MICROALGAL BIOMASS DRYING BY A SIMPLE SOLAR DEVICE

Abstract An inexpensive and simple solar device was constructed and monitored for drying microalgal biomass with 90% moisture content. The drier is capable of producing about 140g dry biomass per sq.m of collector area in 3–5 hours. The dried biomass contains less than 10% moisture and is biologically of good quality. The experiments are done with two microalgae - Spirulina and Scenedesmus.