Biodiesel Production From Algae by Supercritical Methanol and Liquefaction Method

Biodiesel derived from oil crops is a potential renewable and carbon neutral alternative to petroleum fuels. Unfortunately, biodiesel from oil crops, waste cooking oil and animal fat cannot realistically satisfy even a small fraction of the existing demand for transport fuels. As demonstrated here, microalgae appear to be the only source of renewable biodiesel that is capable of meeting the global demand for transport fuels. Biodiesel from microalgae using supercritical methanol (one-step) and liquefaction method followed by transesterification (two-step) were studied in detail. A non-catalytic biodiesel production route with supercritical methanol has been developed for dry algae that allow a simple process and high yield because of simultaneous transesterification of triglycerides and methyl esterification of fatty acids. The liquefaction method followed by the transesterification was implemented for wet algae for the biodiesel production.