Kemin Wei , Hao Wen , Meili Wu , Yue Wang , Jia He , Xichen Zheng , Xu Liu , Peng Wei , Shaoli Fan , Linjuan Zhang , Jian Gao
{"title":"A sustainable microalgae harvesting method via guar gum –Based buoy bead flotation","authors":"Kemin Wei , Hao Wen , Meili Wu , Yue Wang , Jia He , Xichen Zheng , Xu Liu , Peng Wei , Shaoli Fan , Linjuan Zhang , Jian Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109883","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents a novel plant-based flocculation–flotation strategy for harvesting microalgae, employing cationic cellulose nanofibers (CCNF) as flocculants and a crosslinked guar gum emulsion (GGE) as buoy beads. <em>Chlorella vulgaris</em> was chosen as a representative microalgae, and single-factor and response surface experiments were conducted to optimize harvesting conditions. The results showed that under optimal conditions, the harvesting efficiency of GGE reached 96.36 %, while the concentration factor was 2.01 %. Environmental and safety assessments demonstrated minimal ecological risk, with a carbon footprint of 0.664 kg CO₂ eq and a production cost of $2.44. Residual levels of harmful substances in the supernatant were negligible. Mechanism analysis demonstrated that CCNF neutralized the microalgae electrically, inducing flocculation, while GGE served as a binder, facilitating the flotation of the flocs. These findings highlight the potential of biodegradable, plant-based materials to enable high-efficiency, low-cost, and eco-friendly microalgae harvesting suitable for large-scale biofuel production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8766,"journal":{"name":"Biochemical Engineering Journal","volume":"223 ","pages":"Article 109883"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Biochemical Engineering Journal","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369703X25002578","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BIOTECHNOLOGY & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study presents a novel plant-based flocculation–flotation strategy for harvesting microalgae, employing cationic cellulose nanofibers (CCNF) as flocculants and a crosslinked guar gum emulsion (GGE) as buoy beads. Chlorella vulgaris was chosen as a representative microalgae, and single-factor and response surface experiments were conducted to optimize harvesting conditions. The results showed that under optimal conditions, the harvesting efficiency of GGE reached 96.36 %, while the concentration factor was 2.01 %. Environmental and safety assessments demonstrated minimal ecological risk, with a carbon footprint of 0.664 kg CO₂ eq and a production cost of $2.44. Residual levels of harmful substances in the supernatant were negligible. Mechanism analysis demonstrated that CCNF neutralized the microalgae electrically, inducing flocculation, while GGE served as a binder, facilitating the flotation of the flocs. These findings highlight the potential of biodegradable, plant-based materials to enable high-efficiency, low-cost, and eco-friendly microalgae harvesting suitable for large-scale biofuel production.
期刊介绍:
The Biochemical Engineering Journal aims to promote progress in the crucial chemical engineering aspects of the development of biological processes associated with everything from raw materials preparation to product recovery relevant to industries as diverse as medical/healthcare, industrial biotechnology, and environmental biotechnology.
The Journal welcomes full length original research papers, short communications, and review papers* in the following research fields:
Biocatalysis (enzyme or microbial) and biotransformations, including immobilized biocatalyst preparation and kinetics
Biosensors and Biodevices including biofabrication and novel fuel cell development
Bioseparations including scale-up and protein refolding/renaturation
Environmental Bioengineering including bioconversion, bioremediation, and microbial fuel cells
Bioreactor Systems including characterization, optimization and scale-up
Bioresources and Biorefinery Engineering including biomass conversion, biofuels, bioenergy, and optimization
Industrial Biotechnology including specialty chemicals, platform chemicals and neutraceuticals
Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering including bioartificial organs, cell encapsulation, and controlled release
Cell Culture Engineering (plant, animal or insect cells) including viral vectors, monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, vaccines, and secondary metabolites
Cell Therapies and Stem Cells including pluripotent, mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells; immunotherapies; tissue-specific differentiation; and cryopreservation
Metabolic Engineering, Systems and Synthetic Biology including OMICS, bioinformatics, in silico biology, and metabolic flux analysis
Protein Engineering including enzyme engineering and directed evolution.