Techno-economic analysis of glucosamine and lipid production from marine diatom Cyclotella sp.

A techno-economic analysis (TEA) was performed on glucosamine and lipid production from a marine diatom Cyclotella sp. in raceway open pond (RWP) and tubular photobioreactor (PBR) cultivation systems. Two PBR operating schemes were assessed: one to produce high lipid (HL) content, and another to produce high chitin (HC) content.

Cell to substratum and cell to cell interactions of microalgae.

This paper reports the cell to substratum and cell to cell interactions of a diverse group of microalgae based on the Extended Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, Overbeek (XDLVO) approach using the previously reported physico-chemical surface properties. The microalgae included 10 different species of green algae and diatoms from both freshwater and saltwater environments while the substrata included glass, indium-tin oxide (ITO), stainless steel, polycarbonate, polyethylene, and polystryrene. The results indicated that acid-base interactions were the dominating mechanism of interaction for microalgae.

Physico-chemical surface properties of microalgae.

This study reports a comprehensive set of experimentally measured physico-chemical surface properties of 12 different microalgae including fresh and seawater species of green algae, diatoms and cyanobacteria. The surface free energy and its components including the acid-base (AB), van der Waals (LW), electron donor/acceptor parameters were quantified based on contact angle measurements along with the Lifshitz-van der Waals acid-base approach using the probe liquid surface tension parameters proposed by van Oss et al. as well as by Della Volpe and Siboni.

Adhesion of algal cells to surfaces.

This paper reports the cell-substratum interactions of planktonic (Chlorella vulgaris) and benthic (Botryococcus sudeticus) freshwater green algae with hydrophilic (glass) and hydrophobic (indium tin oxide) substrata to determine the critical parameters controlling the adhesion of algal cells to surfaces. The surface properties of the algae and substrata were quantified by measuring contact angle, electrophoretic mobility, and streaming potential. Using these data, the cell-substratum interactions were modeled using thermodynamic, DLVO, and XDLVO approaches.

Reduction of water and energy requirement of algae cultivation using an algae biofilm photobioreactor.

This paper reports the construction and performance of an algae biofilm photobioreactor that offers a significant reduction of the energy and water requirements of cultivation. The green alga Botryococcus braunii was cultivated as a biofilm. The system achieved a direct biomass harvest concentration of 96.

Rheological properties of algae slurries for minimizing harvesting energy requirements in biofuel production.

Rheological properties of microalgae slurries were measured as a function of biomass concentration from 0.5 to 80 kg/m(3) for Nannochloris sp., Chlorella vulgaris, and Phaeodactylum tricornutum.