Increasing biodiesel production from microalgae using chemical additives

Abstract

At present, the major body of research is focused on weaning the world from fossil fuels. The problem is that the world is running out of fossil fuel. Therefore, an alternative source must be identified. The biofuels are promising alternatives. In the case of petrodiesel, a promising alternative is biodiesel production from algae. The ability of microalgae to generate large quantities of lipids with a fast growth rate made them superior biodiesel producers. An important factor of determining optimal microalgal activity is the bioresponse to changes in trace metal concentration and quantity. The effects of the addition of the following chemicals were investigated: calcium chloride (CaCl₂) with a concentration of 2 mg/L, potassium chloride (KCl) with a concentration of 4.5 mg/L, and ferric chloride (FeCl₃) with a concentration of 1.2 mg/L. Further treatment is a mixture of all additives with the same listed concentrations. According to the results of this study, it was found that calcium, potassium, and iron concentration have great influence on the algal growth and lipid production. Furthermore, the mixture of all additives yielded the highest lipid and, therefore, the highest biodiesel production among all treatments.