Membrane applications for microalgae cultivation and harvesting: a review

• Published in: Reviews in environmental science and biotechnology Vol. 13; no. 4; pp. 487 - 504
• Main Authors: Drexler, Ivy L. C, Yeh, Daniel H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer-Verlag 01.12.2014; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Algae; Alternative energy sources; artificial membranes; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biodiesel fuels; Biofuels; Biomass; Carbon dioxide; Chlorophyll; Cosmetics; cost effectiveness; Cyanobacteria; dewatering; Dietary supplements; Earth and Environmental Science; energy; Environment; Environmental engineering; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Fatty acids; feedstocks; filtration; Food additives; fouling; Gases; Global economy; harvesting; Membrane reactors; Membranes; microalgae; Microbiology; Natural & organic foods; Nutrition; Pharmaceuticals; Photosynthesis; Pore size; Raw materials; recycling; Review Paper; solutes; Studies; United States > US; Filtration; Fouling; Gas exchange; Dewatering; Photobioreactor
• ISSN: 1569-1705; 1572-9826
• DOI: 10.1007/s11157-014-9350-6

With renewed interest in microalgae due to their potential for biofuel and bioproducts production, efficient cultivation and harvesting mechanisms are needed to increase the economic competitiveness of microalgal products against traditional sources. With pore sizes ranging from microns to angstroms, membranes provide tailored functions for solid/liquid separation (cell retention, biomass concentration and dewatering), gas/liquid separation (gas delivery and removal), and solute/liquid separation (bioproduct recovery, feedstock preparation and effluent recycling) that are problematic or not possible with other technologies. Existing knowledge on membrane systems used in other disciplines, such as environmental engineering, marine science, and biomedicine, can be applied to algae production. Though membranes have great potential to facilitate cultivation and harvesting, challenges in energy reduction and fouling mitigation need to be overcome for long-term, cost-effective application.