School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Hubei Key Laboratory of Biomass-Resources Chemistry and Environmental Biotechnology, and Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Sustainable Resource and Energy, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China.
School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, No. 8, East Lake South Road, Wuhan 430079, China.
Bioresour Technol. 2024 Aug;406:130979. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130979. Epub 2024 Jun 13.
Addressing the drawbacks of traditional flocculants on microalgae biomass harvesting is crucial for large-scale industrial applications of microalgae production. In this study, cationic bioflocculant was successfully prepared by introducing cationic groups into the side chain of guar gum, achieving in-situ algae flocculation efficiency of 83.5 % with the dosage of 18.0 mg/L under pH = 10.0. Through a harmonious integration of predictive modelling and practical experimentation, a superior cell flocculation capacity of 23.5 g/g was achieved. In addition, the environmental safety and biocompatibility of cationic guar gum was assessed, using the typical suspension quantitative bacteriostatic method and the fluorescent double-staining technique. The results showed that the inhibition efficiency of Staphylococcus aureus in the system containing 60.0 mg/L cationic guar gum was only 12.0 % and there was no inhibition against Escherichia coli colonies. These findings provide a safe and green flocculant for efficient microalgae harvesting and spent medium treatment.
解决传统絮凝剂在微藻生物质收获方面的缺点对于大规模的微藻生产工业应用至关重要。在这项研究中，通过在瓜尔胶侧链中引入阳离子基团，成功制备了阳离子生物絮凝剂，在 pH=10.0 下，用量为 18.0 mg/L 时，实现了 83.5%的原位藻类絮凝效率。通过预测模型和实际实验的和谐整合，实现了 23.5 g/g 的卓越细胞絮凝能力。此外，还使用典型的悬浮定量抑菌法和荧光双重染色技术评估了阳离子瓜尔胶的环境安全性和生物相容性。结果表明，在含有 60.0 mg/L 阳离子瓜尔胶的系统中，金黄色葡萄球菌的抑制效率仅为 12.0%，对大肠杆菌菌落没有抑制作用。这些发现为高效微藻收获和废培养基处理提供了安全、绿色的絮凝剂。
