Harvesting marine microalgae Tetraselmis sp. using cellulose acetate membrane

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biotechnology
• Environmental Engineering

Background:

• Microalgae like Tetraselmis sp. are a sustainable source for aquaculture feed.
• Efficient harvesting methods are crucial for the economic viability of microalgae cultivation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a cellulose acetate phase-inversion membrane for Tetraselmis sp. harvesting.
• To assess the membrane's filtration efficiency, permeability, and fouling resistance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a cellulose acetate phase-inversion membrane.
• Characterization of membrane properties.
• Filtration performance evaluation using Tetraselmis sp. broth.
• Long-term back concentration filtration test over 7 days.

Main Results:

• The cellulose acetate membrane demonstrated high microalgae harvesting efficiency.
• Achieved high clean water permeability (1100 L/(m²·h·bar)) and culture permeability (400 L/(m²·h·bar)).
• Exhibited a volume reduction factor of 2.5× with only 22.5% irreversible fouling after 7 days without cleaning.

Conclusions:

• Cellulose acetate is a suitable polymer for developing effective microalgae harvesting membranes.
• The developed membrane offers high-throughput and robust performance for aquaculture applications.
• This technology has potential for scalable and cost-effective microalgae processing.