Li, Yan, Mangott, Arnold, Grierson, Scott, and Schenk, Peer M. (2013) Thinking outside of the box: potential of zooplankton for microalgae harvesting. Biofuels, 4 (3). pp. 263-266.

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Abstract

[Extract] With the growing tension between freshwater resources and arable land, the implications of microalgae for future food production, CO₂ sequestration and biofuel supply are increasingly compelling [1,2]. As microalgae harvesting could potentially use up to 84.9% of the total energy consumed over the product life cycle, this process has become a major bottleneck hindering the development of the industry [3]. There are a multitude of techniques used for microalgae dewatering. Some are quite rapid and energy intensive, whereas others are more passive and use less energy input, but are often more time consuming [4]. As such, there is an urgent need to develop new harvesting techniques that are fast, reliable, low cost, energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Zooplankton, a common unwelcomed, contaminant featuring in cultivation systems, may represent a new option for microalgae harvesting.

The occurrence of zooplankton in microalgae cultures is common and one of the major obstacles impeding the sustained large-scale cultivation of microalgae. Due to their high proliferation rate and incredible speed of capturing microalgae, zooplankton often become a deleterious indicator for the health status of microalgae cultures, and are generally perceived as a negative. Nevertheless, the aquaculture industry has developed successful procedures to maintain and control zooplankton cultures, and to make full use of their environmental and nutrient potential in aquatic animal hatcheries, nurseries and larval rearing. This article will discuss the technical and economic feasibility of adopting zooplankton as a novel harvesting method, and provide an alternative view of the potential benefit of developing certain zooplankton strains for microalgae preconcentration.

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