Harvesting of Microalgae Dunaliella salina Using Electroflocculation

One of the important bottle-necks in production of microalgae based biodiesel is the lack of an efficient method for harvesting of microalgae from the culture medium. In this study, the electroflocculation method was developed for harvesting of microalgae Dunaliella cells from culture medium. The effect of several parameters such as the current density, electrical conductivity of culture medium, time, electrode gap, and electrode type on harvesting efficiency and energy consumption were also determined. The maximum harvesting efficiency of this method was ۹۷.۴۴% at EC= ۱.۳۵ S m-۱ and current density of ۹۰ A m-۲ during ۳ minutes electroflocculation process in a ۳۰۰ ml beaker. The maximum efficiency was achieved by aluminum electrodes with ۱ cm distance between electrodes and the maximum energy consumption for this practice was ۰.۶۲۱ kW h m-۳. It was concluded that electroflocculation is an efficient and cost effective method for microalgae harvesting.

Keywords:

biodiesel , Cell coagulation , Dewatering , Harvesting Efficiency , Microalgae harvesting