Investigation of extraction and transesterification of algae by immobilized lipase as biofuel

In this study, three different methods were investigated to study the disruption of algae cells walls such as ultrasonication, soxhlet and hexane (solvent) extraction. Chlorella sp. and Spirulina sp. were two selected algae species to analyze the effect of each method for biodiesel production. The oil yield is calculated to determine the best effective method for oil extraction. The highest oil yield obtained by ultrasonication followed by Soxhlet and hexane extraction. Moreover, acid value for Chlorella is the lowest for all extraction method. Then, the crude algae oil was transesterified by Novozyme 435, an immobilized enzyme, at 60°C, 300 rpm for 24 hours to hydrolyze triglycerides into free fatty acids. The ester content was analyzed by FTIR and found at 1735, 1731, 1214, 1162, 1161, 1064, 1060, 1059 cm-1 frequency. Fatty acid derivatives were measured by gas chromatography and palmitic acid was among ofthe major component in microalgae biodiesel