title: Harvesting carbohydrate-rich Arthrospira platensis by spontaneous settling.
abstract: The filamentous cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis is an attractive feedstock for carbohydrate-based biofuels because it accumulated up to 74% of carbohydrates when nitrogen stressed. Nitrogen stressed A. platensis also settled spontaneously, and this occurred simultaneously with carbohydrates accumulation, suggesting a link between both phenomena. The increased settling velocity was neither due to production of extracellular carbohydrates, nor due to degradation of gas vacuoles, but was caused by an increase in the specific density of the filaments as a result of accumulation of carbohydrates under the form of glycogen. Settling velocities of carbohydrate-rich A. platensis reached 0.64mh(-1), which allowed the biomass to be harvested using a lamella separator. The biomass could be concentrated at least 15 times, allowing removal of 94% of the water using gravity settling, thus offering a potential application as a low-cost and high-throughput method for primary dewatering of carbohydrate-rich A. platensis.
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven Campus Kortrijk, Laboratory Aquatic Biology, E. Sabbelaan 53, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium. Electronic address: Orily.Depraetere@kuleuven-kortrijk.be.
authors.forename: Orily
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Depraetere
authors.affiliation: Clermont Université, Université Blaise Pascal, Institut Pascal UMR CNRS 6602, 24 avenue des Landais, BP 206, 63174 Aubière cedex, France.
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pierre
authors.affiliation: Department of Proteomic and Microbiology, Research Institute for Biosciences, University 9 of Mons, Place du Parc 20, B-7000 Mons, Belgium.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Deschoenmaeker
authors.affiliation: Expert Group for Molecular and Cellular Biology MCB, Belgian Nuclear Research Center 11 SCK.CEN, B-2400 Mol, Belgium.
authors.forename: Hanène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Badri
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven Campus Kortrijk, Research Unit Food & Lipids, Department of Molecular and Microbial Systems Kulak, Etienne Sabbelaan 53, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Imogen
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Foubert
authors.affiliation: Expert Group for Molecular and Cellular Biology MCB, Belgian Nuclear Research Center 11 SCK.CEN, B-2400 Mol, Belgium.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Leys
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resources Management and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Giorgos
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Markou
authors.affiliation: Department of Proteomic and Microbiology, Research Institute for Biosciences, University 9 of Mons, Place du Parc 20, B-7000 Mons, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ruddy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wattiez
authors.affiliation: Clermont Université, Université Blaise Pascal, Institut Pascal UMR CNRS 6602, 24 avenue des Landais, BP 206, 63174 Aubière cedex, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Michaud
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven Campus Kortrijk, Laboratory Aquatic Biology, E. Sabbelaan 53, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Koenraad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muylaert
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels; D018533:Biomass; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D006003:Glycogen / Q000378:metabolism; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D053545:Spirulina / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D011134:Polysaccharides; D006003:Glycogen; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Bioethanol; Flocculation; Harvesting; Nitrogen stress; Spirulina