An integrated microfluidic chip for treatment and detection of microalgae cells

Abstract

As the most economic means of international transportation for massive cargo, marine transportation contributes significantly to the world trading and economics. However, there are large number of microalgae cells and other exotic organisms carried in the ballast water, which may seriously damage the marine ecological environment along the transportation routes of the ships. Microalgae cells and online treatment of the microalgae-rich ballast water have become a pressing demand for ballast water management. Herein, we developed an automatic microfluidic system based on laser-induced chlorophyll fluorescence for real-time detection of microalgae in ballast water samples. This system is highly advantageous compared to the conventional method that requires tedious operation procedures, prolonged detection time, and complex analytical process. Moreover, we introduced chemical methods for fast and effective treatment of the microalgae cells in ballast water. For this purpose, a microfluidic concentration gradient generator was used for fast screening the optimal concentration of chemicals to rapidly reduce the microalgae population in the corresponding ballast water. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to combine an automatic high-throughput detection system and a gradient concentration chip for in situ analysis and treatment of ballast water.