Abstract
As a preliminary research for the development of feasible and economical biodiesel production using blended sewage sludge (BSS), a sustainable and non-edible feedstock, the two-step process comprised of lipid extraction (first step) and subsequent transesterification of the lipid with methanol (second step) was optimized. The total lipid content of the free fatty acid (FFA) containing BSS was determined to be 14.5% using the Blight and Dyer method with ultrasonication pretreatment, where 40.8% of the total lipid content was FFAs. The highest lipid yield of 13.5% (g-lipid/g-dry sludge), corresponding to 92.9% extraction efficiency, was obtained using 20 mL-solvent/g-dry sludge of the total solvent mixture with a 2/1 (v/v) ratio of chloroform and methanol. In the transesterification step, an acidic catalyst (H2SO4) exhibited significantly higher performance than an alkaline catalyst (NaOH). Thus, the optimal reaction conditions were 0.2% (g/g-lipid) H2SO4, 20 mL-methanol/g-lipid, 70°C and 8 h, respectively. Although the reaction temperature was increased from 50 to 70°C, we could save H2SO4, methanol, and a reaction time by 75, 50 and 66.7%, respectively compared with previous optimal conditions suggest by others’ research. Under our optimal conditions, a biodiesel yield of 39.0% (g-biodiesel/g-lipid) and an overall yield (i.e., extraction and transesterification) of 5.3% (g-biodiesel/g-BSS) were achieved, which are substantially higher than those from others’ research.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Go, Y. W. and S. H. Yeom (2014) Application of pseudo-two phase partitioning bioreactor (P-TPPB) to the production of biodiesel. Bioproc. Biosyst. Eng. 37: 269–275.
Lee, J. H., S. B. Kim, H. Y. Yoo, Y. J. Suh, G. B. Kang, W. I. Jang, J. Kang, C. Park, and S. W. Kim (2013) Biodiesel production by enzymatic process using jatropha oil and waste soybean oil. Biotechnol. Bioproc. Eng. 18: 703–708.
Huang, J., J. Xia, W. Jiang, Y. Li, and J. Li (2015) Biodiesel production from microalgae oil catalyzed by a recombinant lipase. Bioresour. Technol. 180: 47–53.
Kwon, M. H. and S. H. Yeom (2015) Optimization of one-step extraction and transesterification process for biodiesel production from the marine microalga Nannochloropsis sp. KMMCC 290 cultivated in a raceway pond. Biotechnol. Bioproc. Eng. 20: 276–283.
Chen, L., T. Liu, W. Zhang, X. Chen, and J. Wang (2012) Biodiesel production from algae oil high in free fatty acids by twostep catalytic conversion. Bioresour. Technol. 111: 208–214.
Al-Hamamre, Z., S. Foerster, F. Hartmann, M. Kröger, and M. Kaltschmitt (2012) Oil extracted from spent coffee grounds as a renewable source for fatty acid methyl ester manufacturing. Fuel 96: 70–76.
Nautiyal, P., K. A. Subramanian, and M. G. Dastidar (2014) Production and characterization of biodiesel from algae. Fuel Proc. Technol. 120: 79–88.
Zhu, F., L. Zhao, H. Jiang, Z. Zhang, Y. Xiong, J. Qi, and J. Wang (2014) Comparison of the lipid content and biodiesel production from municipal sludge using three extraction methods. Energy Fuels 28: 5277–5283.
Hui, L., X. Yuan, G. Zeng, D. Huang, H. Huang, J. Tong, Q. You, J. Zhang, and M. Zhou (2010) The formation of bio-oil from sludge by deoxy-liquefaction in supercritical ethanol. Bioresour. Technol. 101: 2860–2866.
Dufreche, S., R. Hernandez, T. French, D. Sparks, M. Zappi, and E. Alley (2007) Extraction of lipids from municipal wastewater plant microorganisms for production of biodiesel. J. Amer. Oil Chem. Soc. 84: 181–187.
Ministry of environment (2013) 2030: The plan for reducing sewage sludge, and production and utilization of biogas.
Choi, O. K., J. S. Song, D. K. Cha, and J. W. Lee (2014) Biodiesel production from wet municipal sludge: Evaluation of in situ transesterification using xylene as a cosolvent. Bioresour. Technol. 166: 51–56.
Tyagi, V. K. and S. L. Lo (2013) Sludge: A waste or renewable source for energy and resources recovery? Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 25: 708–728.
Fytili, D. and A. Zabaniotou (2008) Utilization of sewage sludge in EU application of old and new methods-A review. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 12: 116–140.
Mondala, A., K. Liang, H. Toghiani, R. Hernandez, and T. French (2009) Biodiesel production by in situ transesterification of municipal primary and secondary sludges. Bioresour. Technol. 100: 1203–1210.
Olkiewicz, M., A. Fortuny, F. Stüber, A. Fabregat, J. Font, and C. Bengoa (2012) Evaluation of different sludges from WWTP as a potential source for biodiesel production. Procedia. Eng. 42: 634–643.
Siddiquee, M. N. and S. Rohani (2011) Experimental analysis of lipid extraction and biodiesel production from wastewater sludge. Fuel Proc. Technol. 92: 2241–2251.
Dubois, M., K. A. Gilles, J. K. Hamilton, P. A. Rebers, and F. Smith (1956) Colorimetric method for determination of sugars and related substance. Anal. Chem. 28: 350–356.
Bligh, E. G. and W. J. Dyer (1959) A rapid method of total lipid extraction and purification. Can. J. Biochem. Physiol. 37: 911–917.
Rukunudin, I. H., P. J. White, C. J. Bern, and T. B. Bailey (1998) A modified method for determining free fatty acids from small soybean oil sample sizes. JAOCS. 75: 563–568.
Tanzi, C. D., M. A. Vian, and F. Chemat (2013) New procedure for extraction of algal lipids from wet biomass: A green clean and scalable process. Bioresour. Technol. 134: 271–275.
Olkiewicz, M., A. Fortuny, F. Stüber, A. Fabregat, J. Font, and C. Bengoa (2015) Effects of pre-treatments on the lipid extraction and biodiesel production from municipal WWTP sludge. Fuel 141: 250–257.
Melero, J. A., R. Sánchez-Vázquez, I. A. Vasiliadou, F. Martínez Castillejo, L. F. Bautista, J. Iglesias, G. Morales, and R. Molina (2015) Municipal sewage sludge to biodiesel by simultaneous extraction and conversion of lipids. Energy Con. Manage. 103: 111–118.
Sangaletti-Gerhard, N., M. Cea, V. Risco, and R. Navia (2015) In situ biodiesel production from greasy sewage sludge using acid and enzymatic catalysts. Bioresour. Technol. 179: 63–70.
Jeong, G. T. and D. H. Park (2015) Optimization of lipid extraction from marine green macroalgae as biofuel resources. Kor. J. Chem. Eng. 32: 2463–2467.
Siddiquee, M. N. and S. Rohani (2011) Lipid extraction and biodiesel production from municipal sewage sludges: A review. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 15: 1067–1072.
Brown, W. H., B. L. Iverson, E. V. Anslyn, and C. S. Foote (2014) Organic chemistry. 7th ed., p. 312. Cengage learning, UK, USA.
Hidalgo, P., G. Ciudad, and R. Navia (2016) Evaluation of different solvent mixtures in esterifiable lipids extraction from microalgae Botryococcus braunii for biodiesel production. Bioresour. Technol. 201: 360–364.
Huynh, L. H., N. S. Kasim, and Y. H. Ju (2010) Extraction and analysis of neutral lipids from activated sludge with and without sub-critical water pre-treatment. Bioresour. Technol. 101: 8891–8896.
Jeon, J. M., H. W. Choi, G. C. Yoo, Y. K. Choi, K. Y. Choi, H. Y. Park, S. H. Park, Y. G. Kim, H. J. Kim, S. H. Lee, Y. K. Lee, and Y. H. Yang (2013) New mixture composition of organic solvent for efficient extraction of lipids from Chlorella vulgaris. Biomass Bioenergy 59: 279–284.
Ramluckan, K., K. G. Moodley, and F. Bux (2014) An evaluation of the efficacy of using selected solvents for the extraction of lipids from algal biomass by the soxhlet extraction method. Fuel 116: 103–108.
Ryckebosch, E., K. Muylaert, and I. Foubert (2012) Optimization of an analytical procedure for extraction of lipids from microalgae. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 89: 189–198.
Tran, H. L., Y. J. Ryu, D. H. Seong, S. M. Lim, and C. G. Lee (2013) An effective acid catalyst for biodiesel production from impure raw feedstocks. Biotechnol. Bioproc. Eng. 18: 242–247.
Hayyan, A., Md. Z. Alam, M. E. S. Mirghani, N. A. Kabbashi, N. I. N. M. Hakmi, Y. M. Siran, and S. Tahiruddin (2011) Reduction of high content of free fatty acid in sludge palm oil via acid catalyst for biodiesel production. Fuel Proc. Technol. 92: 920–924.
Zhou, Q., H. Zhang, F. Chang, H. Li, H. Pan, W. Xue, D. Y. Hu, and S. Yang (2015) Nano La2O3 as a heterogeneous catalyst for biodiesel synthesis by transesterification of Jatropha curcas L. oil. J. Industrial Eng. Chem. 31: 385–392.
Elsheikh, Y. A., Z. Man, and F. H. Akhtar (2013) An acidic ionic liquid-conventional alkali-catalyzed biodiesel production process. Kor J. Chem. Eng. 31: 431–435.
Sheikh, R., M. S. Choi, J. S. Im, and Y. H. Park (2013) Study on the solid acid catalysts in biodiesel production from high acid value oil. J. Industrial Eng. Chem. 19:1413-419.
Thanh, L. T., K. Oitsu, Y. Sadanaga, N. Takenaka, Y. Maeda, and H. Bandow (2010) A two-step continuous ultrasound assisted production of biodiesel fuel from waste cooking oils: A practical and economical approach to produce high quality biodiesel fuel. Bioresour. Technol. 101: 5394–5401.
Deng, X., Z. Fang, Y. H. Liu, and C. L. Yu (2011) Production of biodiesel from Jatropha oil catalyzed by nanosized solid basic catalyst. Energy 36: 777–784.
Macías-Sánchez, M. D., A. Robles-Medina, E. Hita-Peña, M. J. Jiménez-Callejón, L. Estéban-Cerdán, P. A. González-Moreno, and E. Molina-Grima (2015) Biodiesel production from wet microalgal biomass by direct transesterification. Fuel 150: 14–20.
Leung, D. Y. C., B. C. P. Koo, and Y. Guo (2006) Degradation of biodiesel under different storage conditions. Bioresour. Technol. 97: 250–256.
Wang Y., S. Feng, X. Bai, J. Zhao, and S. Xia (2016) Scum sludge as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production from wastewater treatment plants. Waste Manag. 47: 91–97.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Supaporn, P., Yeom, S.H. Optimization of a two-step biodiesel production process comprised of lipid extraction from blended sewage sludge and subsequent lipid transesterification. Biotechnol Bioproc E 21, 551–560 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-016-0188-3
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-016-0188-3