Microalgae dewatering is a major obstruction to industrial-scale processing of microalgae for biofuel prodn. The dil. nature of harvested microalgal cultures creates a huge operational cost during dewatering, thereby, rendering algae-based fuels less economically attractive. Currently there is no superior method of dewatering microalgae. A technique that may result in a greater algal biomass may have drawbacks such as a high capital cost or high energy consumption. The choice of which harvesting technique to apply will depend on the species of microalgae and the final product desired. Algal properties such as a large cell size and the capability of the microalgae to autoflocculate can simplify the dewatering process. This article reviews and addresses the various technologies currently used for dewatering microalgal cultures along with a comparative study of the performances of the different technologies.

Dewatering of microalgal cultures : a major bottleneck to algae-based fuels

Enhancement of methane production in anaerobic digestion process: A review

The anaerobic digestion of microalgae is a prospective environmentally feasible option for creating a renewable source of energy for industrial and domestic needs. Microalgae anaerobic digestion is a key unit process that integrates efficiency and beneficially into the production of microalgae derived biofuels. Anaerobic digestion culminating in methane fermentation improves the economic viability of microalgae liquid biofuel production and presents an opportunity for power generation from wastewater derived microalgae. However the anaerobic digestion of microalgae biomass is not straight forward due to several technical restraints including low concentration of digestible biodegradable substrate, recalcitrant substrate constituents, cell wall degradability, low carbon to nitrogen ratio, ammonia toxicity and effects from salinity and associated metal ions. Current production methods for liquid biofuel production from microalgae produce approximately 60–70% residual biomass that is currently a byproduct. Anaerobic digestion provides biogas, but it can also provide essential nutrient recovery from lipid extracted microalgae biomass. The biogas produced from the anaerobic digestion process can be used to generate onsite electrical power or thermal heat to offset biomass processing and extraction processes. When both of these processes are integrated and operated simultaneously, the benefits to microalgae biofuel production and wastewater treatment derived energy production are increased significantly. To consider the integration of anaerobic digestion into a commercial-scale integrated microalgae production and biofuel refinery facility or wastewater treatment plant we present a review of the literature, the current state of the art and future directions for research.

/pdf/anaerobic-digestion-of-algae-biomass-a-review-3ysazz7jqo.pdf

Anaerobic digestion of algae biomass: A review

Electrodialysis Desalination for Water and Wastewater: A Review

A comprehensive review on food waste anaerobic digestion: Research updates and tendencies.

Nutrient recovery from wastewater through pilot scale electrodialysis

Microalgae are swift replicating photosynthetic microorganisms with several applications for food, chemicals, medicine and fuel. Microalgae have been identified to be suitable for biofuels production, due to their high lipid contents. Microalgae-based biofuels have the potential to meet the increasing energy demands and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the present state of technology does not economically support sustainable large-scale production. The biofuel production process comprises the upstream and downstream processing phases, with several uncertainties involved. This review examines the various production and processing stages, and considers the use of chemometric methods in identifying and understanding relationships from measured study parameters via statistical methods, across microalgae production stages. This approach enables collection of relevant information for system performance assessment. The principal benefit of such analysis is the identification of the key contributing factors, useful for decision makers to improve system design, operation and process economics. Chemometrics proffers options for time saving in data analysis, as well as efficient process optimization, which could be relevant for the continuous growth of the microalgae industry.

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/8/8/851/pdf

Andrew Ward

Papers

Anaerobic digestion of algae biomass: A review

Nutrient recovery from wastewater through pilot scale electrodialysis

Factors Affecting Microalgae Production for Biofuels and the Potentials of Chemometric Methods in Assessing and Optimizing Productivity

Microalgae digestate effluent as a growth medium for Tetraselmis sp. in the production of biofuels

Transport of pharmaceuticals during electrodialysis treatment of wastewater.