Study of the Use of Cyanobacterial Biomass as Feedstock for Synthesis of Biodiesel Through In Situ Esterification Reaction

Abstract

In recent years was an increasing interest in the use of microalgae for biofuels, especially biodiesel, from previous extraction and subsequent transesterification of fatty acids present in the biomass of cyanobacteria. However, this is a time consuming and expensive process, which presents low productivity. Currently, this method has been successfully replaced by in situ esterification. This approach combines extraction and esterification of lipids in a single step, simplifying the process required for biodiesel production from microalgae biomass. In this work, biodiesel synthesis was performed using as feedstock biomass of cyanobacteria Phormidium sp., Pseudanabaena sp. and mixed culture Synechococcus sp. and Aphanocapsa sp. Biodiesel derivated of cyanobacteria biomass showed 42-51% of satured fatty acids, 33-46% of monounsaturated fatty acids and 4-16% of polyunsaturated fatty acids, proving to be a potentially viable technique for production in larger scales.

Wastewater from Biodiesel Purification: Electroflocculation Treatment and Iron Perchloride Synthesis for Printed Circuit Boards Production.

“…The purification process is followed by washing with acidic solution to remove unreacted oil residues from the catalyst and finally some washes with distilled water to remove remnants of residues still present in biodiesel. This post-wash water contains high amount of wastes, so it must be treated before reuse or disposal [3]. Biodiesel purifying conventional process with water, despite having significant efficiency, generates a large volume of liquid effluent.…”