Singapore Researchers Use Fungal Waste Biomass to Harvest Microalgae

Waste biomass from fungal fermentation processes could be used to harvest microalgae used in biofuels production and other biotechnology applications. A*STAR researchers have successfully demonstrated this procedure with fungal mycelium, the main vegetative part of a fungus.

"The lack of an economic and effective method for harvesting microalgae is one of the bottlenecks limiting their commercial use in biotechnology," explains Mahabubur Talukder of the A*STAR Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences.

Microalgae can be cultured in a broth and existing methods for harvesting them include centrifugation or flocculation using chemical treatments. However, all current methods have drawbacks.

The researchers then investigated fungal mycelium, which they found effective and could also add value by contributing to the total biomass in the harvested material. Detailed analysis indicated that the key to the binding and immobilizing effect is a simple ionic attraction between the surface of the microalgae and the fungal mycelium.