Concentration of live pico- and nanoplankton by means of tangential flow filtration

Abstract
A tangential flow filtration system for concentrating live pico- and nanoplankton was tested on natural seawater (3 was easily achieved, the time necessary depending on sample volume, pumping pressure and filtrate/retentate ratio. Losses of different kinds of cells in relation to the concentration factor were quantified. Recovery rates were negatively correlated with the frequency of sample recirculation through the filtration unit.