A comprehensive review on harvesting of microalgae using Polyacrylamide-Based Flocculants: Potentials and challenges

摘要: Microalgae biomass is touted as a highly promising source of renewable third-generation biofuels that could enable a lucrative transition from conventional fossil fuels to more sustainable and environment-friendly energy alternatives. A significant limiting step for large-scale microalgae production and utilization is harvesting and dewatering the cultivated biomass, which comprise 20–30% of the total production expenses. Compared to traditional physical harvesting methods, coagulation-flocculation techniques using polyacrylamide-based flocculants have garnered attention as promising alternatives due to their high harvesting efficiencies, cost-effectiveness, convenience, and scalability. This paper delivers an up-to-date progress in the harvesting of microalgae suspensions using various polyacrylamide flocculants. For the first time, a comprehensive evaluation of existing harvesting studies for freshwater and …