Open AccessMagnetophoretic sorting of microdroplets with different microalgal cell densities for rapid isolation of fast growing strains
Author(s) -
Young Joon Sung,
Jaoon Young Hwan Kim,
Hong Il Choi,
Ho Seok Kwak,
Sang Jun Sim
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/s41598-017-10764-6
Subject(s) - microfluidics , biomass (ecology) , sorting , magnetic nanoparticles , magnetic separation , materials science , magnet , magnetic field , nanotechnology , biological system , nanoparticle , biology , computer science , physics , quantum mechanics , agronomy , metallurgy , programming language
Microalgae – unicellular photosynthetic organisms – have received increasing attention for their ability to biologically convert CO 2 into valuable products. The commercial use of microalgae requires screening strains to improve the biomass productivity to achieve a high-throughput. Here, we developed a microfluidic method that uses a magnetic field to separate the microdroplets containing different concentrations of microalgal cells. The separation efficiency is maximized using the following parameters that influence the amount of lateral displacement of the microdroplets: magnetic nanoparticle concentration, flow rate of droplets, x - and y -axis location of the magnet, and diameter of the droplets. Consequently, 91.90% of empty, 87.12% of low-, and 90.66% of high-density droplets could be separated into different outlets through simple manipulation of the magnetic field in the microfluidic device. These results indicate that cell density-based separation of microdroplets using a magnetic force can provide a promising platform to isolate microalgal species with a high growth performance.