Harvesting of microalgae oil from brackish water in Thailand

Sasirindara Labua; Thanawat Karkew

Authors

Sasirindara Labua Faculty of Biotechnology, College of Agricultural Innovation, Biotechnology and Food, Rangsit University, Patumthani 12000, Thailand
Thanawat Karkew Faculty of Biotechnology, College of Agricultural Innovation, Biotechnology and Food, Rangsit University, Patumthani 12000, Thailand

Keywords:

biomass, brackish water, efficient and economically, flocculation, harvesting and concentrating, microalgae

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess 7 methods used for harvesting and concentrating microalgae from brackish water in Thailand and to perform a comparative analysis to determine the most efficient and economical dewatering methods for large scale processing of microalgae biomass. The harvesting techniques investigated included sedimentation, vacuum filtration, centrifugation, organic flocculation, inorganic flocculation, auto flocculation, and bio-flocculation. Five criteria were used for evaluating microalgae harvesting technique, namely: a. dewatering efficiency, b. cost, c. suitability for industrial scale, d. time, and e. reusability of media. The results showed that harvesting microalgae oil by flocculation with 1.2 g/l Al₂(SO₄)₃·18H₂O was the most efficient and economically viable dewatering methods for large scale processing of microalgae biomass.

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