Effect of cell rupturing methods on the drying characteristics and lipid compositions of microalgae

This paper investigated the effect of cell rupturing methods on the drying characteristics and the lipid compositions of a green algae consortium grown in an open raceway pond. The ruptured microalgae samples obtained from French press, autoclave and sonication methods were used for conducting thin layer drying experiment at four drying temperatures (30, 50, 70 and 90 °C). The rate of moisture removal at each drying condition was recorded until no change in moisture loss. A typical drying curve for a microalgae consortium indicated that the rate of drying was limited by diffusion. Among three drying models (Newton, Page and Henderson–Pabis) used to fit the drying data, Page model fitted well on the experimental drying data with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.99. Solvent extraction of French press ruptured cells produced the highest total lipid yield with no significant change in lipid compositions.

► Thin layer drying rate of microalgae is limited by a diffusion mechanism.
► Cell rupturing and drying temperature increased the rate of drying.
► Cell rupturing by French press increased the total lipid yield.
► Developed drying model can be used for designing efficient dryer for microalgae.