, thereby, rendering algae-based fuels less economically attractive. Currently there is no superior method of dewatering microalgae. A technique that may result in a greater algal biomass may have drawbacks such as a high capital cost or high energy consumption. The choice of which harvesting technique to apply will depend on the species of microalgae and the final product desired. Algal properties such as a large cell size and the capability of the microalgae to autoflocculate can simplify the dewatering process. This article reviews and addresses the various technologies currently used for dewatering microalgal cultures along with a comparative study of the performances of the different technologies.

Dewatering of microalgal cultures: A major bottleneck to algae-based fuels

Microalgae dewatering is a major obstruction to industrial-scale processing of microalgae for biofuel prodn. The dil. nature of harvested microalgal cultures creates a huge operational cost during dewatering, thereby, rendering algae-based fuels less economically attractive. Currently there is no superior method of dewatering microalgae. A technique that may result in a greater algal biomass may have drawbacks such as a high capital cost or high energy consumption. The choice of which harvesting technique to apply will depend on the species of microalgae and the final product desired. Algal properties such as a large cell size and the capability of the microalgae to autoflocculate can simplify the dewatering process. This article reviews and addresses the various technologies currently used for dewatering microalgal cultures along with a comparative study of the performances of the different technologies.

Dewatering of microalgal cultures : a major bottleneck to algae-based fuels

Microalgae are a promising source of third generation renewable fuels. However, the biofuel production process from microalgae growth through to fuel production is still generally regarded as not economically viable. One area of particular consideration, for requiring more cost effective methods, is the recovery or harvesting stage. Among the several harvesting methods that have been proposed and used, flotation is emerging as one of significant promise. This review highlights why flotation can offer better harvesting characteristics than other methods by looking at work that has been carried out to date, as well as discussing the need for further developments in key areas.

Flotation harvesting of microalgae.

Algal biomass dehydration

Energy is the utmost requirement for driving the organization and maintenance of entire ecosystem. Our continued dependency on fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas as the prime source of energy has led to serious concerns about the future energy supply and security. Furthermore, over-consumption of carbon-based fossil energy sources raises serious environmental issues of global warming and climate change. To overcome the global energy demand and to enable economic as well as ecological development in a sustainable manner, technological progress for the utilization of renewable natural energy are essential to protect the environment and save energy in today's increasingly competitive world. To this end, algal biofuels are being claimed as an apt alternative energy source and in recent past, several taxonomic groups of algae have been studied and reported as an alternative to fossil fuels. It is envisaged that algal biomass could be readily processed into the raw material to make cost-effective biofuels and is being explored as an emergent and renewable green energy crops for the production of biofuels, especially biodiesel. Development of astonishing technological innovations in the field of algal genetic engineering has triggered remarkable output across the global energy sector for better biofuels. Several new techniques are being adopted for large-scale farming of microalgae intended for biofuel production. However, there are certain constraints for commercial-scale energy production from algae. The present review discusses the technological development and current information on the cultivation and process of biodiesel production form algae. Also, discussed are the technological development and genomic insights into the algal biomass and triacylglycerol accumulation for enhanced biodiesel production.

Algal Green Energy – R&D and technological perspectives for biodiesel production

The paper describes certain facets of the removal of the algae (Scenedesmus quadricauda) from water, using a froth flotation separation method, in conjunction with two types of surfactants, (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) CTAB and (sodium dodecylsulfate) SDS. A 90% algal removal efficiency was achieved when 100 mg l-1 of CTAB was used whereas for the SDS solutions, the same concentration gave, by comparison, a very poor algal removal efficiency. An addition of 1 mg l–1 of a commercial cationic polyelectrolyte, which was the optimal concentration as was evident from the zeta potential and the particle size distribution measurements, prior to the SDS addition resulted in a formation of algal flocs and consequently a substantial improvement in the extent of the algal removal. A 50 mg l-1 solution of SDS was found to be the optimal concentration to completely remove these algal flocs from water. The amount of water removed along with the algal flocs, produced using 1 mg l-1 of the commercial polyelectrolyte ...

An Algal Removal using a Combination of Flocculation and Flotation Processes

Froth flotation separation was used to remove Scenedesmus quadricauda , an algae species which is commonly found in lakes and reservoirs, from an aqueous suspension as a function of several variables. The removal efficiencies of both live and dead algae (thermally terminated) using the froth flotation method as a function of the introduction of two types of surfactant, aeration rates, pH and temperature of operation are compared. The characteristics of the algal suspension such as the zeta potential of the algae and the surface tension measurements are also reported. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), a cationic surfactant species, gave a comparatively good algal removal efficiency while sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS), an anionic surfactant species, gave, in comparison, a relatively poor removal efficiency. By decreasing the ambient pH values of the algal suspensions, the SDS gave an increasingly better extent of separation. As the aeration rates were increased, the removal efficiencies of both the live and the dead algae were increased slightly whereas when the temperature increased from 20 to 40°C, the removal rates were, more or less, unchanged. In most cases, the removal of the dead algae was greater than that of the live algae. The surface tension of the dead algal suspensions with CTAB was slightly lower than that of the live algal suspensions with CTAB at comparable concentrations, which may facilitate the removal of the dead algae.

Comparison between the removal of live and dead algae using froth flotation

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An Algal Removal using a Combination of Flocculation and Flotation Processes

Comparison between the removal of live and dead algae using froth flotation