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Procedure to Evaluate the Efficiency of Flocculants for the Removal of Dispersed Particles from Plant Extracts
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Edible fungi-assisted harvesting system for efficient microalgae bio-flocculation
Shanshan Luo1, Xiaodan Wu2, Haobin Jiang1
1Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmacy, Jiangxi Science & Technology Normal University, Nanchang 330013, PR China.
Bioresource Technology
|March 17, 2019
Summary
This study introduces Pleurotus ostreatus as a novel, natural flocculant for microalgae harvesting. This method offers efficient, contamination-free recovery of microalgae for food and feed applications.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Aquaculture
- Food Science
Background:
- Conventional flocculants pose contamination risks, limiting microalgae use in food and feed.
- Developing sustainable and safe harvesting methods is crucial for microalgae biotechnology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of Pleurotus ostreatus as a natural flocculant for microalgae harvesting.
- To optimize conditions for efficient and contamination-free microalgae recovery.
Main Methods:
- Cultured Pleurotus ostreatus pellets under varying agitation speeds (0, 100, 150 rpm).
- Assessed microalgae harvesting efficiency at different pH levels of Chlorella sp. suspension.
- Determined optimal conditions for maximum microalgae recovery.
Main Results:
- Pleurotus ostreatus pellets cultured at 100 rpm agitation yielded superior harvesting efficiency.
- Lower pH of the Chlorella sp. suspension significantly enhanced harvesting efficiency.
- Maximum microalgae recovery efficiency of 64.86% was achieved within 150 minutes.
Conclusions:
- Pleurotus ostreatus serves as an effective, natural flocculant for microalgae harvesting.
- Optimized conditions enable low-cost, flocculant-free microalgae recovery for food and feed production.
- This method enhances the viability of microalgae as a sustainable feedstock.
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