College - Author 1
College of Engineering
Department - Author 1
Electrical Engineering Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Electrical Engineering
Date
6-2026
Primary Advisor
Dean Arakaki, College of Engineering, Electrical Engineering Department
Abstract/Summary
Microalgae are a promising renewable source of biofuel due to their high lipid content and rapid growth rates; however, algae cells must be electroporated (lysed) to release these lipids. The system developed in this project applies short (40 μs–10 ms), high-intensity (up to 33 kV/cm) pulsed electric fields (PEF) across cell membranes to enable electroporation.
Our lab-scale PEF chamber generates uniform, high-intensity electric fields using parallel-plate electrodes with sub-millimeter spacing. The system is designed to efficiently lyse microalgae cells for lipid extraction and biofuel production.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/eesp/736