Title:
Effects of Pretreatment on Drying of Microalgae
Author(s):
Yeoh, K., Pahija, E., Hui, C.W.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
The use of microalgae for biodiesel production is a promising alternative to the usage of fossil fuels as an energy source. During the conversion of microalgae into fuels, a large amount of energy is expended to dewater and/or dry the microalgae before lipid extraction. Pretreatment methods such as thermal treatment, acid or alkali treatment are proven to have positive effects on microalgae drying, e.g. increasing the drying rate, reducing the amount of energy usage, etc. However, there is a lackof discussion in literature regarding material losses during the pretreatment processes and subsequent dewatering. Material losses not only reduce the productivity of fuel production but also generate impacts to the environment as more waste is produced. In this paper, experimental studies documenting the effects of different pretreatment processes on the change in moisture content and material losses are presented. Samples of microalgae (i.e. chlorella vulgaris) were first centrifuged before undergoing a hydrothermal alkali (i.e. sodium hydroxide and heat) orhydrothermal acid (i.e. sulphuric acid and heat) pretreatment, followed by centrifugation again. The moisture content and dry weight of the samples were measured before and after the treatments to determine the extent of material loss and changes in moisture content. It was found that both acid hydrothermal and alkali hydrothermal pretreatment methods resulted in a decrease of the algal moisture content where the acid hydrothermal caused a larger decrease in moisture content. In addition, mass gain was foundto have occurred instead of mass loss, possibly due to the retention of water and pretreatment solution.
Keywords:
biofuel, mass balance, microalgae, pretreatment
Topic:
Biomass Resources
Subtopic:
Algae production systems
Event:
23rd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
1CV.1.54
Pages:
228 - 230
ISBN:
978-88-89407-516
Paper DOI:
10.5071/23rdEUBCE2015-1CV.1.54
Price:
FREE
