title: Preliminary investigation on the production of fuels and bio-char from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii biomass residue after bio-hydrogen production.
abstract: The aim of this work was to investigate the potential conversion of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii biomass harvested after hydrogen production. The spent algal biomass was converted into nitrogen-rich bio-char, biodiesel and pyrolysis oil (bio-oil). The yield of lipids (algal oil), obtained by solvent extraction, was 15 ± 2% w/w(dry-biomass). This oil was converted into biodiesel with a 8.7 ± 1% w/w(dry-biomass) yield. The extraction residue was pyrolysed in a fixed bed reactor at 350 °C obtaining bio-char as the principal fraction (44 ± 1% w/w(dry-biomass)) and 28 ± 2% w/w(dry-biomass) of bio-oil. Pyrolysis fractions were characterized by elemental analysis, while the chemical composition of bio-oil was fully characterized by GC-MS, using various derivatization techniques. Energy outputs resulting from this approach were distributed in hydrogen (40%), biodiesel (12%) and pyrolysis fractions (48%), whereas bio-char was the largest fraction in terms of mass.
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per le Scienze Ambientali, Università di Bologna, via Sant'Alberto 163, 48123 Ravenna, Italy. cristian.torri@unibo.it
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Torri
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Samorì
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adamiano
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fabbri
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Faraloni
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Torzillo
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels / Q000032:analysis*; D018533:Biomass; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D002606:Charcoal / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D016825:Chlamydomonas reinhardtii / Q000378:metabolism*; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009821:Oils / Q000737:chemistry; D018462:Photobiology; D012997:Solvents; D013696:Temperature; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D008055:Lipids; D009821:Oils; D012997:Solvents; C540010:biochar; D002606:Charcoal; D002244:Carbon; D006859:Hydrogen