We are also considering various methods to extract the oil/lipids from the algae. A couple of possibilities are: 1. Oil Press Extraction This method involves drying the algae and then pushing it through an oil press like the one shown below. The machine would press out the oil which we could easily collect. This procedure would require purchasing an oil press which would be around $150 and it can extract up to about 75% or the oil in the algae. 2. Solvent Extraction This method involves mixing the algae slurry with an organic solvent such as hexane or benzene. The chemical will break down the algae cell walls and dissolve the oil from the algae which can in turn be extracted through distillation or filtration. This process is more dangerous than the previous mechanical process due to the use of toxic chemicals but it does have the potential to extract 95% of the oil from the algae. The solvent and oil press extractions can be used together to achieve a higher extraction yield, but it may not be cost effective for us to invest in both procedures.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
SUSTAINABLE ALGAE PHOTOBIOREACTORThe Sustainable Algae Photobioreactor Project is one of the various projects developed through the UC Berkeley division of Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW). A special thanks to The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) here at UC Berkeley for providing the grant to make this project possible.
Archives
April 2015
Categories |