ABSTRACT
Typically, a bioseparation involves: removal of insolubles, isolation of products, purification and polishing (Belter et al., 1988). The first step is usually by filtration or centrifugation. Microalgae cultivated in photobioreactors are recovered from the culture broth by one of these two techniques, but centrifugation is more commonly used. For example, Molina Grima et al. (1996) harvested Phaeodactylum tricornutum by centrifugation to obtain a wet paste containing 21 per cent dry biomass. The latter was processed immediately to extract the lipid fraction.
