Biomass generation and biodiesel production from macroalgae grown in the irrigation canal wastewater

Abstract

The wastewater concentration is commonly acceptable for macroalgae growth; this process consumes water and is applicable for bioremediation. This study evaluated biodiesel's potential production from freshwater macroalga, Nitella sp. using batch experiment. Algae were collected from wastewater saturated from irrigation canals. Water quality and algae growth environment characteristics were monitored and analyzed. COD and BOD values were 18.67 ± 4.62 mg/L and 5.40 ± 0.30 mg/L, respectively. The chemical composition contents were high, demonstrating that water quality and sufficient nutrients could support algae growth. Oil extraction was estimated by the room temperature and heat extraction methods. The biodiesel in room temperature treatment was 0.0383 ± 0.014%, and in heat, extraction treatment was 0.0723 ± 0.029%. Results confirmed that the heat extraction treatment gave a high amount of oil and biodiesel yield. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to analyze fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). Results revealed that 9-octadecane was a major portion of the substance. The obtained results confirmed that the wastewater contains many elements that can be utilized for dual-mode like bioremediation and enhanced macroalgae growth for biodiesel production. Therefore, macroalgae grown in canal wastewater was high feasible to use for sustainable biodiesel production.

Biomass-derived nano-catalyst for biodiesel production from waste cooking oil

“…A nanomaterial made from metal was used as a catalyst to accelerate the process. Nanocatalysts are becoming increasingly popular for transesterification due to their high specific surface area and improved catalytic activity (Whangchai et al, 2021). This, in turn, results in a higher biodiesel output than solid catalysts.…”

“…Refining biodiesel from animal fat is more expensive than refining biodiesel from vegetable oils (Faruque et al, 2020). Glycerol is a byproduct of transesterification, which can cause a significant reduction in the quality and lifespan of the engine (Whangchai et al, 2021). Biodiesel from WCO is 75% less likely to emit greenhouse gases than diesel fuel.…”

Agave and Opuntia Species as Sustainable Feedstocks for Bioenergy and Byproducts

“…Species of Agave (Agavaceae) and Opuntia (Cactaceae), have increasing attention not only as a CAM species but also as energy crops [8,12,14,[18][19][20][21][37][38][39][40][41]. As indicated previously, these plants are high water efficiency and are suitable for growing on abandoned, degraded agricultural lands or drylands where precipitation is scarce, thus helping to rehabilitate these degraded lands, combat soil erosion and desertification [4]. The traits and diversity of these species provide challenging strategies for agronomic practices and selection of appropriate cultivars to be grown as bioenergy crops, especially in rain-fed areas with low amount or frequency of precipitation where traditional food and bioenergy crops are unable to be cultivated [9,26].…”

“…As the population continues to rise, there will be an increased demand for food, fibers, forage and renewable biomass resources for energy, biofuels and chemical products [1,2]. The policy must encourage the sustainable use of biomass while also promoting climate change mitigation [3,4]. Furthermore, climate change will affect agro-ecological conditions, land suitability, crop yield, cropping area and land-use intensity [5,6].…”

Silver adsorption on biochar produced from spent coffee grounds: validation by kinetic and isothermal modelling

“…Adsorption has been gaining substantial interest for the efficient removal of silver from aqueous media, mainly because it is a simple, economical, and eco-friendly process [13]. Recently, many natural and synthetic adsorbents have been investigated for silver adsorption, for instance, activated carbons [14], clays [15], biowaste materials [16,17], cellulosic materials [18,19], zeolites [20], graphene [21,22], and biochar [13,23]. However, compared to other adsorbents, biochar has been demonstrated as a promising adsorbent for heavy metals because of its low production cost, negligible environmental footprint, and significantly high adsorption capacity [24].…”