Synthesizing cationic polymers and tuning their properties for microalgae harvesting

This study reports a facile technique to synthesize and tune the cationic polymer, poly(3-acrylamidopropyl) trimethylammonium chloride (PAPTAC), in terms of molecular weight and surface change for harvesting three microalgae species (Scenedesmus sp., P.purpureum, and C. vulgaris). The PAPTAC polymer was synthesised by UV-induced free-radical polymerisation. Polymer tuning was demonstrated by regulating the monomer concentration (60 to 360 mg/mL) and UV power (36 and 60 W) for polymerisation. The obtained PAPTAC polymer was evaluated for harvesting three different microalgae species and compared to a commercially available polymer. The highest flocculation efficiency for Scenedesmus sp. and P. purpureum was observed at a dosage of 25 mg-polymer/g of dry biomass by using PAPTAC-90, resulting in higher flocculation efficiency than the commercial polymer. Results in this study show evidence of effective neutralisation of the negative charge surface of microalgae cells by the produced cationic PAPTAC polymer and polymer bridging for effective flocculation. The obtained PAPTAC polymer was less effective for harvesting C. vulgaris, possibly due to other factors such as cell morphology and composition of extracellular polymeric substances of at the cell membrane that may also influence harvesting performance.