Book chapter
Industrial-scale microalgae pond primary dewatering chemistry for Energy-efficient autoflocculation
Biomass and Biofuels from Microalgae, Vol.2, pp.275-287
Springer International Publishing
2015
Abstract
Industrial-scale microalgae production will likely require large energy-intensive technologies for both culture and biomass recovery; energy-efficient and cost-effective microalgae dewatering and water management are major challenges. Primary dewatering is typically achieved through flocculation followed by separation via settling or flotation. Flocculants are relatively expensive, and their presence can limit the reuse of de-oiled flocculated microalgae. Natural flocculation of microalgae—autoflocculation—occurs in response to changes in pH and water hardness and, if controlled, might lead to less-expensive “flocculant-free” dewatering. A better understanding of autoflocculation should also prompt higher yields by preventing unwanted autoflocculation. Autoflocculation is driven by double-layer coordination between microalgae, Ca+2 and Mg+2, and/or mineral surface precipitates of calcite, Mg(OH)2, and hydroxyapatite that form primarily at pH > 8. Combining surface complexation models that describe the interface of microalgae:water, calcite:water, Mg(OH)2:water, and hydroxyapatite:water allows optimal autoflocculation conditions—for example pH, Mg, Ca, and P levels—to be identified for a given culture medium.
Details
- Title
- Industrial-scale microalgae pond primary dewatering chemistry for Energy-efficient autoflocculation
- Authors/Creators
- P.V. Brady (Author/Creator) - Sandia National LaboratoriesM.P. McHenry (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityM. Carolina Cuello (Author/Creator)N.R. Moheimani (Author/Creator) - Murdoch University
- Contributors
- N.R. Moheimani (Editor) - Murdoch UniversityM.P. McHenry (Editor) - Murdoch UniversityK. de Boer (Editor)P.A. Bahri (Editor)
- Publication Details
- Biomass and Biofuels from Microalgae, Vol.2, pp.275-287
- Publisher
- Springer International Publishing
- Identifiers
- 991005542443107891
- Copyright
- 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Engineering and Information Technology; School of Veterinary and Life Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Additional Information
- Series Title: Biofuel and Biorefinery Technologies; Vol. 2
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