Patent ID: 8187463

Claim:
A method of dewatering a wet algal cell culture, comprising: a. removing at least a portion of liquid in an algal cell culture using a sintered metal tube filter to obtain a wet algal biomass fraction having a lower liquid content than the algal cell culture, the algal cells of the wet algal biomass fraction having a chlorophyll concentration; b. recycling at least a portion of the liquid removed from the algal cell culture to a different algal cell culture wherein the different algal cell culture is combined with the at least a portion of the liquid removed from the algal cell culture; c. adding a water miscible solvent set to the wet algal biomass fraction and waiting an amount of time to permit algal cells of the algal biomass fraction to gather; and d. isolating at least a portion of the gathered algal cells from at least a portion of the solvent set and liquid of the wet algal biomass fraction so that a dewatered algal biomass is generated, wherein the isolation of the algal cells from the solvent set is carried out so as to minimize one or more of the degradation, denaturation, oxidation, decomposition, or destruction of chlorophyll, carotenoids, and lipids, wherein the liquid removed is less than all of the liquid of the wet algal biomass fraction.