Vortex fluidic mediated direct transesterification of wet microalgae biomass to biodiesel

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Renewable Energy
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Microalgal biodiesel production faces significant energy penalties and costs due to dewatering and lipid extraction.
• Efficient and cost-effective methods are crucial for advancing microalgae as a sustainable biofuel source.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel biodiesel production platform using a vortex fluidic device (VFD) for direct transesterification (DT) of wet microalgal biomass.
• To assess the efficiency of fatty acid extraction and conversion to fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) using the VFD-assisted DT process.
• To optimize process parameters including water content, biomass-to-methanol ratio, and residence time.

Main Methods:

• Development of a biodiesel production platform integrating a vortex fluidic device (VFD) with direct transesterification (DT).
• Evaluation of the VFD-assisted DT process in both confined and continuous modes using wet microalgal biomass (Chloroparva pannonica).
• Application of a Box-Behnken experimental design and response surface methodology to analyze parameter effects.

Main Results:

• Achieved average fatty acid extraction efficiencies of 41%.
• Demonstrated fatty acid to FAME conversion efficiencies exceeding 90%.
• The VFD-assisted DT process exhibited broad tolerance to varying parameter settings, including high water content.

Conclusions:

• Vortex fluidic device-assisted direct transesterification (VFD-DT) presents a simplified and effective approach for biodiesel production.
• This technology enables direct processing of wet microalgal biomass at room temperature, significantly reducing energy consumption and costs.
• The VFD-DT method holds promise for the scalable and economical production of microalgal biodiesel.