ABSTRACT
Marine research comprehends the significance of algae-based value-added products and has elicited a boom of the algal market, where algal harvesting remains a big challenge. Chitosan is a chitin derivative, obtained by the process of deacetylation under alkaline conditions or by hydrolysis using chitin deacetylase. Production of algal biomass as a sustainable, economical and renewable source of food, feed, oil and other industrial applications has become the need of the hour. Algal concentration has a direct effect on the amount of chitosan required for efficient recovery. Chitosan enhances the flocculation efficiency of polyaluminium chloride (PAC) when the high concentration culture suspension is treated by flocculation/sedimentation as compared to only PAC treatment alone. Silica and local soil can be used to modify chitosan for effective flocculation. Soil particles have shown promising results in speeding up the kinetics of flocculation and sedimentation of algal flocs. Chitosan has good potential to be used as a flocculant for algal harvesting.
