Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 14, 2026
07:05
Author Spotlight: Eco-Friendly Extraction of Bioactive Compounds Using Polyol-Based Microwave-Assisted Techniques
Published on: August 23, 2024
2.9K
Microwave-Assisted Extraction for Microalgae: From Biofuels to Biorefinery
Rahul Vijay Kapoore1, Thomas O Butler2, Jagroop Pandhal3
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK. rahulkapoore@gmail.com.
Biology
|February 22, 2018
Summary
Improving microalgal extraction is key for cost-effective bioactive compound and oil production. Microwave-assisted extraction offers a promising solution to overcome challenges in cell disruption and enhance yields.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Chemical Engineering
- Phycology
Background:
- Microalgal bioactive compound and oil production is economically limited by high downstream processing costs (70-80%).
- Microalgal cell walls contain recalcitrant polymers (algaenan, sporopollenin), making cell disruption for extraction difficult and inefficient.
- Conventional extraction methods are costly and suffer from low efficiency, necessitating technological advancements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the potential of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) for improving the efficiency and economics of microalgal downstream processing.
- To discuss the capabilities and challenges of applying MAE for extracting diverse bioactive compounds from microalgae.
- To evaluate MAE within a biorefinery context for comprehensive microalgal biomass utilization.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on microwave-assisted extraction techniques applied to microalgae.
- Analysis of MAE's effectiveness in cell disruption and subsequent extraction of lipids, pigments, carbohydrates, vitamins, and proteins.
- Assessment of MAE's impact on processing time, yield, and product purity compared to conventional methods.
Main Results:
- Microwave technology has advanced significantly, offering reduced processing times and potentially higher yields and purity.
- MAE demonstrates potential for efficient extraction of various microalgal components, both individually and synergistically.
- MAE presents a viable alternative to conventional extraction methods, addressing limitations in cell disruption and efficiency.
Conclusions:
- Microwave-assisted extraction is a promising technology for overcoming microalgal cell wall barriers and improving extraction efficiency.
- MAE can contribute to the economic viability of microalgal biorefineries by reducing costs and increasing product recovery.
- Further research and optimization are needed to fully realize the potential of MAE in industrial-scale microalgal processing.
Related Concept Videos
00:53Extraction: Effects of pH
1.4K
Consider a neutral form of an amine, B, with a partition coefficient, K, in a liquid mixture containing organic and aqueous phases. The pH of the aqueous phase affects the charge on acidic and basic solutes, and the charged form is usually more soluble in the aqueous phase. Suppose the conjugate acid form of the amine is soluble only in the aqueous phase while the base form is soluble in both phases. Then the distribution coefficient, D, can be given as the ratio of amine concentration in the...
1.4K
00:56Extraction: Advanced Methods
1.2K
Metal ions can be separated from one another by complexation with organic ligands–the chelating agent– to form uncharged chelates. Here, the chelating agent must contain hydrophobic groups and behave as a weak acid, losing a proton to bind with the metal. Since most organic ligands used in this process are insoluble or undergo oxidation in the aqueous phase, the chelating agent is initially added to the organic phase and extracted into the aqueous phase. The metal-ligand complex is...
1.2K
01:14Extraction: Partition and Distribution Coefficients
5.0K
The distribution law or Nernst's distribution law is the law that governs the distribution of a solute between two immiscible solvents. This law, also known as the partition law, states that if a solute is added to the mixture of two immiscible solvents at a constant temperature, the solute is distributed between the two solvents in such a way that the ratio of solute concentrations in the solvents remains constant at equilibrium.
For extracting a solute from an aqueous phase into an...
For extracting a solute from an aqueous phase into an...
5.0K
01:08Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI)
1.2K
Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) is a powerful analytical technique used in mass spectrometry. It enables the identification and characterization of various biomolecules, including proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates. MALDI is an ionization technique, widely employed in biological and medical research, as well as in fields like pharmacology and biochemistry.The analyte of interest, a biomolecule or a mixture of biomolecules, is mixed with a suitable matrix...
1.2K
02:37The Electromagnetic Spectrum
65.6K
The electromagnetic spectrum consists of all the types of electromagnetic radiation arranged according to their frequency and wavelength. Each of the various colors of visible light has specific frequencies and wavelengths associated with them, and you can see that visible light makes up only a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Because the technologies developed to work in various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are different, for reasons of convenience and historical...
65.6K
02:12The Wave Nature of Light
61.7K
The nature of light has been a subject of inquiry since antiquity. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton performed experiments with lenses and prisms and was able to demonstrate that white light consists of the individual colors of the rainbow combined together. Newton explained his optics findings in terms of a "corpuscular" view of light, in which light was composed of streams of extremely tiny particles traveling at high speeds according to Newton's laws of motion.
61.7K