Biodiesel Production from <i>Spirulina-Platensis</i> Microalgae by <i>In-Situ</i> Transesterification Process

Abstract

This research investigates the effect of reaction variables that strongly affect the cost of biodiesel production from non-edible Spirulina-Platensis microalgae lipids, and use the acid-catalyzed in situ transesterification process. Experiments were designed to determine how variations in volume of reacting methanol, the concentration of an acid catalyst, time, temperature and stirring affected the biodiesel yield. The total lipid content of Spirulina-Platensis microalgae was obtained to be 0.1095 g/g biomass. The weight of the by-product glycerol obtained was used to predict the percentage yield conversion of microalgae oil biodiesel. Best results (84.7%), a yield of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), were obtained at 100% (wt./wt.oil) catalyst concentration, 80 ml methanol volumes, 8 h reaction time and 65˚C reaction temperature with continuous stirring at 650 rpm. Properties of the produced biodiesel were measured according to EN 14214 standards.

Utilization of Scenedesmus obliquus biomass as feedstock for biodiesel and other industrially important co-products: An integrated paradigm for microalgal biorefinery

“…Glycerol produced during glycerolipid metabolism in microalgae can be recovered through purification during the transesterification of the microalgal oil to biodiesel [33]. The glycerol content in the above selected samples was analyzed and expressed on the basis of percent weight of biodiesel as well as percent of dry cell weight.…”

Bioremediation with Microalgae

“…The in situ transesterification process is applied on microalgae for biodiesel production (Ehimen et al, 2010). The total lipid content of A. Platensis was 0.1095 g g À1 biomass (El-shimi et al, 2013). Recent studies on in situ transesterification using an acid catalyst for the production of biodiesel were developed using Arthrospira platensis.…”

Biodiesel Production from Scenedesmus sp. through Optimized in situ Acidic Transesterification Process

“…For other reported, transesterification time would take more than 20 hours. 32,33 45.14±4.59 % (w/w) to maximum of 70.86±4.78 % (w/w) representing a significance at P < 0.05 level.…”

“…Two of main factors, biomass to solvent ratio and catalyst amount, were selected for the study based on previous results by using our work (not shown data), and whose results were that amounts of solvent and catalysts were more important than process time and temperature, etc. 32,33 For in situ transesterification of algal biomass containing rigid cell walls, acidic catalyst was found to be more effective; however, it reguired more longer process than that of conventional transesterificiation due to slow process of acidic transesterification and much less homogenous reaction for biomass, compared to simple oil samples even though it woud not be practical yet. For other reported, transesterification time would take more than 20 hours.…”