2.2.2. Microalgae dewatering
A fist step to thicken algae is by using chemical flocculation
combined with a centrifuge. It is assumed that 16 wt.% dry
weight (DW) can be achieved after centrifuging the microalgae.
After the centrifuge step, the microalgae sludge has to be treated
further by a mechanical de-hydration step to reach the DW
needed for downstream processing. For the dry route, a thermal
drying step following the mechanical de-hydration is needed to
reach >85% DW. The calculation method for the energy requirement
of the dewatering process can be found in Supplementary
data.