Continuous harvesting of microalgae by new microfluidic technology for particle separation

A new microfluidic chip based on a trilobite structure, designed for continuously concentrating particles in moving fluids, was investigated as a pre-concentration method for microalgal harvesting. The chip has a 5-μm gap limit and was tested for concentrating the microalgae Rhodomonas baltica, Chaetoceros sp. and Thalassiosira weissflogii. The chip was able to concentrate rigid cells and to sort them according to size. However, optimization with respect to cell properties, such as size and flexibility, needs further work. Although no clogging of the chip was seen for R. baltica and Chaetoceros sp., production of exopolymers by T. weissflogii made harvesting challenging for this species. The Trilobite™ microfluidic chip appears to be a promising tool for pre-concentrating microalgae that are difficult to harvest due to their repelling properties or small size.