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Cyanobacteria and Chlorophyta in situ magnetic harvesting by goethite/magnetite nanoparticles

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Abstract

Separating microalgal cells from the aquatic environment is a crucial step for minimizing their adverse impacts or utilizing microalgal biomass. In this study, low-cost facile goethite/magnetite nanoparticles (GMNs) were prepared by the co-precipitation method in one step and employed for comparative harvesting of Microcystis aeruginosa (Cyanobacteria) and Stigeoclonium sp. (Chlorophyta). The highest harvesting efficiency for M. aeruginosa and Stigeoclonium sp. reached 99.0% (0.83 g GMNs g−1 dry biomass) and 98.2% (0.46 g GMNs g−1 dry biomass), respectively. To lower the microalgae harvesting cost, GMNs were recycled 5 times by coupling ultrasonic hexane extraction and alkali washing. Notably, the harvesting performance of GMNs was boosted by the ultrasonic reactivation, and goethite in GMNs matrix was found to be a pivotal contributor to the enhancement. Moreover, extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (EDLVO) theory was applied to providing deep insight into GMNs-microalgae interfacial interactions and different harvesting capabilities of GMNs toward M. aeruginosa and Stigeoclonium sp.

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Data availability

All data presented in this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFC1601802), the Science and Technology Supporting Program of Guizhou ([2021]464), and the State Key Laboratory Breeding Base for Zhejiang Sustainable Pest and Disease Control (2010DS700124-KF1708).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guizhou Academy of Testing and Analysis, Guiyang, 550014, People’s Republic of China

    Yu Fu

  2. School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, People’s Republic of China

    Fanglu Hu & Yunfeng Xu

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  1. Yu Fu
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  2. Fanglu Hu
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  3. Yunfeng Xu
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Correspondence to Yunfeng Xu.

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Fu, Y., Hu, F. & Xu, Y. Cyanobacteria and Chlorophyta in situ magnetic harvesting by goethite/magnetite nanoparticles. J Appl Phycol 34, 857–869 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-021-02621-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-021-02621-x

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