A Biodiesel Feedstock of Microbial Triglycerides From Seafood Processing Waste and Glycerol

Oils derived from byproducts such as glycerol and shrimp shells with no value could potentially be a cheap source of biodiesel. These byproducts could also be used as carbon and energy source for oleaginous microorganism for oil production. The objective of this investigation is to determine the feasibility of using oleaginous microorganism to convert these byproducts to triglycerides as a feedstock for biodiesel production. Previous studies showed that Cryptococcus curvatus could grow using n-acetyl glucosamine, which is the major sugar product from the hydrolysis of Seafood Processing Waste. Therefore, C. curvatus was first grown in a media with n-acetyl glucosamine as sole carbon and energy source. Then, the cells of C. curvatus were transferred to a fresh nitrogen-free media with glycerol as sole carbon. In the media with a 50g/L of glycerol, the lipids in cells of C. curvatus was accumulated from initial 1.3% to 26.1% of the dry weight; cell mass also increased from 5.5 g/l to 10.4 g/l. The fatty acid profiles of these lipids were determined using GC-FID, which determine the properties of biodiesel. Experimental results indicate that it is feasible that these byproducts can be converted by C. curvatus to triglycerides as a biodiesel feedstock.