Harvesting Microalgae using the Temperature-activated Phase Transition of Thermoresponsive Polymers
Researchers from USA conducted an experiment to harvest microalgae using phase separation of thermoresponsive polymers and copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide and allylamine. Chlorella protothecoides was taken as an experimental model to perform the experiment.
The results showed that Chlorella protothecoides cells were separated from the solution containing mixture of algae and polymers when it was heated above the lower critical solution temperature of polymers (- 32°C). The separation efficiency depended on copolymer concentration, allylamine content and charge. Thus, thermoresponsive polymers could be a promising technology for microalgae harvesting using recyclable materials.
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| | posted by Gayathri
