CULTIVATION AND ENERGY EFFICIENT HARVESTING OF MICROALGAE USING THEREMOREVERSIBLE SOL-GEL TRANSITION

摘要

A Tris-Acetate-Phosphate-Pluronic (TAPP) medium that undergoes thermoreversible sol-gel transitions to efficiently culture and harvest microalgae without affecting productivity. After seeding microalgae in a TAPP medium in solution phase at 15 degrees C., the temperature is increased by 7 degrees C. to induce gelation. Within the gel, microalgae grow in large clusters rather than as isolated cells. Such clusters are easily harvested gravimetrically by decreasing the temperature to bring the medium to a solution phase. The settling velocity of the microalgal clusters is approximately ten times larger than that of individual cells cultured in typical solution media. Hence, microalgae can be cultured without constant mixing and about 90 percent of the biomass can be harvested in an energy efficient fashion.