Development of a novel preprocessing method for removal of chlorophyll from microalgae

Abstract

Microalgal lipid is a potential feedstock of bioenergy in recent years. Rapid growth rate and high lipid content in microalgae are foremost factors to compete with first and second-generation biofuels. However, high levels of chlorophyll in feedstock limit its large scale application. Chlorophyll makes oil more susceptible to photo-oxidation, decreases the storage stability, causes low-quality oil with a dull and dark color and decreases the transesterification efficiency and combustion efficiency of biodiesel. This study aimed to develop a novel preprocessing method (i) to identify the best solvent ratios (ii) temperature and (iii) reaction time for chlorophyll removal from the selected microalgae to synthesize high-quality biofuel. The species Mychonastes homospaera isolated from Beire Lake, Colombo, SriLanka was employed to study chlorophyll removal. The doubling time and the lipid accumulation in the isolated microalgae were 2.89 d and 58 % (w/w). According to the results the best solvent ratio (NaOH: ethanol), temperature and reaction time were reported as 7:3, 60 0C and 90 min respectively.