Department of Biotechnology, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, U.P., 211004, India.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 Jan;27(3):3497-3507. doi: 10.1007/s11356-019-06897-y. Epub 2019 Dec 12.
There is growing interest in recent times for microalgae as a sustainable energy source. However, efficient harvesting of microalgal biomass for various industrial applications is still considered a bottleneck. The present study attempts to evaluate microalgae Scenedesmus sp. harvesting using electro-coagulation-flocculation (ECF). Plackett-Burman design was exploited to explore the significant process parameters, whereas Taguchi's array design was employed for optimization. The optimal conditions were optimized as initial pH 5.0, electrolysis time 15 min, electrode distance 2 cm, sedimentation time 60 min, and current density 12 mA cm for complete harvesting. Under optimum conditions, the energy utilization and the operation cost of ECF process was estimated to be 2.65 kWh kg and USD 0.29 kg, respectively. Thus, ECF-based microalgae harvesting was found as a low-cost technique. In addition, neutralizing pH and supplementing macro- and micronutrients enabled the flocculated medium to maintain an approximate growth yield in algal cultivation to that of the fresh BG11 medium. ECF did not affect the amount of microalgal lipids (28.6 ± 1.2, % wt.), chlorophyll a (8.3 ± 0.3 μg mL), and fatty acid methyl ester composition (C15:0, C16:0, C17:0, and C18:0) as well. These results strongly recommend ECF as the most appropriate and promising method for harvesting Scenedesmus sp. for biofuel production.
近年来,人们对微藻作为可持续能源越来越感兴趣。然而,高效收获微藻生物质以用于各种工业应用仍然被认为是一个瓶颈。本研究试图评估电凝聚-絮凝(ECF)法用于微藻 Scenedesmus sp. 的收获。利用 Plackett-Burman 设计来探索显著的工艺参数,而 Taguchi 的阵列设计用于优化。优化条件为初始 pH 5.0、电解时间 15 分钟、电极距离 2 厘米、沉降时间 60 分钟和电流密度 12 mA cm,以实现完全收获。在最佳条件下,ECF 工艺的能量利用和操作成本估计分别为 2.65 kWh kg 和 0.29 美元 kg。因此,ECF 基微藻收获被认为是一种低成本技术。此外,中和 pH 值并补充宏量和微量营养素,使絮凝介质在藻类培养中保持与新鲜 BG11 培养基相近的生长产量。ECF 也不会影响微藻脂质的含量(28.6±1.2,%wt.)、叶绿素 a(8.3±0.3 μg mL)和脂肪酸甲酯组成(C15:0、C16:0、C17:0 和 C18:0)。这些结果强烈推荐 ECF 作为最适合和有前途的方法来收获 Scenedesmus sp. 用于生物燃料生产。