title: Cationic polymers for successful flocculation of marine microalgae.
abstract: Flocculation of microalgae is a promising technique to reduce the costs and energy required for harvesting microalgae. Harvesting marine microalgae requires suitable flocculants to induce the flocculation under marine conditions. This study demonstrates that cationic polymeric flocculants can be used to harvest marine microalgae. Different organic flocculants were tested to flocculate Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Neochloris oleoabundans grown under marine conditions. Addition of 10 ppm of the commercial available flocculants Zetag 7557 and Synthofloc 5080H to P. tricornutum showed a recovery of, respectively, 98% ± 2.0 and 94% ± 2.9 after flocculation followed by 2h sedimentation. Using the same flocculants and dosage for harvesting N. oleoabundans resulted in a recovery of 52% ± 1.5 and 36% ± 11.3. This study shows that cationic polymeric flocculants are a viable option to pre-concentrate marine cultivated microalgae via flocculation prior to further dewatering.
authors.affiliation: Bioprocess Engineering, AlgaePARC, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: gerard.tlam@wur.nl.
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: 't Lam
authors.affiliation: Bioprocess Engineering, AlgaePARC, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Vermuë
authors.affiliation: Bioprocess Engineering, AlgaePARC, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Olivieri
authors.affiliation: Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research, AlgaePARC, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L A M
authors.initials: LAM
authors.lastname: van den Broek
authors.affiliation: Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research, AlgaePARC, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.affiliation: Bioprocess Engineering, AlgaePARC, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M H M
authors.initials: MHM
authors.lastname: Eppink
authors.affiliation: Bioprocess Engineering, AlgaePARC, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Wijffels
authors.affiliation: Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research, AlgaePARC, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: D M M
authors.initials: DMM
authors.lastname: Kleinegris
mesh_terms: D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D018533:Biomass; D002412:Cations; D005427:Flocculation / Q000187:drug effects; D058086:Microalgae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011108:Polymers / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002412:Cations; D011108:Polymers
keywords: Biorefinery; Flocculation; Harvesting; Microalgae