Production of Biodiesel from Marine Macroalgae occurring in the Gulf of Guinea, off the Coast of Ghana

G K Ameka,A A Amadu,A P Amamoo,L K Doamekpor

doi:10.4314/gjs.v60i1.5

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the suitability of marine macroalgae (also known as seaweeds), from the Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of Ghana, for the production of biodiesel as an alternative to liquid fuels like gasoil and gasoline. Five green marine macroalgae species: Caulerpa taxifolia, Chaetomorpha antennina, Chaetomorpha linum, Ulva fasciata, and Ulva flexuosa, were collected from the coastal waters of Ghana at West Tema Rocks during low tide. Algal lipids were extracted from dried algae biomass with hexane and diethyl ether. Biodiesel was produced from algal lipids by base-catalysed transesterification, with alcohol. The lipid content of samples was highest in C. linum (1.13 g; 5.65% dry wt.) and lowest in C. antennina (0.54 g; 2.70% dry wt.). Similarly, the quantity of biodiesel produced from the lipids was highest in C. linum (0.97 g; 4.85% dry wt.) and lowest in C. antennina (0.48 g; 2.40% dry wt.). The quantity of biodiesel produced from samples of the five species fell well within the range obtained for such species worldwide. The implications of the yield of biodiesel for commercial production and future work on marine macroalgae from Ghana as source of biofuel are discussed.

Highlights

The increasing global population and the desire for greater economic growth have resulted in an ever increasing demand for energy worldwide (Afify et al, 2010)
The results indicated that C. taxifolia had more dry matter than the other species
Our results showed that the five green marine macroalgae contained lipids, pigments, and other algae biomass

Summary

Introduction

The increasing global population and the desire for greater economic growth have resulted in an ever increasing demand for energy worldwide (Afify et al, 2010). The growth in demand for energy, over the last few decades, is so great that it is almost suicidal for humanity to continue to rely on a limited range of energy sources. The main sources of energy available are: hydropower, wind, and solar, which are renewable; and nuclear, and fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, gasoline and gasoil, which are non-renewable. A large proportion of the world’s energy requirements are met by depending on non-renewable energy derived from fossil fuels. The other energy sources: hydropower, solar, and wind (which are renewable), at present contribute very little to the global energy requirements. According to Campbell (2008) the world had entered into a period of declining non-renewable energy resources (fossil fuels)

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Conclusion