Abstract
In this study, we carried out a heterogeneous cytoplasmic lipid content screening of Neochloris oleoabundans microalgae by dielectrophoresis (DEP), using castellated glassy carbon microelectrodes in a PDMS microchannel. For this purpose, microalgae were cultured in nitrogen-replete (N+) and nitrogen-deplete (N−) suspensions to promote low and high cytoplasmic lipid production in cells, respectively. Experiments were carried out over a wide frequency window (100 kHz–30 MHz) at a fixed amplitude of 7 VPP. The results showed a statistically significant difference between the dielectrophoretic behavior of N+ and N− cells at low frequencies (100–800 kHz), whereas a weak response was observed for mid- and high frequencies (1–30 MHz). Additionally, a finite element analysis using a 3D model was conducted to determine the dielectrophoretic trapping zones across the electrode gaps. These results suggest that low-cost glassy carbon is a reliable material for microalgae classification—between low and high cytoplasmic lipid content—through DEP, providing a fast and straightforward mechanism.
Highlights
Microalgae have several advantages over terrestrial crops; they have drawn the attention of the scientific community
According to models built in COMSOL Multiphysics (COMSOL Inc., Burlington, MA, USA), an IDEA formed by two combs—each with 38 20-μm-wide fingers and featuring 15 μm gaps between opposite electrodes—provides an excellent pDEP cell-trapping performance
Microalgae cultured under the N− condition showed a mean decrease in biomass concentration at day 11 of 7.82%, relative to day 1
Summary
Microalgae have several advantages over terrestrial crops; they have drawn the attention of the scientific community. One way to reduce microalgae harvesting costs is to determine their optimal harvesting time through lipid content monitoring—which allows for the identification of high-producing cell strains [6]. Several approaches have been developed to determine cell lipid content, including solvent extraction [7], gravimetric determination [8], gas chromatography [9], and high-performance liquid chromatography [10]. These techniques are expensive and time-consuming, requiring numerous pre-analysis steps and
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