Studies on Arsenic Absorption, Adsorption, Accumulation and Analysis of Biofuel Compounds in Microalgae for the Use of Arsenic Detoxification and Biofuel Productions

Abstract

Microalgae are autotrophic microorganisms that can grow slowly or rapidly and live in various climatic conditions due to their cellular structure. Microalgae can be used to produce energy in different processes. One of the best effective methods is to convert the algal oil derivatives in to biodiesel. The present investigation was done to study the arsenic absorption, adsorption and accumulation potential of three microalgal species isolated from highly arsenic contaminated areas for the use of arsenic detoxification. The present investigation was also done to analyze the biofuel compounds in microalgae for biofuel productions. The pure microalgal species such as Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus acutus and Oscillatoria acuminata were collected and isolated from various districts of West Bengal, India. The three potential microalgal species grown in BBM growth medium with various arsenic concentrations were harvested and subjected to fatty acids methyl esters extraction and transesterification to determine the biofuel compounds by GCMS for the production of biodiesel. High content of saturated fatty acids (SFA) were observed in all the arsenic treated microalgal samples over control samples. EDAX is an X-ray spectroscopic method used for determining arsenic elemental compositions in microalgal species. The EDAX analysis system worked as an integrated feature of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). SEM combined with EDAX analysis helps to confirm the arsenic adsorption, uptake, accumulation and detoxification in microalgal species.