1. Effective Harvesting of Nannochloropsis Microalgae Using Mushroom Chitosan: A Pilot-Scale Study
- Author
-
Eladl Eltanahy, Elvis T. Chua, Skye R. Thomas-Hall, Ajam Shekh, and Peer M. Schenk
- Subjects
vegan ,0301 basic medicine ,Flocculation ,Histology ,lcsh:Biotechnology ,Biomedical Engineering ,Biomass ,Photobioreactor ,Bioengineering ,02 engineering and technology ,Chitosan ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,flocculation ,lcsh:TP248.13-248.65 ,mushroom ,Nannochloropsis ,Raceway pond ,Mushroom ,Downstream processing ,biology ,Chemistry ,Bioengineering and Biotechnology ,Brief Research Report ,harvesting ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,biology.organism_classification ,Pulp and paper industry ,030104 developmental biology ,omega-3 ,chitosan ,0210 nano-technology ,Biotechnology - Abstract
For efficient downstream processing, harvesting remains as one of the challenges in producing Nannochloropsis biomass, a microalga with high-value omega-3 oils. Flocculation is an effective, low-energy, low-cost method to harvest microalgae. Chitosan has been shown to be an effective food-grade flocculant; however, commercial chitosan is sourced from crustaceans, which has disadvantages including concerns over heavy-metal contamination. Thus, this study tests the flocculation potential of mushroom chitosan. Our results indicate a 13% yield of chitosan from mushroom. The identity of the prepared chitosan was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Furthermore, results show that mushroom chitosan can be an alternative flocculant with >95% flocculation efficiency when tested in 100-mL jar and 200-L vertical column photobioreactor. Applications in a 2000-L raceway pond demonstrated that thorough mixing of mushroom chitosan with the algal culture is required to achieve efficient flocculation. With proper mixing, mushroom chitosan can be used to produce food-grade Nannochloropsis biomass suitable for the production of vegan omega-3 oils as a fish oil alternative.
- Published
- 2020