ABSTRACT
The results of many years of research on several methods of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) processing into different target products (biofuels, fertilizers, biologically active substances) were discussed. The efficiency of methods to increase the completeness of implementing the processes of using cyanobacteria as raw materials was analyzed. The possibility of creating a bioeconomic cluster in the region based on a biorefiner using the biomass of cyanobacteria and other mass forms of hydrobionts as a raw material was considered. The purpose of the presented research was to analyze the possible methods of thickening of the blue-green microalgae using the obtained concentrate as a biomass for the production of energy carriers and biologically valuable substances. The method of microalgae thickening under the action of electric current and in the electric field as well as the method of coagulation-flocculation and gravity thickening were experimentally investigated under the lab-scale conditions. The electrical methods did not show positive results for the cyanobacteria thickening, despite the reports of their potential efficiency in a number of previous studies. The high efficiency of the methods of coagulation-flocculation and gravity thickening of blue-green algae suspensions was obtained. Hydrodynamic cavitation should be recommended to use after the thickening as the next step of processing of concentrated suspensions of cyanobacteria to achieve the maximum extraction of energy carriers and biologically valuable substances. The latter two methods turned out to be the most effective.
