Biodiesel Production from Selected Microalgae Strains and Determination of its Properties and Combustion Specific Characteristics

Abstract

Biofuels are gaining importance as significant substitutes for the depleting fossil fuels. Recent focus is on microalgae as the third generation feedstock. In the present research work, two indigenous fresh water and two marine Chlorophyte strains have been cultivated successfully under laboratory conditions using commercial fertilizer (Nutrileaf 30-10-10, initial concentration=70 g/m3 ) as nutrient source. Gas chromatographic analysis data showed that microalgae biodiesel obtained from Chlorophyte strains biomass were composed of fatty acid methyl esters. The produced microalgae biodiesel achieved a range of 2.2 - 10.6 % total lipid content and an unsaturated FAME content between 49 mol% and 59 mol%. The iodine value, the cetane number, the cold filter plugging point, the oxidative stability as well as combustion specific characteristics of the final biodiesels were determined based on the compositions of the four microalgae strains. The calculated biodiesel properties compared then with the corresponding properties of biodiesel from known vegetable oils, from other algae strains and with the specifications in the EU (EN 14214) and US (ASTM D6751) standards. The derived biodiesels from indigenous Chlorophyte algae were significantly comparable in quality with other biodiesels.

Keywords

• Microalgae
• chlorophytes
• FAME compositions
• empirical models
• biodiesel properties __________________________________