Utilizing novel species for bio-flocculation: A cost-effective approach to harvest microalgae for biofuel production.

The present study aimed to isolate a bioflocculating fungal strain from wastewater collected from a local bike garage. The isolate showed maximum similarity to species The fungus was identified as species (accession no OP703382). The isolated fungus was evaluated in terms of biomass recovery efficiency in Sp. GTAF01. The extent of algal fungal co-pelletization was evaluated as a function of the algae-to-fungi ratio, volume of fungal culture in broth, agitation rate, and pH. results showed that at fungal culture volume of 60 %v/v, fungal culture volume of 1:3 %w/w, 100 rpm, and pH 3, 93.6 % biomass was obtained during the initial 5 h. At wavenumbers 1384 and 1024 cm a significant alteration in the transmission percentage was observed in co-pellet compared to algae and fungal cells. This shows the significant role of C-H-H and C-N stretches in co-pellet formation. This study provides deep insight into effective microalgal harvesting along with the simultaneous extraction of lipids that can be used for the sustainable production of biodiesel.