Efficient coagulation of microalgae in cultures with filamentous fungi

Abstract To overcome the daunting technical barriers of algae biofuels and photosynthetic biorefineries, a novel cultivation technology has been developed to concentrate, harvest, and enhance microalgae-based biofuels and bioproducts through pelletization. The technology involves the co-cultivation of microalgae with fungi to achieve optimized pelletization with a 2-to-10-mm diameter. This pelletization enables the complete removal of single algal cells from the liquid medium to allow their extraction and harvest by simple filtration. In addition, the pelletization process results in significantly increased biomass, lipid, and bioproduct yields. If successfully scaled up, this technology has the potential to improve the sustainability and economic viability of the production of algal biofuels.

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