Abstract
One of the most recent applications studied in recent years is the use of biochar as a catalyst for the conversion of oils into biodiesel. The scope of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of biochars as heterogeneous catalysts for the conversion of Scenedesmus rubescens lipids into biodiesel. Biochar from different materials were employed, namely, malt spent rootlets (MSR), coffee spent grounds (CSG), and olive kernels (OK). Materials were charred at two temperatures (400 and 850 °C) in order to examine the effect of pyrolysis temperature. Homogeneous catalysts such as sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide were also employed for comparison purposes. In order to explain the different performance of biochar as catalyst, we conducted detailed characterization of these materials. The results of this study showed that homogeneous catalysts (H2SO4 and NaOH) had similar results to the CSG biochar at 400 °C, which was the most productive tested biochar. The pyrolysis temperatures affected the FAMEs recovery of OK and CSG biochar.
Highlights
In view of the commitment of EU member countries to be climate-neutral with net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, scientists have focused their effort in new negative emissions technologies [1]
The six biochars were tested for their transesterification activity using the lipid extracted from microalgae Scenedesmus rubescens
The lowest amounts were yielded by OK850 (16.35 mg) and MSR400 (16.78 mg)
Summary
In view of the commitment of EU member countries to be climate-neutral with net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, scientists have focused their effort in new negative emissions technologies [1]. They provide emphasis on the development of efficient technologies that are directly related to carbon dioxide reduction into the environment [2,3], such as the production of bioenergy through photosynthesis and the valorization of biomass for the production of biofuels or solid materials such as biochar [4]. The high lipid content of algal biomass and the need for new renewable energy sources place them on the top of biofuel production
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