Materials and Methods for Algae Preconcentration A thesis presented to

172 Pages·2014·3.13 MB·English

by  Venkatagiri, Avinash

Materials and Methods for Algae Preconcentration

A thesis presented to
he faculty of
e Russ College of Enginee(cid:150)ring an d Technology of Ohio University
(cid:150)(cid:138)

In partial fulfillment
of the requirements of the degree
Masters of Science

Avinash Venkatagiri
August 2014
© 2014 Avinash Venkatagiri. All rights reserved.
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This thesis titled
Materials and Methods for Algae Preconcentration

by
AVINASH VENKATAGIRI

has been approved for
the Department of Mechanical Engineering
and the Russ College of Engineering and Technology by

David J. Bayless
Loehr Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Dennis Irwin
Dean, Russ College of Engineering and Technology
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Abstract
VENKATAGIRI, AVINASH, M.S., August 2014, Mechanical Engineering
Materials and Methods for Algae Preconcentration
Director of Thesis: David J. Bayless
The performance of two fabrics for preconcentrating algae using a low-cost
methodology was measured. The porosity of the fabrics used was determined
optically using Keyence Imaging Microscope and ImageJ software. The performance
of the fabrics was tested in three separate conditions. The first set of experiments
was gravity fed and 2 gal of algae solution was used for each test. The second set of
experiments used application of vibration and gravity fed with 2 gallons of algae
solution. The third set of experiments employed a diaphragm pump to vary the feed
velocity of the algae solution supplied to the setup. The use of vibration and
increased feed velocity showed varying results with advancements in some cases.
Polyester fabric did not show increase in permeation despite cake disruption
through vibration application. This was further investigated using ImageJ software
and increased pore-blockage was the reason for lack of performance. Felt showed
increased permeation due to vibration application. The application of increased feed
velocity showed greater variability in polyester among replicate trials with
increased biomass loss through the filter fabric. Felt fabric showed repeatable
behavior but there was increased biomass loss through the fabric due to the
increased feed velocities.
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Dedication

To my parents
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Acknowledgements
I owe my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Davis J. Bayless. Without his
constant support, commitment and valuable comments, this work would not have
been possible. I would like to thank Dr. Ben Stuart, Dr. Greg Kremer and Dr. Morgan
Vis for being on my committee. Without their expertise and feedback, it would not
have been possible to meet the objectives of my research.
I would also like to thank Shyler Switzer and Dr. Chalermsak Dasaard, their
involvement during all stages of this work was very helpful. I would like to thank
Jesus Pagan, for giving valuable insight on algae strains and photo-bioreactors. I
would like to thank David Ogden, Courtney Paul and all the other undergraduates at
ISEE, without their help it would not have been possible to build and operate all the
required equipment’s used in this work.
Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude towards my parents and my
friend, Anurag Raghuvanshi. I am greatly indebted to them for the love and support I
have received throughout my studies. Thank you.
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Table of Contents
Page
Abstract ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
Dedication .................................................................................................................................................. 4
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ 5
List of Tables .......................................................................................................................................... 11
List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................ 14
Chapter 1 – Introduction................................................................................................................... 24
1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 24
1.1.1 Technologies for Harvesting/Dewatering Microalgae ..................................... 25
1.1.2 Issues related to Harvesting/Dewatering Algae Culture ................................. 26
1.2 AVS Algae Harvester ............................................................................................................... 28
1.3 Objectives ................................................................................................................................... 29
Chapter 2 – Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 31
2.1 Issues plaguing Solid-Liquid Separation Techniques ................................................ 31
2.1.1 Filter Fouling and Clogging.......................................................................................... 31
2.2 Classification of Filtration Resistances ........................................................................... 34
2.2.1 Determination of Resistances ..................................................................................... 35
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2.3 Volume Reduction Factor ..................................................................................................... 36
2.4 Dynamic Membrane Separation Techniques ................................................................ 36
2.5 Cake Compaction Model ........................................................................................................ 40
2.6 Issues with Current Techniques ........................................................................................ 41
Chapter 3 – Equipment and Procedures ..................................................................................... 42
3.1 Description of Experimental Setup ................................................................................... 42
3.2 Quantifying System Performance ...................................................................................... 45
3.3 Detailed Experimental Procedure ..................................................................................... 47
3.3.1 Description of Equipment ............................................................................................ 47
3.3.2 Detailed Procedure for Objective One ..................................................................... 48
3.3.3 Detailed Procedure for Objective Two .................................................................... 49
3.3.4 Detailed Procedure for Objective Three ................................................................. 50
3.4 ImageJ Technique for Filter Material Analysis ............................................................. 50
3.4.1 Need for Porosity Measurement ............................................................................... 50
3.4.2 Procedure/Methodology .............................................................................................. 50
Chapter 4 – Results and Discussion .............................................................................................. 55
4.1 Filter Media – Objective 1 ..................................................................................................... 55
4.1.1 Polyester Material ........................................................................................................... 56
4.1.2 Felt Material ...................................................................................................................... 58
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4.1.3 Summary of Image Analysis Results ........................................................................ 62
4.2 Quantifying Filtration Behavior - Objective 1 ............................................................... 63
4.2.1 Results for Polyester Fabric Filter ............................................................................ 63
4.2.2 Statistical Analyses of Polyester Trials Data ......................................................... 72
4.2.3 Results for Felt Fabric Filter ....................................................................................... 74
4.2.4 Statistical Analyses of Felt Trials Data .................................................................... 81
4.3 Objective 2 .................................................................................................................................. 83
4.3.1 Results for Polyester Fabric Filter ............................................................................ 84
4.3.2 Statistical Analyses of Polyester Filter Porosity Data ....................................... 87
4.3.3 Results for Felt Fabric Filter ....................................................................................... 91
4.3.4 Statistical Analyses of Felt Data at 40psi Vibration Setting ............................ 99
4.4 Objective 3 ................................................................................................................................ 101
4.4.1 Results for Felt Fabric Filter ..................................................................................... 102
4.4.2 Statistical Analyses of Felt Data at Different Feed Rates ............................... 107
4.4.3 Results for Polyester Fabric Filter .......................................................................... 108
4.4.4 Statistical Analyses of Polyester Data ................................................................... 114
Chapter 5 – Conclusions .................................................................................................................. 122
5.1 Objective 1 ................................................................................................................................ 122
5.2 Objective 2 ................................................................................................................................ 123
5.3 Objective 3 ................................................................................................................................ 124
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Chapter 6 – Recommendations for Future Work .................................................................. 126
6.1 System Scale-Up for Large-Scale Preconcentration ................................................. 126
6.2 Application of Multi-Stage Preconcentration ............................................................. 127
6.3 Cake Layer Disruption using Pneumatic Blowback System .................................. 127
6.4 Automation using Continuous Monitoring of Parameters..................................... 128
6.5 Quantify Biomass Amount.................................................................................................. 130
6.6 Effects of Algal Variability on Pore Blockage .............................................................. 131
References ............................................................................................................................................ 132
Appendix 1: Parts List for Algae Preconcentrator Setup .................................................... 135
Appendix 2: Biomass Concentration Determination ........................................................... 136
Appendix 3: ABF-19 ball vibrator VPM vs. Air supply pressure (psi) ........................... 137
Appendix 4: Objective 2 preliminary trials permeate graph for polyester filters .... 138
Appendix 5: Objective 2 preliminary trials permeate graph for felt filters ................ 142
Appendix 6: Objective 3 trials permeate graph for polyester filters ............................. 146
Appendix 7: Minitab probability plots for filter media ImageJ porosity data ............ 151
Appendix 8: Minitab probability plots for Objective 1 data .............................................. 154
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Appendix 9: Minitab probability plots for Objective 2 data .............................................. 158
Appendix 10: Minitab probability plots for Objective 3 data ........................................... 162
Appendix 11: NI LabView program for Objective 1 & 2 data collection ....................... 170
Appendix 12: NI LabView program for Objective 3 data collection ............................... 171