Clarification and concentration with membrane technology of a phycocyanin solution extracted from Spirulina platensis

Membrane technologies were investigated with the aim to improve stability o f C-Phycocyanin extracts resulting from ultrasonic breakage of Spirulina pl atensis. Five membranes, ranging from microfiltration to reverse osmosis, w ere utilized both for clarification and concentration steps. Nanofiltration with tubular organic membranes exhibited good performances: pigment recove ry was 100%, mean permeation flux was 85 l h(-1) m(-2) for achieving a conc entration factor of 7 with 30x10(5) Pa pressure and 1.5 m s(-1) tangential velocity (turbulent flow).