Greetings,
Harvesting algae - o what fun - i personally spent 2 years on this one - !!! with a rather lage budget !!!
all depends on what types/density you are harvesting and a another very important fact - what are you using the algae for afterwards. this does impact on the method.and the majority of micro algae go straight through a belt filter,screen !!

http://www.altere.com/articles/category/separation/

Hello! What is this material? What kind of ,,textile,, ? Thanks

Use of automated methods, though costly, will serve the purpose, the recovery of the harvested material is not very complicated
While
Semi-automated methods such as belt-filters, micro strainers etc.,though relatively cheaper and less-energy consuming can cause a lot of yield loss.

Belt-press seems to be comparatively cheaper than other harvesting methods. The costs of the belt-filters range from between between $150,000 to $180,000 each.

Capital costs for belt filter presses vary with the size of the equipment. Vendor estimates vary from $47,500 (0.5 m belt, approximate capacity of 500 dry pounds per hour (~0.22679618499999998 tons)) to $115,000 (1.5 meter belt with approx capacity of 1,625 dry pounds per hour).

Semi-automated filtration methods seem to be the method of choice for harvesting algae. For example, belt-filters are something which can be tried out as they consume relatively less electricity.