Synthesis and evaluation of cationic polyacrylamide and polyacrylate flocculants for harvesting freshwater and marine microalgae

Nguyen, LN; Vu, HP; Fu, Q; Abu Hasan Johir, M; Ibrahim, I; Mofijur, M; Labeeuw, L; Pernice, M; Ralph, PJ; Nghiem, LD

Synthesis and evaluation of cationic polyacrylamide and polyacrylate flocculants for harvesting freshwater and marine microalgae

Nguyen, LN Vu, HP Fu, Q Abu Hasan Johir, M Ibrahim, I Mofijur, M Labeeuw, L Pernice, M Ralph, PJ Nghiem, LD

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Publisher:: Elsevier BV
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Chemical Engineering Journal, 2021, pp. 133623
Issue Date:: 2021-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Nguyen, LN
dc.contributor.author	Vu, HP
dc.contributor.author	Fu, Q
dc.contributor.author	Abu Hasan Johir, M
dc.contributor.author	Ibrahim, I
dc.contributor.author	Mofijur, M
dc.contributor.author	Labeeuw, L
dc.contributor.author	Pernice, M
dc.contributor.author	Ralph, PJ
dc.contributor.author	Nghiem, LD
dc.date.accessioned	2022-01-18T21:59:41Z
dc.date.available	2022-01-18T21:59:41Z
dc.date.issued	2021-01-01
dc.identifier.citation	Chemical Engineering Journal, 2021, pp. 133623
dc.identifier.issn	1385-8947
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/153285
dc.description.abstract	This study addresses the challenge of microalgae harvesting through the development of flocculants. Two positively charged cationic polymers including poly[2 (acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (PAETAC) and poly(3 acrylamidopropyl)trimethylammonium chloride (PAmPTAC) were synthesized using the UV-induced radical polymerization, for harvesting both freshwater and marine microalgae. The results show that the synthesized polymers have excellent flocculation performance for both freshwater green microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris) and marine red microalgae (Porphyridium purpureum). PAETAC outperformed PAmPTAC for both Chlorella vulgaris and Porphyridium purpureum microalgae. The optimal PAETAC doses for Chlorella vulgaris and Porphyridium purpureum microalgae were 50 and 4.8 mg/g of dry biomass while the optimal PAmPTAC doses were 252 and 35 mg/g of dry biomass respectively. Additionally, the floc formation with the PAETAC was more stable than PAmPTAC, which supported the dewatering step via sieving. The superior performance can be attributed to the higher molecular weight of the PAETAC polymer when compared to the PAmPTAC polymer. In comparison to commercially available polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PolyDADMAC), the newly synthesised PAETAC and PAmPTAC polymers demonstrated superior flocculation efficiency at a lower dose. The findings of this study established a platform technology for designing and synthesising cationic flocculants for use in microalgae harvesting.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Elsevier BV
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT180100312
dc.relation.ispartof	Chemical Engineering Journal
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.cej.2021.133623
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess
dc.subject	0904 Chemical Engineering, 0905 Civil Engineering, 0907 Environmental Engineering
dc.subject.classification	Chemical Engineering
dc.title	Synthesis and evaluation of cationic polyacrylamide and polyacrylate flocculants for harvesting freshwater and marine microalgae
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.for	0904 Chemical Engineering
utslib.for	0905 Civil Engineering
utslib.for	0907 Environmental Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - C3 - Climate Change Cluster
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CTWW - Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater Treatment
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
utslib.copyright.embargo	2023-11-19T00:00:00+1000Z
dc.date.updated	2022-01-18T21:58:55Z
pubs.publication-status	Published

Abstract:

This study addresses the challenge of microalgae harvesting through the development of flocculants. Two positively charged cationic polymers including poly[2 (acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (PAETAC) and poly(3 acrylamidopropyl)trimethylammonium chloride (PAmPTAC) were synthesized using the UV-induced radical polymerization, for harvesting both freshwater and marine microalgae. The results show that the synthesized polymers have excellent flocculation performance for both freshwater green microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris) and marine red microalgae (Porphyridium purpureum). PAETAC outperformed PAmPTAC for both Chlorella vulgaris and Porphyridium purpureum microalgae. The optimal PAETAC doses for Chlorella vulgaris and Porphyridium purpureum microalgae were 50 and 4.8 mg/g of dry biomass while the optimal PAmPTAC doses were 252 and 35 mg/g of dry biomass respectively. Additionally, the floc formation with the PAETAC was more stable than PAmPTAC, which supported the dewatering step via sieving. The superior performance can be attributed to the higher molecular weight of the PAETAC polymer when compared to the PAmPTAC polymer. In comparison to commercially available polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PolyDADMAC), the newly synthesised PAETAC and PAmPTAC polymers demonstrated superior flocculation efficiency at a lower dose. The findings of this study established a platform technology for designing and synthesising cationic flocculants for use in microalgae harvesting.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/153285