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Holistic utilization of Chlorella pyrenoidosa microalgae for extraction of renewable fuels and value-added biochar through in situ transesterification and pyrolysis reaction process

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Abstract

Present study deals with a holistic approach to bioenergy production from a single-celled green algae Chlorella pyrenoidosa aiming to valorise all biomass components. In the first phase, the microalgae biomass was used to produce biodiesel in a microwave-assisted biodiesel reactor by in situ transesterification process. The biomass residue left after biodiesel production was pyrolyzed in a fixed bed pyrolysis reactor at various isothermal temperatures (400, 450, 500, 550, and 600°C) in second phase. The pyrolysis reaction results revealed that the highest bio-oil yield was 35.33 wt% along with 51.23 wt% biochar and 13.44 wt% pyrolysis gas at 500 °C. FTIR and GC–MS analyses of bio-oil confirm the existence of hydrocarbons as well as oxygenated chemicals like esters, phenols, and acid derivatives. Furthermore, the fuel properties of bio-oil as well as biodiesel e.g. viscosity, density, calorific value, flash point, and pour point were determined using standard procedures (ASTM D6751–02, EN–14214, and IS) and confirmed to be appropriate for stationary engine application. On the other hand, the biochar characterisation showed that it holds good potential for usage as a biocoal in industrial boilers/power plants or cooking stoves. Hence, this study demonstrates the utilization of Chlorella pyrenoidosa microalgae for production of eco-friendly renewable fuels as well as a wide range of value-added co-products with a zero-waste biorefinery approach.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are very thankful to Dr. S. J. Chopra, (Chancellor, UPES), Dr. Sunil Rai (VC, UPES), and Dr. D. K. Avasthi (Dean, R & D) for providing continued support and motivation for this project. We are also thankful for Central Instrumentation Centre (CIC), R & D, UPES for FTIR and GC-MS analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biofuels Research Laboratory, Centre for Alternate Energy Research, R&D, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, UK, India

    Amit Kumar Sharma

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut, 673 601, Kozhikode, India

    Praveen Ghodke

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Biofuels Research Laboratory, Centre for Alternate Energy Research, R&D, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, UK, India

    Pankaj Kumar Sharma

  4. Department of Health Safety, Environment and Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Energy Acres, Bidholi, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248007, India

    Suvendu Manna

  5. School of Renewable Energy, Maejo University, Chiang Mai, 50290, Thailand

    Arivalagan Pugazhendhi

  6. College of Medical and Health Science, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan

    Arivalagan Pugazhendhi

  7. Biochemical Process Engineering, Division of Chemical Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden

    Leonidas Matsakas & Alok Patel

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  1. Amit Kumar Sharma
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Contributions

Amit Kumar Sharma: conceptualization; methodology; data curation; writing—original draft preparation. Pankaj Kumar Sharma: project administration, resources, supervision. Praveen Kumar Ghodke: methodology, software, investigation. Arivalagan Pugazhendhi, writing-reviewing and editing, Leonidas Matsakas: supervision, reviewing, and editing. Alok Kumar Patel: software; writing—reviewing and editing,

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Correspondence to Amit Kumar Sharma.

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Highlights

• Renewable fuels were generated from microalgae by transesterification and pyrolysis pathways.

• In situ transesterification of CP resulted in 19.84% biodiesel yield.

• Pyrolysis of CPMR yields 35.33 wt%, 51.23 wt% biochar, and 13.44 wt% syngas at 500 °C.

• One hundred kilograms of CP biomass can be converted into 15.47 kg biodiesel, 29.67 kg bio-oil, and 43.03 kg biochar.

• Blends of diesel, biodiesel, and bio-oil showed good potential for CI engine application.

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Sharma, A.K., Ghodke, P., Sharma, P.K. et al. Holistic utilization of Chlorella pyrenoidosa microalgae for extraction of renewable fuels and value-added biochar through in situ transesterification and pyrolysis reaction process. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 14, 5261–5274 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-022-02713-9

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