Innovations in natural and waste-derived bioflocculants for sustainable harvesting of high-value microalgae

Autores

  • Julia Yumi Takahashi Sant’ana
  • Gianluca Degli Esposti
  • Noreyni Christophe Grego Ndiaye
  • Guilherme Arantes Pedro
  • Danielle Maass

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34188/bjaerv9n2-376

Palavras-chave:

natural flocculation, microalgae harvesting, downstream, residual action

Resumo

Microalgae such as Chlorella and Dunaliella are valuable for biofuels, food, and high-value metabolites, but biomass harvesting remains a cost-intensive bottleneck. Natural and waste-derived bioflocculants are emerging as sustainable alternatives to chemical coagulants, promising lower environmental impact and added nutritional benefits. A systematic literature review was conducted on studies published from 2018 onward, screening 1,977 articles and selecting 26 that met predefined relevance and quality criteria. The review evaluated plant-, fungal-, bacterial-, organic-, and waste-derived flocculants for their harvesting efficiency, residual effects, and economic feasibility in Chlorella and Dunaliella cultures. Fungal and waste-based flocculants routinely achieve >90% recovery, with materials such as banana peel ash and eggshell extract matching or surpassing chemical coagulants. Residual flocculant compounds often enhanced downstream agricultural or nutritional value. Despite promising performance, large-scale economic viability remains limited, highlighting the need for techno-economic optimization to enable industrial adoption of bioflocculants.

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Publicado

2026-06-30

Como Citar

Sant’ana, J. Y. T., Esposti, G. D., Ndiaye, N. C. G., Pedro, G. A., & Maass, D. (2026). Innovations in natural and waste-derived bioflocculants for sustainable harvesting of high-value microalgae. Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research, 9(2), e88064. https://doi.org/10.34188/bjaerv9n2-376

Edição

v. 9 n. 2 (2026)

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Artigos originais

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