Mechanism
The process described in Sections 2.1 and 2.3 is based on ECF of microalga and causes alga to separate from it growth medium.
This separation of microalga has been postulated in the literature to be due to the following effects: (1) charge neutralization, and (2) sweeping flocculation and enmeshment (Wu et al., 2012; Vandamme et al., 2011; Gao et al., 2010).
This study also explored cell membrane damage as a potential contributor to the separation.
These separation mechanisms are summarized in the following paragraphs.