Slide 1

Production of biodiesel from algae

byD.Sandeep Raj,B.Raj gopal.

Definition Generally bio diesels- a type of bio fuels which are renewable diesel fuel derived from various organic feedstocks including vegetable oils and animal fatBio diesel production from algae and microbes refers to the second generation bio fuels

Micro algae These are small microscopic aquatic photosynthetic plants that require the aid of a microscope to be seen.

Evolution of micro algae The first large-scale culture of microalgae started in the early 1960s in Japan by Nihon Chlorella with the culture of Chlorella .The interest in using microalgae for renewable energy increased in 1970s during the first oil crisis .

Cultivation of algae Microalgae are adapted to scavenge their environments for resources, to storage them, or increase their efficiency in resource utilization. In general for biomass growth (consisting of 4050% carbon) microalgae depend on a sufficient supply of a carbon source and light to carry out photosynthesis.Microalgae may assume many types of metabolisms (e.g. autotrophic, heterotrophic, mixotrophic, photoheterotrophic)They are capable of a metabolic shift as a response to changes in the environmental conditions.

Processing of algae Dewatering

Thickning

Filtering

Drying

Factors - cultivationTemperature: Microalgae can easily tolerate temperatures up to 15 C lower than their optimal, but exceeding the optimum temperature by only 24 C may result in the total culture loss. Salinity: Every alga has a different optimum salinity range that can increase during hot weather conditions due to high evaporation.Mixing : It homogenizes the cells distribution, heat,metabolites, and facilitates transfer of gases.

Extraction The reaction involved in the extraction of oil from algae is pyrolysis.

Bio diesel production

Advantages Aids in reducing the co2 levels.Wastewater treatment by removal of ammonium , phosphate and nitrate ions making algae to grow using these water contaminants as nutrients.Although the vegetable seeds and micro algae posses same lipid content but the biomass productivity is high for algae.

Thank you