Patent ID: 8382986

Claim:
A method of dewatering a wet algal cell culture, comprised of intact algal cells and water, comprising: a. removing a portion of the water in a first algal cell culture using a sintered metal tube filter to obtain a wet algal biomass fraction having a lower water content than the first algal cell culture; b. 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, wherein the waiting occurs under conditions that minimize one or more of the following: the degradation, denaturation, oxidation, decomposition, and destruction of each of chlorophyll, carotenoids, and lipids; c. isolating at least a portion of the gathered algal cells from at least a portion of the water miscible solvent set and at least a portion of the water of the gathered algal cells so that a dewatered algal biomass is generated; and d. recycling at least a portion of the water isolated from the gathered algal cells-to a second algal cell culture wherein the second algal cell culture is combined with the at least a portion of the water isolated from the first algal cell culture.