Force and energy requirement for microalgal cell disruption: An atomic force microscope evaluation

Cell disruption is an essential step in the release of cellular contents but mechanical cell disruption processes are highly energy intensive. This energy requirement may become a critical issue for the sustainability of low valued commodities such as microalgal biofuels derived from extracted lipids. By the use of an atomic force microscope (AFM), this study evaluated the force and energy required to indent and disrupt individual cells of the marine microalga, Tetraselmis suecica. It was found that the force and energy required for the indentation and disruption varies according to the location of the cell with the average being 17.43 pJ. This amount is the equivalent of 673 J kg−1 of the dry microalgal biomass. In comparison, the most energy efficient mechanical cell disruption process, hydrodynamic cavitation, has specific energy requirement that is approx. 5 orders of magnitude greater than that measured by AFM. The result clearly shows that existing mechanical cell disruption processes are highly energy inefficient and further research and innovation is required for sustainable microalgal biofuels production.