Description
Microalgae-derived lipids are good sources of biofuel, but extracting them involves high cost, energy
expenditure, and environmental risk. Surfactant treatment to disrupt Scenedesmus biomass was evaluated
as a means to make solvent extraction more efficient. Surfactant treatment increased the recovery of fatty
acid

Microalgae-derived lipids are good sources of biofuel, but extracting them involves high cost, energy
expenditure, and environmental risk. Surfactant treatment to disrupt Scenedesmus biomass was evaluated
as a means to make solvent extraction more efficient. Surfactant treatment increased the recovery of fatty
acid methyl ester (FAME) by as much as 16-fold vs. untreated biomass using isopropanol extraction, and
nearly 100% FAME recovery was possible without any Folch solvent, which is toxic and expensive. Surfactant
treatment caused cell disruption and morphological changes to the cell membrane, as documented by
transmission electron microscopy and flow cytometry. Surfactant treatment made it possible to extract wet
biomass at room temperature, which avoids the expense and energy cost associated with heating
and drying of biomass during the extraction process. The best FAME recovery was obtained from highlipid
biomass treated with Myristyltrimethylammonium bromide (MTAB)- and 3-(decyldimethylammonio)-
propanesulfonate inner salt (3_DAPS)-surfactants using a mixed solvent (hexane : isopropanol = 1 : 1, v/v)
vortexed for just 1 min; this was as much as 160-fold higher than untreated biomass. The critical micelle
concentration of the surfactants played a major role in dictating extraction performance, but the growth
stage of the biomass had an even larger impact on how well the surfactants disrupted the cells and
improved lipid extraction. Surfactant treatment had minimal impact on extracted-FAME profiles and,
consequently, fuel-feedstock quality. This work shows that surfactant treatment is a promising strategy for
more efficient, sustainable, and economical extraction of fuel feedstock from microalgae.
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  • Details

    Title
    • Improving lipid recovery from Scenedesmus wet biomass by surfactant-assisted disruption
    Date Created
    2015-10-20
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    Identifier
    • Digital object identifier: 10.1039/c5gc02159f
    • Identifier Type
      International standard serial number
      Identifier Value
      1463-9262
    • Identifier Type
      International standard serial number
      Identifier Value
      1463-9270
    Note
    • View the article on the journal page at http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2015/gc/c5gc02159f

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    This is a suggested citation. Consult the appropriate style guide for specific citation guidelines.

    Lai, Y. S., De Francesco, F., Aguinaga, A., Parameswaran, P., & Rittmann, B. E. (2015). Improving lipid recovery from Scenedesmus wet biomass by surfactant-assisted disruption. Green Chemistry. Advance Article. DOI: 10.1039/C5GC02159F

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