Harvesting of Microalgae Biomass using Bio-flocculant

Microalgae biomass provides an alternative solution for renewable energy.
However, the cost of the harvesting process is expensive. Hence, in the present
study, the potential of cultivating microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris) was explored
using a less expensive and environmental-friendly solution, bio-flocculant. At the
preliminary stage, a few natural products were chosen and extracted to produce bioflocculants. The suitability of the natural resource were ensured that they are good
bio-flocculants. In separate experiments, the microalgae were cultivated at optimum
condition. The bio-flocculants namely chitosan, okra and moringa oleifera were jar
tested with the microalgae. The jar test involves parameters dosage, pH value, and
stirring speed against the efficiency of harvesting of microalgae biomass. The result
of the harvest proves that chitosan is a better bio-flocculant than moringa oleifera
but both can be used as bio-flocculants.