PARAMETRIC STUDY ON THE EXTRACTION OF MICROALGAL OIL FROM Navicula sp FOR BIODIESEL PRODUCTION
RON DEL DE CASTRO
SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND AGRO-INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES LOS BAÑOS
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
MARCH 2009
ii ACCEPTANCE SHEET
The report attached hereto, entitled “PARAMETRIC STUDY ON THE EXTRACTION OF MICROALGAL OIL FROM BROWN ALGAE Navicula
sp. FOR BIODIESEL PRODUCTION” prepared and submitted by RON DEL DE CASTRO in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, is hereby accepted.
_________________________________ _________________________________
ENGR. AMELIA E. PARAO DR. CATALINO L. ALFAFARA Panel Member Panel Member
_____________________ ____________________
Date Date
____________________________ ________________________________
PROF. REX B. DEMAFELIS PROF. JUNE OWEN O. NACORDA Adviser Co-Adviser
_____________________ ____________________
Date Date
_________________________________
DR. JOVITA L. MOVILLON Chair
Department of Chemical Engineering __________________
Date
_________________________________
DR. ARSENIO B. RESURRECION Dean
College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology University of the Philippines Los Baños
__________________
Date
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE NUMBER
TITLE PAGE i
ACCEPTANCE SHEET ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS v
LIST OF TABLES viii
LIST OF FIGURES ix
ABSTRACT x
I. INTRODUCTION 1
1.1. Significance and Background of the Study 1
1.2. Objectives of the Study 3
1.3. Scope and Limitations 4
1.4. Time and Place of the Study 4
II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 5
2.1. Algae 5
2.2. Photo-bioreactors 6
2.3. Advantages of Algae as a Source of Fuel 6
2.4. Diatoms 9
2.5 Solvent Extraction Process 9
2.6. Ideal solvent 11
2.7. Hexane as Solvent 11
2.6. Thin Layer Chromatography 11 2.7 Related Studies in the Use of Algae oil as a substrate for
Biodiesel Production
III. METHODOLOGY
13
3.1. Algal Culture 14
3.2. Photo-bioreactor Set-up and Algal Culture 14
3.3. Algal Biomass Harvesting 16
3.4. Solvent Extraction
3.4.1. General Procedure for Solvent Extraction by Soaking 17 3.4.2. Effect of Algae: Solvent Ratio on Oil Yield 17 3.4.3. Effect of Soaking Time on Oil Yield 17
3.5. Lipid Analysis 18
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1. Total Biomass Harvested and Recovered 19
4.2. Solvent Extraction 23
4.2.1. Effect of Algae: Solvent Ratio on Oil Yield 25 4.2.2. Effect of Soaking Time on Oil Yield 27
4.3. Lipid Analysis 29
V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 32
VI. RECOMMENDATIONS 34
REFERENCES 35
APPENDICES 38
1. Raw Data 38
1.1. Determination of Biomass Yield 38
1.2.Determination of the Effect of Varying Biomass to Solvent
Ratio 39
1.3. Determination of the Effect of Soaking Time 39 1.4. Determination of Chemical Composition 40
2. Statistical Analysis 42
3. Sample Calculation 42
4. Material Safety Data Sheet 44
LIST OF TABLES
Table
Number Title Page Number
1 Oil Yield Of Various Plants 8
2 Modified BG-11 Components 15
3 Amount of Oven-dried algae Harvested per Photo- bioreactor
20 4 Total amount of Retrieved algae from the extraction set
up
22 5 Amount of oil Extracted for every Treatment in which
the Algal mass to volume ratio is being Varied
26 6 Amount of oil Extracted for every Treatment in which
the soaking time is Being Varied 29
7 Percent Composition of Navicula spoil 31
A.1.1 Data on the Calculation of Total Biomass 38
A.1.2 Data on the Calculation of Recovered Oven–dried Biomass
38 A.2.1 Data on the Calculation of Hexane Requirement
(Biomass to Solvent Ratio)
39 A.2.2 Data on the Calculation of Percent Oil Extracted
(Biomass to Solvent Ratio)
39 A.3.1 Data on the Calculation of Hexane Requirement
(Soaking Time) 40
A.3.2 Data on the Calculation of Percent Oil Extracted (Soaking Time)
40
A.4.1 Quantiscan Data (Spot 1) 40
A.4.2 Quantiscan Data (Spot 2) 40
B.1.1 Analysis of Variance Data (Biomass to Solvent Ratio) 41
B.1.2 Analysis of Variance Data (Soaking Time) 41
B.2.1 Duncan’s Multiple Range Test Data (Biomass to Solvent Ratio)
41 B.2.2 Duncan’s Multiple Range Test Data (Soaking Time) 41
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE TITLE PAGE NUMBER
1 Set up for the cultivation of Navicula sp. 16 2 Source of the maximum/minimum amount of biomass
produced 20
3 Drying result of the Biomass 22
4 Homogenized Biomass 23
5 Extraction Set up 24
6 Liquid Phase that was Obtained from each Treatment 24 7 Extracted oil that is adhered to the test tube wall 25 8 Effect of Algae mass to solvent volume ratio 25
9 Effect of Soaking Time 28
10 TLC chromatograms for Standard and Navicula spoil. 30
De Castro, Ron Del Marasigan, Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology, University of the Philippines Los Baños, April 2008. Parametric Study on the Extraction of Microalgal oil from Navicula sp for Biodiesel Production
Adviser : Prof. Rex B. Demafelis Co-Adviser : Prof. June Owen O. Nacorda
ABSTRACT
The microalga Navicula sp was cultivated using photo bioreactors and its oil was solvent-extracted using hexane as solvent. The oil that was obtained was then subjected to lipid analysis. The media that was used for the cultivation is Modified BG-11.
The effect of algal mass to solvent volume ratio such as 1:4, 1:5, 1:6 on the oil yield was determined. A mean oil yield of 3.55%, 7.86% and 9.73% was achieved for 1:4, 1:5, 1:6 ratios, respectively. Statistically, the treatments are not significantly different but the 1:6 ratio was chosen to be the most favorable ratio since it has the highest oil yield achieved and due to the errors that was committed in 1:4 and 1:5 ratio. The variation of soaking time (12, 24 and 36 hours) was also performed to determine its effect on the oil yield. The corresponding percent oil yield for 12, 24 and 36 hours were 1.40%, 9.46%, 10.17% respectively. It was observed that as the soaking time increases the oil yield also increases but up to a certain point only. The most favorable soaking time is 24 hours with 9.46% oil yield.
Thin layer chromatography was used to determine the components of the extracted oil. The lipid composition of Navicula sp is 84.38%
triacylglycerols, and 15.62% Sterol.
