FAME Production and Fatty Acid Profiles from Moist Chlorella sp. and Nannochloropsis oculata Biomass

In the present study, we investigated the production of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) from moist Chlorella sp. and Nannochloropsis oculata biomass using a hydrolysis–esterification process. Additionally, we evaluated for the first time the fatty acid profile before and after this process. Hydrolysis of the lipid fraction was performed on a moist biomass in the presence of differing amounts of an acid catalyst in both 50 and 100 % w/w water relative to the biomass. The esterification of the crude extracts of the free fatty acids (FFA) was then investigated. The experiments show that in the presence of 50 % w/w water relative to the biomass, the hydrolysis–esterification process results in higher FFA and FAME yields. The analysis of the fatty ester profiles did not reveal any degradation of the FFA from the microalgae biomass under the hydrolysis–esterification conditions. The results were compared with both extraction–transesterification and direct transesterification processes using dry biomass. The extraction–transesterification and hydrolysis–esterification processes resulted in similar FAME yields and similar profiles of the fatty esters from dry and moist biomass materials, respectively.     

微绿球藻油脂提取方法的优化

为了提高微藻油脂的提取率,以微绿球藻藻粉为原料,比较了不同提取剂、破壁方法、提取时间以及提取温度等因素对微藻油脂提取率的影响。单因素实验结果表明:所用提取剂中工业酒精的提取率最高;破壁方法中反复冻融破壁提取率最高,超声波次之;提取率随着提取时间的延长而增大,当提取时间大于2 h后,提取率无明显差异;提取率随着提取温度的升高而增大,当提取温度大于55℃后,提取率增大的幅度减小。正交实验优化的微藻油脂提取最佳工艺条件为:以工业酒精为提取剂,反复冻融法破壁,在65℃水浴中提取2 h,可获得较高的提取率,提取率为34.62%。     

The use of Nannochloropsis sp. as a source of omega‐3 fatty acids in dry pasta: chemical,technological and sensory evaluation

Nannochloropsis is a microalga characterised by having high amounts of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), a fatty acid known for its health benefits. The aim of this study was to elaborate dry pasta with a significant contribution of EPA using Nannochloropsis sp., without affecting the quality product and with good consumer acceptance. Technological quality was analysed in terms of cooking properties and texture profile. Cooked pasta was characterised through proximal composition, phenolic compound, fatty acid content and sensorial analysis. It was possible to replace up to 30% of wheat flour with microalgae without affecting the technological quality of pasta and with a significant contribution of EPA to the daily diet (0.237 g per 100 g pasta). The incorporation of 10% and 20% Nannochloropsis in pasta formulation allowed to decrease the n6:n3 ratio from 25:1 to 5:1 and 2:1, respectively. Therefore, the microalgae are an interesting ingredient to increase EPA consumption in products like pasta, while the sensory evaluation confirms the possibility towards a commercial approach.     

Experimental study on carboxymethylation of cellulose extracted from Posidonia oceanica

The production of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) from bleached cellulose pulps obtained from Posidonia oceanica was explored. The optimal reaction conditions were studied for the carboxymethylation of cellulose in organic liquids. The carboxymethylation reaction was carried out with NaOH and monochloroacetic acid (MAC) as the reagent. Different alcohols were compared in terms of the degree of substitution (DS). The highest DS was obtained with n‐butanol. For this alcohol, the effects of the temperature, alkali concentration, and MAC concentration were studied. The reaction was also carried out in three consecutive steps. The resulting CMC had a DS of about 2.75. The functionalization of cellulose was checked using FTIR spectroscopy and ¹³C‐NMR. The X‐ray analysis showed that the crystalline structure of cellulose decreased when the DS increased and the structure was totally amorphous in high DS material. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 1808–1816, 2006     

Integration of biofuels intermediates production and nutrients recycling in the processing of a marine algae

The cost‐effective production of liquid biofuels from microalgae is limited by several factors such as recovery of the lipid fractions as well as nutrients management. Flash hydrolysis, a rapid hydrothermal process, has been successfully applied to fractionate the microalgal biomass into solid biofuels intermediates while recovering a large amount of the nutrients in the aqueous phase (hydrolyzate) in a continuous flow reactor. The aim of the work is to enhance the quality of a high‐ash containing marine algae Nannochloropsis gaditana as biofuel feedstock while recycling nutrients directly for algae cultivation. Characterization of products demonstrated an increase in extractable lipids from 33.5 to 65.5 wt % (dry basis) while retaining the same fatty acid methyl ester profile, in addition to diminution of more than 70 wt % of ash compared to raw microalgae. Moreover, the hydrolyzate was directly used to grow a microalga of the same genus. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 1494–1502, 2017     

微拟球藻脂质的亚临界提取工艺优化及其成分分析

采用亚临界丁烷提取微拟球藻脂质。在单因素试验的基础上采用正交试验对影响微拟球藻脂质提取率的因素进行优化,并测定了微拟球藻脂质的酸价、过氧化值、碘值、磷脂含量、脂肪组成以及脂肪酸组成。结果表明:亚临界丁烷提取微拟球藻脂质的最佳工艺条件为单次提取时间40 min、提取4次、提取温度45℃、料液比1∶8,在此条件下微拟球藻脂质提取率为41. 55%;提取的微拟球藻脂质呈深绿色油性糊状,其酸价(KOH) 20. 4 mg/g,过氧化值0. 001 g/100 g,碘值(I) 86. 0g/100 g,磷脂含量107. 28 mg/g;微拟球藻脂质中总脂肪含量为40. 22%,脂肪酸组成主要以不饱和脂肪酸为主,其中EPA含量为7. 21%。     

Posidonia Oceanica and Wood chips activated carbon as interesting materials for hydrogen storage

The goal is to investigate the feasibility to use a local biomass (Posidonia Oceanica and Wood chips), as a raw precursor, to the production of activated carbons (AC) with a high surface area and remarkable hydrogen (H₂) adsorption properties.Biomasses (particle size of 0.3–0.4 mm) were pyrolyzed at 600 °C with a heating rate of 5 °C/min under an argon atmosphere. The biochar obtained from the carbonization step was chemically activated with KOH. The activation methodology induces a considerable improvement of the properties of the porous carbon in terms of carbon content (from 58 to 69 wt% to 93–96 wt%), surface area (from 41 to 425 m²/g to 2810–2835 m²/g) and H₂ adsorption in cryogenic condition (from 0,1 wt% to over 5 wt%).All porous carbons were characterized in terms of elemental analysis (CHNS–O), textural properties and H₂ adsorption measurements.     

Subcritical co‐solvents extraction of lipid from wet microalgae pastes of Nannochloropsis sp.

In this paper subcritical co‐solvents extraction (SCE) of algal lipid from wet pastes of Nannochloropsis sp. is examined. The influences of five operating parameters including the ratio between ethanol to hexane, the ratio of mixed solvents to algal biomass (dry weight), extraction temperature, pressure, and time were investigated. The determined optimum extraction conditions were 3:1 (hexane to ethanol ratio), 10:1 ratio (co‐solvents to microalgae (dry weight) ratio), 90°C, 1.4 MPa, and 50 min, which could produce 88% recovery rate of the total lipids. In addition, electron micrographs of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were conducted to show that the algal cell presented shrunken, collapsed with some wrinkles and microholes after SCE extraction. The main composition of total lipids extracted under the optimum conditions was TAG which represented more than 80%. And the fatty acid profile of triglycerides revealed that C16:0 (35.67 ± 0.2%), C18:1 (26.84 ± 0.044%) and C16:1 (25.96 ± 0.011%) were dominant. Practical applications: The reported method could save energy consumption significantly through avoiding deep dewatering (for example drying). The composition of the extracted lipid is suitable for the production of high quality biodiesel.     

尼罗红染色荧光定量海洋微拟球藻胞内油脂含量

以海洋微拟球藻Nannochloropsis oceanica为受试对象,采用尼罗红染色荧光定量胞内油脂含量。采用单因素实验考察了激发波长、发射波长、二甲基亚砜体积分数、染色时间、尼罗红质量浓度对微藻胞内油脂荧光强度的影响,在此基础上,采用响应面实验进行染色荧光定量条件优化。结果表明,优化的微拟球藻胞内油脂尼罗红染色荧光定量最佳条件为二甲基亚砜体积分数25.6%、染色时间16 min、尼罗红质量浓度0.11 μg/mL、激发波长430 nm、发射波长685 nm。在最佳条件下,尼罗红染色微拟球藻胞内油脂荧光强度与油脂含量显著正相关（R2=0999 9）,说明通过尼罗红染色荧光法可快速表征微拟球藻胞内油脂含量。研究结果为后续微拟球藻资源高值化应用及高产油脂海洋微藻快速筛选和动态追踪微藻产油过程提供了依据。