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Sustainable microalgae extraction for proactive water bloom prevention

Nature Water volume 2, pages 172–182 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

The recurring and unpredictable occurrences of water blooms have emerged as an escalating global threat to both the environment and water resources. Superior to the unsatisfactory post-bloom treatment techniques, the proactive strategy of reducing microalgae density in an economical and safe manner holds promise for effective water bloom control and prevention; however, it remains an important challenge. Here we report an efficient microalgae extraction mediated by a sustainable microalgae grabber (SMAG), which fully integrates tailored water depth suspending, electrostatic microalgae capture and magnetic collection. More importantly, the photothermal conversion capability of SMAG allows for the denaturation of extracellular polymeric substances, enabling on-demand desorption of microalgae for desired multiple reuses. Through the cyclic operation of these recyclable SMAGs, it demonstrates a remarkable microalgae removal efficiency of 94% and photothermal-driven spontaneous desorption, with a recovery efficiency of over 90%. Furthermore, a customized self-cruising floating device has been designed for the large-scale implementation of SMAGs, showcasing solar-powered sustainable microalgae extraction and harvesting in natural water bodies. The customizable and scalable SMAG offers a refreshing perspective in reinvigorating industries related to proactive water bloom prevention and microalgae resource capitalization.

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Fig. 1: Design principle of recyclable SMAGs for sustainable microalgae extraction.
Fig. 2: Construction and characterizations of the functional SMAGs.
Fig. 3: Investigation of the adsorption behaviour of microalgae on the SMAGs.
Fig. 4: Mechanism of photothermal-enabled desorption and deactivation of microalgae.
Fig. 5: SMAGs-mediated microalgae extraction in outdoor operations.

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Data availability

The data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper (and its Supplementary Information).

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. LY22B030011 (Y.X.)) and a National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 21805243 (Y.X.)).

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Mengran Wu, Chen Zhang.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China

    Mengran Wu, Xiqing Xie, Huajun Feng & Yingfeng Xu

  2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Chen Zhang, Ghim Wei Ho & Yingfeng Xu

  3. International Science and Technology Cooperation Platform for Low-Carbon Recycling of Waste and Green Development, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China

    Huajun Feng & Yingfeng Xu

  4. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Ghim Wei Ho

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  1. Mengran Wu
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Contributions

Y.X. conceived the idea and supervised the project, analysed the data and wrote the paper. M.W. performed the experiments with assistance from X.X. C.Z. and G.W.H. contributed to the mechanistic discussion, device design and paper revision. H.F. offered some suggestions.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ghim Wei Ho or Yingfeng Xu.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Peer review information

Nature Water thanks Yanhui Ao, Pratyoosh Shukla, Wen Zhang and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Notes 1–7, Figs. 1–33, Tables 1–3 and references.

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Wu, M., Zhang, C., Xie, X. et al. Sustainable microalgae extraction for proactive water bloom prevention. Nat Water 2, 172–182 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-024-00195-9

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