Abstract
The practical criteria for the usefulness of an algal separation process for laboratory routine being effectiveness and time consumption, we tested the feasibility of a flocculation procedure to harvest large volumes of Euglena gracilis in culture. This procedure turned out to be a technically viable system which avoided tedious centrifugation and preserved E. gracilis flagellar apparatus integrity. E. gracilis cultures were treated with chitosan, a by-product derived from chitin from the exoskeleton of crustaceans. Since this polymer carries a positive charge, it functions as a polycationic coagulating agent by adsorbing onto particles in suspension and by bridging together into agglomerates, or flocs. A 96–98% reduction of suspended cells in cultures with 200 mg/l of chitosan, at pH 7.5, was obtained.
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