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Pilot-scale supercritical carbon dioxide extractions for the recovery of triacylglycerols from microalgae: a practical tool for algal biofuels research

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Abstract

We describe the preliminary extractions from a pilot-scale supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extractor for the isolation of algal lipids suitable for small-scale conversion to liquid hydrocarbon fuels. Flowable oils were recovered from SC-CO2 extractions of lyophilized Nannochloropsis granulata. The extracted oils were determined to be composed primarily of triacylglycerols (TAG) by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. Gravimetric lipid yield was increased significantly from 15.56 to 28.45 mg g−1 ash-free dry weight (AFDW) with an increase in temperature from 50°C to 70°C, at 35 MPa over 270 min. Varying pressure had no significant effect on lipid yield. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of the SC-SO2 extracts indicated that the TAG profile remained constant regardless of extraction pressure, and analysis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) revealed a uniform profile throughout all extraction conditions. Our optimized gravimetric lipid yields from N. granulata (28.45 mg g−1 AFDW) were approximately half of the yields obtained by Soxhlet extraction with hexane (57.53 mg g−1 AFDW); however, the FAME yields were similar regardless of extraction technique (18.23 mg FAME g−1 and 17.35 mg FAME g−1 AFDW from SC-CO2 extraction and hexane extraction, respectively). Further extractions with Botryococcus braunii indicated that fatty acid extraction by SC-CO2 was as efficient as hexane extraction. These results highlight the suitability of SC-CO2 for large-scale oil extraction of microalgae for biofuel or biojet analyses due to its selectivity for TAG extraction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Council Institute for Marine Biosciences, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3Z1, Canada

    W. J. Bjornsson, K. M. MacDougall, J. E. Melanson, S. J. B. O’Leary & P. J. McGinn

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  1. W. J. Bjornsson
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  2. K. M. MacDougall
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  3. J. E. Melanson
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  4. S. J. B. O’Leary
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  5. P. J. McGinn
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Correspondence to W. J. Bjornsson.

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Bjornsson, W.J., MacDougall, K.M., Melanson, J.E. et al. Pilot-scale supercritical carbon dioxide extractions for the recovery of triacylglycerols from microalgae: a practical tool for algal biofuels research. J Appl Phycol 24, 547–555 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-011-9756-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-011-9756-2

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