Biodiesel production from spirulina platensis : selection of cell disruption technique, organic solvent and transesterification catalyst | |
| Author | Nattapon Sumprasit |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.EV-16-10 |
| Subject(s) | Biodiesel fuels. Biomass energy. Biodiesel fuels By-products Organic solvents. Spirulina. |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Environmental Engineering and Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. EV-16-10 |
| Abstract | The main objective of this research was to optimize biodiesel production from ubiquitous Spirulina platensis microalga including selection of appropriate cell disruption technique, selection of appropriate solvent for highest lipid recovery yield, and selection of appropriate catalyst for transesterification reaction. Cell disruption process for lipid extraction of S. platensis was initially investigated with seven different techniques. According to results of lipid recovery yield and energy balance analysis, osmotic shock was the most suitable cell disruption technique which recorded 8.87% of lipid recovery yield. Subsequently, seventeen organic solvents were investigated through three-stage lipid extraction in which 5:1 v/w of solvent to biomass ratio was used during each stage. Highest lipid recovery yield was obtained from chloroform/methanol 1:2. Lastly, transesterification reaction was carried out by using methanol as medium. Three types of catalyst were used in the reaction namely alkali catalyst, acid catalyst, and combination of acid and alkali catalyst. Due to high free fatty acid content in lipid of S. platensis (42.04%), acid catalyst recorded better biodiesel yield as compared to alkali catalyst. Sulfuric acid as acid catalyst gave the highest biodiesel conversion yield of 79.45%. Accordingly, the recommended process for production of biodiesel from S. platensis includes following steps: cell disruption through osmotic shock followed by lipid extraction by chloroform/methanol 1:2, and finally conversion into biodiesel using sulfuric acid as the catalyst for transesterification. Under these condition, biodiesel yield of 7.06% (based on weight of biomass) was obtained with net energy balance gain 14.03 MJ/kg of biodiesel. |
| Year | 2016 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Environmental Engineering (EV) |
| Chairperson(s) | Annachhatre, Ajit P.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Visvanathan, C. ;Shipin, Oleg V.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Thailand (HM Queen); |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2016 |