Abstract
Supercritical extraction process has been used to obtain bioactive compounds from microalgae biomass that differs in composition because it has protein, esters, carotenoids, chlorophyll, enzymes, antibiotics, vitamins, and hydrocarbons. Due to this, the study of the technical feasibility of supercritical extraction of microalgae and the evaluation of the chemical composition from residual biomass of microalgae Desmodesmus sp. is the goal of this work looking for its reutilization in cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical applications. The experimental unit used is formed, basically, of a 42 mL extractor, a high pressure pump, and a micro-metering valve used for sampling. The study showed that it was obtained a higher mass yield at 90 °C and 440 bar of pressure. The residual biomass still contained a high percentage of proteins and carbohydrates, indicating that it could be used in nutraceuticals applications, and as biofertilizers.
Highlights
Microalgae have been extensively studied because they can produce compounds with high aggregated value
It is crucial to explore approaches to reduce the costs of biodiesel production from algae by using low-cost raw materials and/or coproducing high value-added products at the same time
The oil extraction from Desmodesmus sp. biomass with supercritical carbon dioxide was performed under the conditions of 160 bar – 50 °C; 160 bar – 90 °C; 300 bar – 70 °C; 440 bar – 50 °C, and 440 bar – 90 °C
Summary
Microalgae have been extensively studied because they can produce compounds with high aggregated value These microorganisms have been investigated to be used on innumerous kinds of foods, and on pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and bioenergy applications (Stengel et al, 2011). The extraction with supercritical CO2 has advantages as high selectivity, and the carbon dioxide is spontaneously separated from the extract, making the residue completely free of toxic/organic solvent traces. Another advantage, as the ability to directly use the residual biomass for animal feed or as biomass for anaerobic digestion and fertilizer, because of the absence of organic solvents. There are no studies about the residual biomass after the supercritical extraction with the species studied in this work
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