Cultivating, harvesting and processing microalgae for biodiesel production

In recent years, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) have been gaining popularity as an alternative to conventional jet fuel due to their smaller carbon footprint. It has been estimated that their use will result in a 65% reduction in CO2 emissions. SAF can be produced by using waste oil, animal fat, plant-based oil or municipal waste. One promising feedstock for SAF production is alga as it grows quickly under the right conditions and may contain 50% oil. In this student project, algae species were reviewed, and one was chosen based on its growth speed and lipid-producing characteristics. A photobioreactor was designed and built. The algae grown were monitored and harvested. Due to the short duration of this project and difficulties in extracting the algae and a malfunctioning ultrasonic bath, the oil extracted was not sufficient for conversion into biodiesel. The heat of combustion of the produced fuel from used cooking oil was measured. The lessons learned are discussed. Key words. Photobioreactor, Biodiesel, Microalgae