Bioremediation of Flue Gas via Microalgal Coupled with Biodiesel Production

Abstract

Current fossil fuel depletion rates and related emissions have prompted development of sustainable energy alternatives. Microalgae have attracted attention from both academic and industrial sectors because it converts CO2 and other nutrients into biomass via photosynthesis at much higher rates than conventional biofuel crops. In this project, Dunaliella Salina sp. was used for the bioremediation of CO2 and NOx and to optimize the production of lipids in this species when grown on model flue gas. The microalgae was cultivated on flue gas from vehicle exhaust and was cultured in the sterile growth chamber, under a photoperiod regime of 18:06 (light: dark) cycle. The effect of different CO2 concentrations and growth medium concentrations towards biomass growth were investigated. Subsequently, the one-step direct transesterification method was used to convert the algal lipids into biodiesel. The one-step method directly extracts the algal lipids and simultaneously converts them into biodiesel via transesterification, saving time and energy when compared with the two-step method. The biodiesel produced from D. Salina was examined through Gas Chromatography (GC) and Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) to determine its ester properties.