title: Current progress and future prospect of microalgal biomass harvest using various flocculation technologies.
abstract: Microalgae have been extensively studied for the production of various valuable products. Application of microalgae for the production of renewable energy has also received increasing attention in recent years. However, high cost of microalgal biomass harvesting is one of the bottlenecks for commercialization of microalgae-based industrial processes. Considering harvesting efficiency, operation economics and technological feasibility, flocculation is a superior method to harvest microalgae from mass culture. In this article, the latest progress of various microalgal cell harvesting methods via flocculation is reviewed with the emphasis on the current progress and prospect in environmentally friendly bio-based flocculation. Harvesting microalgae through bio-based flocculation is a promising component of the low-cost microalgal biomass production technology.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
authors.forename: Md Asraful
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Alam
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China; School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200240, China. Electronic address: xqzhao@dlut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xin-Qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Yue
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Suo-Lian
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Organization of Advanced Science and Technology, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada-ku, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Shih-Hsin
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan; University Center for Bioscience and Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan; Research Center for Energy Technology and Strategy Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jo-Shu
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China; School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Feng-Wu
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Bai
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D005427:Flocculation; D058086:Microalgae / Q000254:growth & development*
keywords: Bioflocculation; Flocculation; Microalgae harvesting; Microalgal cell self-flocculation