Harvesting Unicellular Microalgae

Adam Dassey Dr. Chandra Theegala Louisiana State University Biological and Agricultural Engineering

Products from Algae

5,000-10,000 tons worldwide[1]
High value products ($8,000-15,000t-1)
food supplements nutraceuticals antioxidants
http://ecx.imagesamazon.com/images/I/4 1yv%2Bg6ATIL.jpg

Low value products ($810-1,080t-1)

Fuel
20% lipid content $3-4 per gallon
http://www.ecoautoninja.com/ecoauto-technology/algae-fueled-cars-firstroad-trip-96365/

Algae Concentration
Raceway culturing Acre pond * 2 feet deep = 652,000 gallons Assume 200 mg/l concentration
0.02% algal biomass 130 gallons of algal biomass

Assume 20% lipids

26 gallons of algal oil
http://trendsupdates.com/algal-biofuels-sustainable-energyoption-for-future/

Harvesting
20-30% of the total algal fuel cost 2 step process
Concentrate from 0.02% to ~2% Concentrate from 2% to 20%

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VyTC yizqrHs/ScvR9_jnuhI/AAAAAAAA DQk/PV_OJCriB0/s400/Bionavitaalgae.jpg

http://www.ourenergy.com/pictures/static_content/biofuel_p roduction_from_algae/biodiesel_algae.jpg

http://www.treehugger.com/20090424-algaepaste.jpg

Microalgae Characteristics
Size
1-30 um in diameter

[2]

Density
1.07-1.2 kg/L

Charge
-7 to -45 mV
http://www.devicedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/microscopicview-of-microalgae.jpg

Concentration
100-400 mg/L

Centrifugation
Uses centrifugal forces as high as 13,000*g to separate algae from suspension[3]
95% algae recovery Concentration of 22%

Very reliable Energy intensive

http://www.webeatdiabetes.com/algae_paste.jpg

Sedimentation
Particles <100 um become difficult to settle Algal cells <30 um
settling velocities of 0.1-2.6 cm/h [4] Concentrations up to 500 mg/l can not be spontaneously settled [5]

Induced sedimentation
Chemical flocculation Autoflocculation Bioflocculation

Concentration of 1-2%

Filtration
Membrane
Simple and reliable Arent effective with dilute concentration
Bind the filter Head loss

Membrane replacement is a major costs May be more effective when the culture is preconditioned to 3-4% solids
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100501/innovation-a-lean-green-machine.html

Filtration
Granular Media
Sand, gravel, diatomaceous earth, synthetic beads Small media is necessary to capture algal cells
Slow filtration rate

Once captured, the algae must be separated from the media Backwashing, head loss, and biofouling are the major drawbacks

Dissolved Air Flotation

Produces microbubbles (40 um diameter) to carry algal cells to the surface Moderate energy use Reliable Requires flocculent for effective separation

Recommend Process
1st step
Sedimentation, flotation, media filtration

2nd step
Centrifugation, membrane filtration

Benefits
Centrifuge alone
9.85 KW*h/m3 * (81.7 m3 culture/gal oil) * ($0.09/KW*h)
$72.43 per gallon

DAF before centrifuge

0.164 KW*h/m3 * (81.7 m3 culture/gal oil) * ($0.09/KW*h) + 9.85 KW*h/m3 * (0.33 m3 culture/gal oil) * ($0.09/KW*h)
$1.50 per gallon

Questions

References
[1] Pulz O and Gross W, Valuable products from biotechnology of microalgae. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 65:625648 (2004). [2]Henderson, R. et al. (2007) The impact of algal properties and pre-oxidation on solid-liquid separation of algae. Wat. Res [3] Heasman M, Diemar J, O Connor W, Sushames T, Foulkes L, Nell JA. Development of extended shelf-life microalgae concentrate diets harvested by centrifugation for bivalve molluscsa summary. Aquacult Res 2000;31(8 9):637 59. [4]Choi, S.K. et al. (2006) Settling characteristics of problem algae in the water treatment process. Wat. Sci. Tech. 53(7), 113-119 [5]Salim, S. et al. (2010) Harvesting of microalgae by bio-flocculation. Journal of Applied Phycology, DOI 10.1007/s10811-010-9591-x