Abstract
Microalgae are a promising new source of biomass for the production of third generation biofuels but, so far, the majority of microalgal biomass has been used for high-value applications. New low-cost technologies are needed to make the production and processing of microalgae economically feasible for low-value applications. A major challenge lies in the harvesting of microalgae, which requires a cost-efficient separation technology. Flocculation, especially bioflocculation, is an attractive low-cost separation technology. Various new bioflocculation strategies have been claimed to generate major advances in cost-efficient harvesting. Here, we review the recent advances in bioflocculation based on algal–bacterial, algal–fungal, or algal–algal interactions within the framework of microalgae biomass harvesting for biofuel production. We also discuss recent advances using infochemicals and genetic engineering for the induction of bioflocculation.
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Acknowledgments
The Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy at the Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion is funded by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant Nos. 21650110457, 2011CB200905 and 31070441). Md. Asraful Alam is a post-doctoral researcher funded by the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) and D. Vandamme is a post-doctoral researcher funded by the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO) (12D8914N).
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Md. Asraful Alam and Dries Vandamme contributed equally to this work.
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Alam, M.A., Vandamme, D., Chun, W. et al. Bioflocculation as an innovative harvesting strategy for microalgae. Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol 15, 573–583 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-016-9408-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-016-9408-8