Last week I had posted a few lines on low cost dewatering and drying techniques, when I was surfing through Algae Venture’s website, came across some more  interesting points about their new harvesting, dewatering and drying system, in short called HDD.

Algae Venture system, a company based out of Ohio have developed a new technology for separating suspended algae out of solution which can dramatically reduce energy consumption by utilizing  surface physics and capillary action.

Harvest, dewater, and dry (HDD), winner of a highly competitive grant from U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E), radically improves the economics of algae-based biofuel production, and removes a major barrier to large-scale commercialization of this renewable alternative fuel source. Furthermore, this technology holds the potential to revolutionize the removal of solids from dilute solutions in a wide range of industries.

Algae Venture Systems claims that they have broken a cost barrier for the dewatering of algae paste through the use of their capillary-action conveyor system, now available as the Lab Model 50. HDD consists of two belts moving in opposing directions. Solution containing the desired solid is poured through a spout on to the top belt, which is moving from left to right on the schematic. Water passes through the belt, while the solid remains on top.

The opposing conveyor treads pull water from the screened algae by low-energy capillary action. The algae are dewatered without pressure, enabling it to release from the membrane belt once dried. Drying can occur unassisted through evaporation, or with a small amount of waste heat.

A capillary belt moving in a countercurrent direction passes directly underneath the first belt. The capillary belt is wetted and helps draw the water through the top belt using liquid adhesion. The concept for HDD was influenced by web-fed plastic processing, a method of Univenture manufacturing for 25 years.

They have been successful in harvesting Botryococcus Braunii and Euglena Gracilis, and Scenedesmus dimorphus. They have been able to harvest Chlorella Vulgaris, which is about 5 – 10 microns in size.

See more – http://www.algaevs.com/harvesting-dewatering-and-drying