Algae are the only type of biomass with a potentially high enough growth rate to fully displace petroleum consumption.  Among the most important end products from algae cultivation are transportation fuels, especially in the diesel and jet fuel range.  One promising approach to produce these fuels is cell lysis and lipid extraction, followed by catalytic upgrading via hydrodeoxygenation and hydroisomerization (HDO-HI) of the lipid fraction.  However, algal species and pretreatment conditions can have a significant impact on the quality of the lipid fraction.  To explore the effects of these steps, we have conducted a systematic study with three types of algae (Scenedesmus, Chlorella, and Nannochloropsis species) and two pretreatment/extraction conditions.  We report detailed characterization of the isolated algal lipids and performance of selected catalysts for HDO- and HI-upgrading schemes, as well as optimal conditions for the HDO and HI steps.

Implications of pretreatment and lipid extraction conditions on catalytic upgrading of algae oils to hydrocarbon fuels

248th National Meeting (2014)

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