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.     

Optimization of flocculation with tannin-based flocculant in the water reuse and lipidic production for the cultivation of Acutodesmus obliquus

This paper evaluated the optimization of natural flocculant in different conditions in a tubular photobioreactor using swine wastewater effluent as culture media in a pilot-scale microalgae production plant. This study aimed to assess the flocculation efficiency of Tanfloc SG via a central composite design (CCD), with varying Tanfloc SG concentration, biomass concentration and pH. Subsequently, the microalga Acutodesmus obliquus was cultivated in medium obtained from the recycled recovery of microalgae cells via flocculation with Tanfloc SG. Results showed that the recycled medium after flocculation with Tanfloc SG had a positive effect on the biomass and lipid production of A. obliquus.     

Variables affecting the in situ transesterification of microalgae lipids

This paper describes the effect of important reaction variables on the production of biodiesel from non-edible microalgae lipids, using the acid-catalysed in situ transesterification process. The specific gravity of the biodiesel product was used to monitor the conversion progress. The results indicate that increasing the reacting alcohol volume and the temperature lead to improved fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) conversions. With the exception of in situ transesterification carried out at room temperature (23 °C), the equilibrium FAME conversions appear to approach asymptotic limits for reaction times greater than 8 h for all temperatures investigated. Stirring the reaction vessel had a significant positive influence on the rate of biodiesel formation. Increasing the moisture content of the microalgae biomass had a strong negative influence on the equilibrium FAME yield, and in situ transesterification was inhibited when the biomass water content was greater than 115% w/w (based on oil weight).     

Simultaneous harvesting and cell disruption of microalgae using ozone bubbles: optimization and characterization study for biodiesel production

In the present study, ozone was introduced as an alternative approach to harvest and disrupt microalgae cells (Chlorella vulgaris) simultaneously for biodiesel production. At the optimum ozonation conditions (6.14 g·h^–1 ozone concentration, 30 min ozonation time, 1 L·min^–1 of ozone flowrate at medium pH of 10 and temperature of 30 °C), the sedimentation efficiency of microalgae cells increased significantly from 12.56% to 68.62%. It was observed that the microalgae cells aggregated to form flocs after pre-treated with ozone due to the increment of surface charge from –20 to –6.59 mV. Besides, ozone had successfully disrupted the microalgae cells and resulted in efficient lipid extraction, which was 1.9 times higher than the control sample. The extracted microalgae lipid was mainly consisted of methyl palmitate (C16:0), methyl oleate (C18:1) and methyl linolenate (C18:3), making it suitable for biodiesel production. Finally, utilization of recycled culture media after ozonation pre-treatment showed robust growth of microalgae, in which the biomass yield was maintained in the range of 0.796 to 0.879 g·h^–1 for 5 cycles of cultivation.     

褪黑素诱导糖蜜废醪液培养单针藻Monoraphidium sp.FXY-10 产生物燃料

研究褪黑素对糖蜜酒精废醪液中单针藻Monoraphidium sp. FXY-10生长和油脂积累的影响。结果表明，以糖蜜酒精废醪液为基础培养基，添加10^-3μmol/L的褪黑素，微藻中的油脂含量达到68.69%，是对照组的1.15倍，且最高生物量为1.22g/L，相比对照组提高了41.86 %。与对照组相比，藻细胞内蛋白质和碳水化合物含量分别是对照组的0.61和1.41倍。在微藻培养过程中，糖蜜废醪液中的COD、总氮及总磷的清除率分别达到92.33%、90.07%和86.04%。此外，外源褪黑素的添加提高了乙酰辅酶A羧化酶（acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase，ACCase）、苹果酸酶（malic enzyme，ME）的活性，而降低了磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧化酶（phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase，PEPC）的活性。初步技术经济分析表明，1kg单针藻Monoraphidium sp. FXY-10的干燥粉可以制备535.8g生物柴油。研究表明，褪黑素可以促进糖蜜酒精废醪液中微藻的生长和油脂的积累，降低培养成本，为微藻扩大化生产提供了新的理论基础。     

Comments on a Method for Estimating Cloud Point and Cold Filter Plugging Point of Microalgal Oil Fatty Acid Methyl Esters

Cloud points (CPs) of five vegetable oil fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) and three biodiesel mixtures estimated by a thermodynamic equation were compared to measured CPs. The results indicate that estimated CP of peanut oil FAME are similar to measured CP and for three biodiesel mixtures a minimum total saturated FAME (SFAME) concentration is required for measured CPs to be closer to estimated CPs. These comparisons provide the basis for comments on using this method for estimating CPs of 22 test data of microalgae FAME. Cold filter plugging points (CFPPs) calculated by equation CFPP = 1.0191 × CP ? 2.9 with CPs verified from the thermodynamic equation was found to be identical to CFPPs reported in literature for 22 test data of microalgae FAME. Therefore these CPs were inserted in equation CFPP = CP ?4.5 for another set of CFPPs. Plots of CFPPs versus percent SFAME of the 22 test data of microalgae FAME (>12 %) for these two equations indicates that CFPP is controlled by 85 % of SFAME. Calculated CFPPs of vegetable oil FAME and biodiesel mixtures using both equations for estimated and measured CPs is discussed. Low concentrations of long chain saturated FAME impacting the estimation of CPs of vegetable oil FAME is used as a rationale to discuss the role of unidentified other species (OS) in estimation of CPs of microalgae FAME.     

Enhancing lipid productivity of Chlorella vulgaris using oxidative stress by TiO2 nanoparticles

Ability to increase the lipid production in microalgae is one of the heavily sought-after ideas to improve the economic feasibility of microalgae-derived transportation fuels for commercial applications. We used the oxidative stress by TiO₂ nanoparticles, a well-known photocatalyst, to induce lipid production in microalgae. Chlorella vulgaris UTEX 265 was cultivated under various concentrations of TiO₂ ranging from 0.1 to 5 g/L under UV-A illumination. Maximum specific growth rate was affected in responding to TiO₂ concentrations. In the presence of UV-A, chlorophyll concentration was decreased at the highest concentration of TiO₂ (5 g/L TiO₂) by oxidative stress. The fatty acid ethyl ester (FAME) composition analysis suggested that oxidative stress causes the accumulation and decomposition of lipids. The highest FAME productivity was 18.2 g/L/d under low concentrations of TiO₂ (0.1 g/L) and a short induction time (two days). The controlled condition of TiO₂/UV-A inducing oxidative stress (0.1 g/L TiO₂ and two days induction) could be used to increase the lipid productivity of C. vulgaris UTEX 265. Our results show the possibility of modulating the lipid induction process through oxidative stress with TiO₂/UV-A.     

Dispersed air flotation and foam fractionation for the recovery of microalgae in the production of biodiesel

Microalgae biomass has great potential for being used as feedstock for the sustainable production of biodiesel, as it is able to produce 7–31 times more oil than the top terrestrial crop. It is a green alternative to the currently utilized energy sources as it can reduce CO, CO₂ and hydrocarbon emissions. However, downstream processing costs for the dilute biomass are a major challenge. Foam flotation has been recently investigated for the recovery of microalgae cells from dilute liquid suspensions. A number of variables on the effectiveness of foam flotation for microalgae have been investigated, which include surfactant type and concentration, cell concentration, pH, hydrophobicity, time, growth stage, flow rate, ionic strength, alkalinity, temperature, bubble size, and column size. It appears to be a promising method for the recovery of algae for biofuel production, as a result of the high removal recoveries, good enrichment ratios, ability to process large volumes of biomass, and its ease of operation. However, literature on this subject is scarce, and there are research gaps that should be investigated including characterization of microalgae cells and impact on foam separation and the effect of surfactant as a treatment prior to lipid extraction.     

Experimental analysis of lipid extraction and biodiesel production from wastewater sludge

The most promising renewable alternative fuel, biodiesel, is produced from various lipid sources. Primary and secondary sludge of municipal wastewater treatment facilities are potential sources of lipids. In this study, factorial experimental analyses were used to study the influence of different variables on the lipid extraction and biodiesel production from dried municipal primary and secondary sludge (Adelaide Pollution Control Plant, London, ON, Canada). The empirical models were developed for each factorial analysis. The temperature turned out to be the most significant variable for lipid extraction by using methanol and hexane as solvents. Extraction using methanol resulted in a maximum of 14.46 (wt/wt) % and 10.04 (wt/wt) % lipid (on the basis of dry sludge), from the primary and secondary sludge sources respectively. A maximum of 11.16 (wt/wt) % and 3.04 wt/wt% lipid (on the basis of dry sludge) were extracted from the primary and secondary sludge sources, respectively, using hexane as a solvent. The FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) yield of the H₂SO₄ catalyzed esterification–transesterification of the hexane and methanol extracted lipids were 41.25 (wt/wt) % and 38.94(wt/wt) % (on the basis of lipid) for the primary sludge, and 26.89 (wt/wt) % and 30.28 (wt/wt) % (on the basis of lipid) for the secondary sludge. The use of natural zeolite as a dehydrating agent was increased the biodiesel yield by approximately 18 (wt/wt) % (on the basis of lipid). The effect of temperature and time was also investigated for biodiesel production from the lipid of wastewater sludge. The yield and quality of the FAME were determined by gas chromatography.     

Optimization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica carinata</Emphasis> oil methanolysis for biodiesel production

Synthesis of FAME from Brassica carinata oil to produce biodiesel was accomplished using potassium hydroxide as the catalyst. A factorial design of experiments and a central composite design were used. The variables chosen were: type of Brassica carinata oil, initial catalyst concentration, and temperature; and the responses were FAME purity and yield. The type of B. carinata oil included high-erucic B. carinata (HEBC) and lowerucic B. carinata (LEBC) varieties. The results show that the type of B. carinata oil does not affect the purity and yield of FAME. However, HEBC oil is more suitable for biodiesel production because its iodine value is lower and within the European Union specifications. The initial catalyst concentration is the most important factor, having a positive influence on FAME purity but a negative effect on FAME yield. The temperature has a significant positive effect on FAME purity and a significant negative influence on FAME yield. Second-order models were obtained to predict FAME purity and yield as a function of catalyst concentration and temperature for HEBC oil methanolysis. The best conditions for this process are 25°C, and 1.2–1.5 wt% for the catalyst concentration.     

Biodiesel Production: Effects of the Feeding Process on Biomass and Lipid Productivity

Large‐scale biomass production and sewage refining for use in landscaping by employing Chlorella vulgaris were investigated. The effects of the concentrations of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus as nutrients in the process were optimized by central composite design. In general, the results revealed that higher amounts of biomass can be obtained by varying the feed concentration; both the N and P concentrations have an effective role in improving the biomass dry weight. The amount of lipid productivity varied from 12 % to 55 %, and one of the photobioreactors tested showed the best conditions for lipid productivity. Also, this process can decrease the greenhouse gas emissions in wastewater treatment.     

Cultivation of microalgae for biodiesel production: A review on upstream and downstream processing

Fluctuating market price of fossil fuel and overwhelming emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere have resulted in climate change and have been a global concern in this decade.Hence,biodiesel has become an alternative option to fossil diesel as it is renewable and environmentally friendly.Nevertheless,this alternative fuel that is usually derived from terrestrial oil crops will cause shortage in food supply and deforestation if mass production is realized.In recent years,cultivation of aquatic microorganism (particularly microalgae) to produce biodiesel is considered as a practical solution due to their high growth rate and ability to synthesize large quantity of lipid within their cell.However,the development of energy and cost-efficiency of microalgae cultivation system are the main issues in producing renewable microalgae biodiesel.Of late,wastewater or organic compost has been used as the cultivation medium as it can provide sufficient nutrients to sustain microalgae growth.Microalgae cultivation method and system are vitally important as these factors undoubtedly affect the final microalgae biomass and lipid yield.In this review,the cultivation system of microalgae,nutrients demanded for microalgae production,cell harvesting and drying,microalgae oil extraction,and utilization of microalgae biomass for biodiesel production are introduced and discussed.It is anticipated to convey clearer perspectives in upstream and downstream processes in microalgae-derived biodiesel production.     

Nanohybrid membrane in algal-membrane photoreactor: Microalgae cultivation and wastewater polishing

Microalgae cultivation has gained tremendous attention in recent years due to its great potential in green biofuel production and wastewater treatment application. Membrane technology is a great solution in separating the microalgae biomass while producing high quality of permeate for recycling. The main objective of this study was to investigate the filtration performance of Ag/GO-PVDF (silver/graphene oxide-polyvinylidene fluoride) membrane in an algalmembrane photoreactor (A-MPR) by benchmarking with a commercial PVDF (com-PVDF) membrane. In this study, Chlorella vulgaris microalgae was cultivated in synthetic wastewater in an A-MPR for ammoniacal-nitrogen and phosphorus recovery and the wastewater was further filtered using Ag/GO-PVDF and com-PVDF membranes to obtain high quality water. Spectrophotometer was used to analyze the chemical oxidation demand (COD), ammoniacal nitrogen (NH₃-N) and phosphate (PO₄^3-). The concentration of proteins and carbohydrates was measured using Bradford method and phenol-sulfuric acid method, respectively. The COD of the synthetic wastewater was reduced from (180.5 ±5.6) ppm to (82 ±2.6) ppm due to nutrient uptake by microalgae. Then, the Ag/GO-PVDF membrane was used to further purify the microalgae cultivated wastewater, resulting in a low COD permeate of (31 ±4.6) ppm. The high removal rate of proteins (100%) and carbohydrates (86.6%) as the major foulant in microalgae filtration, with low membrane fouling propensity of Ag/GO-PVDF membrane is advantageous for the sustainable development of the microalgae production. Hence, the integrated A-MPR system is highly recommended as a promising approach for microalgae cultivation and wastewater polishing treatment.     

Studying the drying mechanism of microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and the optimum drying temperature to preserve quality characteristics

Drying harvested microalgae from an average moisture content of 80% wet basis to a safe moisture content of 10% is challenging. Removing this high amount of water from microalgal biomass is time-consuming and is not as easy as agricultural crop dehydration. The long drying time results in large drying costs. Although drying is a suitable technique for algal-based fuel production, it has not been commercialized due to its associated challenges. This study was performed to fulfill the knowledge gap in the microalgae drying mechanism and to understand the reason for long drying times. For this purpose, the thin-layer drying of microalgae Chlorella vulgaris at the temperature range of 40 to 140°C was studied in a convective oven. The effect of drying air temperature on Chlorella elemental and chemical composition, surface color, and surface structure in the aforementioned temperature range was also analyzed. The results revealed that the dominant mechanism in Chlorella drying is diffusion, which is attributed to the collapse of microalgal cells structure with increased drying temperature. In fact, moisture is entrapped in the Chlorella cells and it takes a long time for them to reach the biomass surface and evaporate. The result was that both low and high drying temperatures have adverse effects on Chlorella surface color, structure, and carbohydrate and lipid composition. This suggests that microalgae should be dried at an optimum medium (60–80°C) temperature.     

Improved Methods for the Fatty Acid Analysis of Blood Lipid Classes

Two improved methods have been developed for preparation of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) from major O-ester lipid classes in blood, i.e., cholesterol ester, triacylglycerol, and glycerophospholipids. The methods involve simple operations, and use neither harmful solvents such as chloroform or benzene nor highly reactive volatile reagents such as acetyl chloride. The FAME synthesis reaction proceeds under mild temperature conditions. The methods include (1) extraction of lipids from 0.2 ml of blood with 0.2 ml of tert-butyl methyl ether and 0.1 ml of methanol, (2) separation of the total lipids into lipid classes using a solid-phase extraction column or thin-layer chromatography, and (3) methanolysis of each lipid class at room temperature or at 45 °C. In all the operations, solvent concentration is performed only once prior to gas–liquid chromatography (GC). No noticeable differences in composition determined by GC have been found between FAME prepared by the present methods and those prepared by a conventional method involving lipid extraction with chloroform/methanol. The mild reaction and simplified procedures of the present methods enabled safe and reproducible analysis of the fatty acid compositions of the major ester-lipid classes in blood.     

Lipid and Biomass Distribution and Recovery from Two Microalgae by Aqueous and Alcohol Processing

The objective of this study was to determine lipid and biomass distribution during aqueous and alcohol processing of oleaginous microalgae, with the intention of fully extracting lipid from the dewatered cell paste. Two species, Nannochloropsis and Schizochytrium, were used. It is shown that most of the total lipid, 73% for Nannochloropsis and 87% for Schizochytrium, was held by the cell solids obtained by centrifugation during the aqueous process, justifying the need to develop a more effective lipid-extraction method. Use of ethanol at elevated temperature enabled efficient extraction of lipid from the cell mass and at the same time improved biomass precipitation and recovery in the solid or cake fraction. More than 68 and 95% of total lipid was recovered on a 50-g scale (as-is paste basis) from Nannochloropsis and Schizochytrium, respectively. Approximately 65% of the biomass was recovered in the solid fraction for both algae from the alcohol process, compared with the much lower biomass recovery, 38 and 16% for Nannochloropsis and Schizochytrium by the aqueous process. Therefore, oil and biomass fractionation by use of pure water is far less effective than fractionation by use of alcohol, and the alcohol process has great promise in algal oil recovery.     

Toxicity and Biodegradability Behavior of Xenobiotic Chemicals Before and After Ozonation: A Case Study with Commercial Textile Tannins

Ozonation of a natural tannin (NT; COD_o?=?1195 mg/L; TOC_o?=?342 mg/L; BOD_5,o?=?86 mg/L) and a synthetic tannin ST; COD_o?=?465 mg/L; TOC_o?=?55 mg/L; BOD_5,o?=?6 mg/L) being frequently applied in the polyamide dyeing process was investigated. Synthetic wastewater samples containing these tannins individually were prepared and subjected to ozonation at varying ozone doses (625– 1250 mgO₃/L wastewater), at pH?=?3.5 (the application pH of tannins) and pH?=?7.0 at an ozone dose of 1125 mgO₃/L wastewater. The collective environmental parameters COD, TOC, BOD₅, UV₂₅₄ and UV₂₈₀ (UV absorbance at 254 nm and 280 nm, representing aromatic and unsaturated moieties, respectively) were followed during ozonation. Changes in the biodegradability of the tannins were evaluated in terms of BOD₅ measurements conducted before and after ozonation. In addition, activated sludge inhibition tests employing heterotrophic biomass were run to elucidate the inhibitory effect of raw and ozonated textile tannins towards activated sludge biomass. Partial oxidation (45% COD removal at an ozone dose of 750 mg O₃/L wastewater and pH?=?3.5) of ST was sufficient to achieve elimination of its inhibitory effect towards heterotrophic biomass and acceptable biodegradability improvement, whereas the inhibitory effect and biodegradability of NT could not be reduced via ozonation under the same reaction conditions.     

化学氧化法对焦化废水中氰化物深度处理的效果

该研究考察了焦化废水的生化出水中运用臭氧和氯碱氧化法对总氰的去除效果,并对影响处理效果的主要因素进行了讨论.试验结果表明:臭氧法对焦化废水中氰化物的去除效果较差,不能使处理后废水中氰化物的浓度达标排放;造成该现象的主要原因是焦化废水中总氰多为铁氰化物,其性质较为稳定,难以被臭氧快速氧化.氯碱氧化法可以有效的去除焦化废水...     

Microalgal biomass as a fermentation feedstock for bioethanol production

BACKGROUND: The increasing cost of fossil fuels as well as the escalating social and industrial awareness of the environmental impacts associated with the use of fossil fuels has created the need for more sustainable fuel options. Bioethanol, produced from renewable biomass such as sugar and starch materials, is believed to be one of these options, and it is currently being harnessed extensively. However, the utilization of sugar and starch materials as feedstocks for bioethanol production creates a major competition with the food market in terms of land for cultivation, and this makes bioethanol from these sources economically less attractive. RESULT: This study explores the suitability of microalgae (Chlorococum sp.) as a substrate for bioethanol production via yeast (Saccharomyces bayanus) under different fermentation conditions. Results show a maximum ethanol concentration of 3.83 g L^?1 obtained from 10 g L^?1 of lipid‐extracted microalgae debris. CONCLUSION: This productivity level (～38% w/w), which is in keeping with that of current production systems endorses microalgae as a promising substrate for bioethanol production. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Modified Photobioreactor for Biofixation of Carbon Dioxide by Chlorella vulgaris at Different Light Intensities

The performance of a modified bioreactor inside a light enclosure for carbon dioxide biofixation by Chlorella vulgaris was investigated. The influence of different light intensities on the CO₂ biofixation and biomass production rates was evaluated. The results showed that the photon flux available to the microalgal cultures can be a key issue in optimizing the microalgae photobioreactor performance, particularly at high cell concentrations. Although the optimal pH values for C. vulgaris are in the range of 6–8, cell growth can take place even at pH 4 and 10. Batch microalgae cultivation in the photobioreactor was used to investigate the effect of different light intensities. The maximum biomass concentration of 1.83 g L^?1 was obtained at a light intensity of 100 μmol m^?2s^?1 and under aeration with 2 L min^?1 of 2 % CO₂‐enriched air.