Harvesting techniques applied to microalgae: A review

• Tipo: Artigo em Revista Científica Internacional
• Data: 2015

Autores

Ana I. Barros (Autor) Outra; Ana L. Gonçalves (Autor) FEUP; Manuel Simões (Autor) FEUP; José C. M. Pires (Autor) FEUP

Revista

Título: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

Vol. 41

Páginas: 1489-1500

ISSN: 1364-0321

Editora: Elsevier

Indexação

ISI Web of Knowledge - 313 Citações

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 406 Citações

INSPEC

Classificação Científica

CORDIS: Ciências Tecnológicas > Engenharia > Engenharia de processos > Engenharia de bioprocessos ; Ciências Tecnológicas > Engenharia > Engenharia de projecto

FOS: Ciências da engenharia e tecnologias > Engenharia do ambiente

Projetos Associados

LEPABE - Laboratório de Engenharia de Processos, Ambiente, Biotecnologia e Energia

Outras Informações

ID Authenticus: P-00A-37S

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2014.09.037

Abstract (EN): Research studies on microalgae have increased in the last decades due to the wide range of applications associated to these photosynthetic microorganisms. Microalgae are an important source of oils and other biomolecules that can be used in the production of biofuels and high-valued products. However, the use of microalgae in these green processes is still not economically viable. One of the main costs associated to microalgal production is related to the harvesting process, as it usually accounts for about 20-30% of total cost. Therefore, this review focuses on the main harvesting processes applied to microalgae, presenting the main advantages and disadvantages of each method, to allow the selection of an appropriate procedure to effectively separate microalgal biomass from the culture medium. To reduce the associated costs, it is common to harvest microalgae in a two-step separation: (i) thickening procedures, in which microalgal slurry is concentrated to about 2-7% of total suspended solids; and (ii) dewatering procedures, which result in the concentration of microalgal slurry to 15-25% of total suspended solids. Selection of the adequate harvesting methods depends on the characteristics of the target microorganism and also on the type and value of the end product.

Idioma: Inglês

Tipo (Avaliação Docente): Científica

Nº de páginas: 12