Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Erwana Dewi
Chemical Engineering Department, State Polytechnic of Sriwijaya, Palembang, South Sumatera, Indonesia
Email: aisyahnyayu6@gmail.com, adeclaraalexander@gmail.com, khusnul486@gmail.com
Abstract. Nowadays biodiesel, as an alternative fuel, is attracting increasing attention. Microalgae appear as a solution for this
crucial problem. As renewable energy resource, microalgae capable of meeting the global demand for transport fuels. Like
plants, microalgae use sunlight, carbon dioxide and several nutrients to produce oils but they do so more efficient than crop
plants. Oil productivity of microalgae greatly exceeds the oil productivity of the best producing oil crops. Due to their high
biomass productivity, rapid lipid accumulation, and ability to survive in saline water, microalgae have been identified as
promising feedstocks for industrial-scale production of carbon-neutral biodiesel. This paper reviews the reasons for choosing
microalgae as renewable energy resources and the process of biodiesel production, including growth rate and productivity.
1.
INTRODUCTION
The idea of using microalgae as a source of biodiesel is
not new, but it is now being taken seriously because of the
rising price of petroleum and more significantly, the emerging
concern about global warming that is associated with burning
of fossil fuels1]. The utilization of microalgae for biofuels
production offers the following advantages over higher plants:
(1) microalgae synthesize and accumulate large quantities of
neutral lipids (2050% dry weight of biomass) and grow at
high rates; (2) microalgae are capable of all year round
production, therefore, oil yield per area of microalgae cultures
could greatly exceed the yield of best oilseed crops; (3)
microalgae need less water than terrestrial crops therefore
reducing the load on freshwater sources; (4) microalgae
cultivation does not require herbicides or pesticides
application; (5) microalgae sequester CO2 from flue gases
emitted from fossil fuel-fired power plants and other sources,
thereby reducing emissions of a major greenhouse gas (1 kg
of dry algal biomass utilize about 1.83 kg of CO 2); (6)
microalgae could be applied as bioremediation agent of
wastewater by removal of NH4+ , NO3-, PO43- from a variety of
wastewater sources (e.g. agricultural run-off, concentrated
animal feed operations, and
industrial and municipal
wastewaters); (7) combined with their ability to grow under
harsher conditions and their reduced needs for nutrients,
microalgae can be cultivated in saline/brackish water/coastal
seawater on non-arable land, and do not compete for resources
with conventional agriculture; (8) depending on the
microalgae species, other compounds may also be extracted,
with valuable applications in different industrial sectors,
including a large range of fine chemicals and bulk products,
such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, natural dyes,
Microalgae
Botryococcus braunii
Chlorella sp.
Crypthecodinium cohnii
Cylindrotheca sp.
Dunaliella primolecta
Isochrysis sp.
Monallanthus salina
Nannochloropsis sp.
Neochloris oleoabundans
Nitzschia sp.
Phaeodactylum tricornutum
Tetraselmis sueica
Oil content
(% dry
weight)
25-75
28-32
20
16-37
23
25-33
>20
31-68
45-47
45-47
20-30
15023
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What is biodiesel?
Biodiesel is a diesel fuel derived from animal or plant lipids
(oils and fats). Studies have shown that some species of algae
can produce 60% or more of their dry weight in the form of
oil. Because the cells grow in aqueous suspension, where they
have more efficient access to water, CO2 and dissolved
nutrients, microalgae are capable of producing large amounts
of biomass and usable oil in either high rate algal ponds or
photobioreactors. This oil can then be turned into biodiesel
which could be sold for use in automobiles. Regional
production of microalgae and processing into biofuels will
provide economic benefits to rural communities.
Why microalgae can be used as feedstock for biodiesel?
Microalgae have also been identified as attractive sources
of biodiesel because different species can produce a variety of
fuel products. Various microalgae species have the ability to
produce large quantities of lipid while sequestering CO 2,
particularly neutral lipids in the form of triacylglycerol (TAG),
which can be converted to fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs),
the main components of biodiesel6], through transesterification, or refined into other fuel constituents 7]. Total
lipids and other biomass constituents can be converted into
crude oil alternatives through thermo-chemical processes such
as hydrothermal liquefaction (Barreiro et al.
2013).
Microalgae carbohydrates can be fermented into ethanol, and
some species can produce bio-hydrogen 8]. In addition to their
diversity of products, microalgae are attractive as fuel sources
because many species grow relatively fast.
Microalgae are prokaryotic or eukaryotic photosynthetic
microorganisms that can grow rapidly and live in harsh
conditions due to their unicellular or simple multicellular
structure9]. They reproduce themselves using photosynthesis
to convert sun energy into chemical energy, completing an
entire growth cycle every few days. Moreover they can grow
almost anywhere, requiring sunlight and some simple
nutrients, although the growth rates can be accelerated by the
addition of specic nutrients and sufcient aeration10].
Different microalgae species can be adapted to live in a
variety of environmental conditions. Thus, it is possible to nd
species best suited to local environments or specic growth
characteristics, which is not possible to do with other current
biodiesel feedstocks (e.g. soybean, rapeseed, sunower and
palm oil). They have much higher growth rates and
productivity when compared to conventional
forestry,
INDONESIAN SCHOLARS JOURNAL Paper Number (Will be replaced with volume and paper number if the manuscript is accepted)
INDONESIAN SCHOLARS JOURNAL Paper Number (Will be replaced with volume and paper number if the manuscript is accepted)