Harvesting Microalgae by Chitosan as Sustainable Biopolymer

Obyd, Ola Ahmed; Abou Hadid, Ayman F; Selim, Shawky M; El-Arabi, Tarek F

doi:10.21608/ajs.2023.183957.1510

Harvesting Microalgae by Chitosan as Sustainable Biopolymer

Document Type : Short Communication

Authors

¹ Department of Biotechnology and Food Safety, Arid Lands Agricultural Studies and Research Institute, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

² Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain shams university, Cairo, Egypt

³ Agricultural Microbiology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

10.21608/ajs.2023.183957.1510

Abstract

This study aimed to use the organic polymer, chitosan, as a flocculant for harvesting microalgae Chlorella. sp. Various polymer concentrations were tested. Within three min, 50 mg/L of chitosan showed the highest efficiency (98.9±0.5%), at pH 6.3, while the lowest efficiency (86.7±0.5%) was observed at pH 7.5. Harvesting efficiency in this study was chitosan concentration dependent. The present study showed that chitosan can be a promising and sustainable solution as an organic source and environmentally friendly flocculant. Additionally, it has excellent harvest productivity and requires minimum effort for quick outcomes.

Keywords