A Review of the Biofuel Yield in Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Different Microalgae

Abstract

Among various biomass, microalgae has unique advantages such as fast growing, high efficient photosynthesis, no competition with crops etc. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a potential technology for converting microalgae biomass into biofuel, with merits including higher biofuel yield than other methods and lower energy consumption etc. A review of the biofuel yield by HTL of different microalgae is presented here, summarizing the past research about the highest biofuel yield and corresponding conditions for various microalgae. Finally, based on the literatures above-mentioned, future directions in this field are suggested.

A Mini Review of the Potentials of Chlorella Species Microalge for the Production of Biocrude by Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) Operation

“…About 88% of energy around the world that is utilized by humans is obtained from fossil fuels (Guo et al, 2015), but fossil fuels are nonrenewable, produce greenhouse gases during combustion, and pollute the environment (Song et al, 2015). The utilization of microalgae globally for consumption and for microalgae products to be used as food supplements, dietary supplements, medicine, cosmetic industries, functional foods, and biofuels has greatly increased its production (Tang &Suter;Bitoet al, 2020).…”

Catalytic hydrothermal liquefaction of Spirulina platensis : Focusing on aqueous phase characterization

“…As one of the thermochemical conversion methods, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) can directly treat the wet biomass in water without predrying . In typical liquefaction, the biomass feedstock is decomposed into different product fractions, such as aqueous phase, biocrude, gaseous phase, and the solid residue . The biocrude is a complex mixture of organic compounds, including oxygen and nitrogen‐containing compounds, esters, hydrocarbons, and organic acids .…”

“…[4][5][6] In typical liquefaction, the biomass feedstock is decomposed into different product fractions, such as aqueous phase, biocrude, gaseous phase, and the solid residue. [7][8][9] The biocrude is a complex mixture of organic compounds, including oxygen and nitrogen-containing compounds, esters, hydrocarbons, and organic acids. 10,11 So far, the biocrude is thought to be a promising substitution of fossil fuel due to its high overall heating values and renewable characteristics.…”