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At present, little is known about the industrial clarification process during agar production. This is the first study in Mexico to determine the best method for agar extraction from the red algae Gracilaria vermiculophylla at the pilot plant scale. We experimented with two industrial systems for agar clarification: vacuum filter (ALAR) modified with double jacket for steam supply, and centrifuge (Alfa Laval-Sharples). We tested those systems for two different processes: without alkaline treatment and with alkaline treatment. The best method was the vacuum filter, because it removed 100% of suspended solids, while centrifugation removed only 66%. This was due to the increased viscosity in the agar solution that made separation difficult using only centrifugal force. The highest gel strength was obtained using the alkaline treatment method and vacuum system. The residual material after clarification was dried and milled to use as organic fertilizer for growth of white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa). The fastest growth rate (cm per month) after 6 months was obtained with the fertilizer obtained from native agar and centrifuged (3.4). The second fastest was using the fertilizer from native agar and filtration (3.35) and the least growth resulted from the material obtained from modified agar and filtration (3.0). These values were significantly higher compared with mangrove growth with a control substrate composed of river sand (1.9 cm). Another observation suggests that organic fertilizer based on residues of algae and diatomaceous earth can also help plants to resist low temperatures.

Palabras clave: Algae; polisacáridos; Gracilaria; Clarification; fertilizer

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