Separation and identification of hydrocarbons and other organic compounds from Scenedesmus obliquus and three cyanobacterial species

Abstract

Four algal species named Scenedesmus obliquus (green algae), Oscillatoria agardhii, Oscilatoria limnetica, and Anabaena sphaerica (blue green algae) were isolated from Ismailia Canal water (Port Said, Egypt). The fat of the samples was Soxhlet extracted using hexane for 8 h. The organic fractions were purified using silica columns. Organic compounds such as n-alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other hydrocarbons that can be produced from these strains were determined, separated, and identified by GC and GC/MS. The identification and quantification of the aliphatic hydrocarbons as well as PAHs have been carried out using gas chromatography with flame ionization detector. The total hydrocarbon content was between 11.7 and 30.4 mg/g dry weight, while the concentrations of PAHs and n-alkanes varied between 145.1–238.7 μg/L and 106.4–120.6 μg/L, respectively. On the other hand, unknown compounds were verified by Varian 4500 GC/MS.