Ultrasonic-Assisted Solvent Extraction of Lipids from Microalgae

The Biodiversity around the planet is on the verge of collapse. Thus, the urge to produce environmentally friendly, renewable, and carbon-neutral biofuels have been implemented worldwide to reduce fossil fuels' excessive use. Fast-growing lipid producing microalgae, such as Scenedesmus strains, are categorized as ideal feedstocks for biodiesel production. Lipid extraction is of high importance in the process of biodiesel production from dry biomass. Organic solvent extraction employing mixtures of non-polar and polar solvent is one of the most renowned methods for this process. In this research, the separation of lipids from Scenedesmus obtusus was done through an ultrasonic-assisted organic solvent (n-hexane/methanol) extraction process using different mixture ratios. The results indicated an improvement in lipid extraction yield when the temperature increased from ۳۰°C to ۴۵°C. Moreover, for the ratio of ۱:۲ (n-hexane/methanol), the ultrasound application improved the yield from ۴.۹۱% to ۱۱.۱۲% at ۴۵°C. Overall, the results of the study validate the advantages of ultrasonic-assisted solvent extraction.

Keywords:

Microalgae , Scenedesmus , Lipid extraction , Organic solvent , Ultrasonic