A recent lab-scale trial has explored spray drying as a biomass drying and stabilisation method for Galdieria.
Biomass post-processing is a critical step that involve supgrading a raw or pre-treated biomass into more stable or higher-value products. This might be through densification, drying, thermal, or chemical treatment.
In our trial, a total of 20 litre of the Galdieria biomass culture was harvested from the 80L bioreactor. The biomass was first concentrated by centrifugation, then resuspended in buffer to a final volume of ~2L. This volume was selected to approximate the biomass concentration expected after filtration under the proposed pilot-plant design. The suspension was then processed into a dryer material using a laboratory‑scale spray dryer at the Chemical and Process Engineering facilities at the University of Canterbury.
The dried biomass was a matte emerald‑green colour, consistent with late‑stage cultures entering early glycogen accumulation. The spray‑dried product was a fine, strongly agglomerating powder withmoderate to low apparent bulk density. Spray drying proved to be effective for moisture removal and biomass stabilisation.
