Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Composition Research Articles

Effect of NaNO3 and NaCl concentration on Nannochloropsis oculata cell biomass and FAME composition for biodiesel production

In the present study, the growth of microalgal strain Nannochloropsis oculata was studied in different concentration of NaNO3 and NaCl as nutrient factors in culture medium to investigate its effect on the cell biomass and fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) composition. The microalgae were exposed to nitrogen and salt stress in two different experiment set-ups. The nitrogen source, NaNO3 was supplied at different concentration which are 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg/L while NaCl concentration was fixed at 25 g/L whereas NaCl concentration were tested at 0, 10, 25 and 35 g/L while NaNO3 was fixed at 75 mg/L. The results observed indicated that the growth of microalgae sample cultivated in NaNO3 concentration of 100 mg/L and NaCl concentration of 25 g/L is higher compared to that cultivated in other concentration of NaNO3 and NaCl, respectively after being analysed by the cell optical density. The specific growth rate shows similar results as treatment of 100 mg/L NaNO3 and 25 g/L NaCl have highest growth rate. The FAMEs content of different cultivation condition produces different composition of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).

A study on the effects of compositional variations of biodiesel fuel on its physiochemical properties

The objective of the present work is to alter the composition of palm biodiesel and study its effects on fuel properties. As the fatty acid methyl ester composition of biodiesel has an influence on its properties, it can be varied to alter the properties as desired. Palm biodiesel was blended with various neat methyl esters on a 10%, 15% and 20% volume basis. Kinematic viscosity, heating value, density and surface tension of the 34 prepared biodiesel samples were determined and the trends followed were studied to establish the effects. The viscosity of biodiesel decreased with a decrease in methyl oleate concentration and the degree of unsaturation. An 80% palm +20% methyl octanoate blend exhibited the least viscosity. The heating value of the sample was found to be influenced by the changes in the methyl esters’ chain length, the average number of single bonds and the average number of double bonds. Apparently, 80% palm +20% methyl stearate has the highest heating value. Not great appreciable change in density was found, but the surface tension of the blends prepared was influenced by changes in the average number of carbon atoms. An 80% palm +20% methyl octanoate mix exhibited the least surface tension of the fuel blends. Based on the measured composition and property data, a multi-linear regression approach was used to develop correlations to predict the properties of biodiesel from its composition, which is validated using samples other than those used as inputs to develop the model. Further, ANN is used to predict the properties of biodiesel fuels based on their composition. The present investigation could further be extended to study the effects of compositional variations of biodiesel on other properties, which would help in arriving at an ideal biodiesel composition for automotive engine applications.

Efficient Extraction of a Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)-Rich Lipid Fraction from Thraustochytrium sp. Using Ionic Liquids.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) play a significant role in the modulation and prevention of various diseases, and hence are attracting increasing attention from the biotech industry. Thraustochytrids are marine heterokonts that exhibit robust growth rates, high PUFA content, and more specifically, a large percentage of omega-3 fatty acids like docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Recently, ionic liquids (ILs) have been shown to improve the efficiency of organic solvent extraction of oils from wet oleaginous yeast and microalgae under mild conditions. Two ILs, the imidazolium 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate [C2mim][EtSO4] IL and the phosphonium (tetrabutylphosphonium propanoate [P4444][Prop]) IL were assessed for their ability to facilitate extraction of PUFA-containing lipids from a Thraustochytrium sp. (T18) through efficient cell wall disruption. The oil extracted after IL pretreatment was further characterized with respect to fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) composition, while the effects of process parameters, such as the ratio of ionic liquid to co-solvent, the mass ratio of microalgae to the mixture of ionic liquid, and type of co-solvent were also investigated for both ILs. The results indicate that these ILs can disrupt the cells of Thraustochytrium sp. when mixed with a co-solvent (methanol), and facilitated the recovery of oils over a large degree of dewatered Thraustochytrium biomass (0–77.2 wt% water) in a short period of time (60 min) at ambient temperature, hence demonstrating a water compatible, low-energy, lipid recovery method. The lipid recovery was not affected by repeated usage of recycled ILs (tested up to five times).

Production optimization and tribological characteristics of cottonseed oil methyl ester

This paper presented experimental results to evaluate the optimization of production parameters through response surface methodology. These parameters significantly affected the yield of cottonseed oil methyl ester (COME). The input variables for the production of methyl ester from cottonseed oil were methanol/oil molar ratio, concentration of catalyst, temperature, and stirring speed. The response or output variable was the yield of methyl ester. The fatty acid methyl ester composition of COME (biodiesel) was obtained using a gas chromatography (GC) analyzer. BS EN 14103:2011 was the standard used to analyze the fatty acid methyl ester. The derived mathematical model was statistically accurate to predict the optimum value of COME. The optimized values to obtain a 98.3% yield of methyl ester were as follows: methanol/oil molar ratio of 6:1, catalyst concentration of 0.97% (w/w), temperature of 63.8 °C, and speed of 797 rpm. The physicochemical properties of COME were measured in accordance with ASTM D6751. The friction and wear properties of COME and its blends with petroleum diesel were tested using a four-ball wear testing machine. The tribological characteristics of COME as a new biofuel were assessed. COME displayed good lubricity with a low coefficient of friction and wear scar diameter. The coefficient of friction of pure COME (COME100) was lower than that of pure petroleum diesel (DL100) and COME blends with petrol diesel (COME10, COME20, and COME50). The average coefficient of friction of COME 100 was lower than that of DL100, COME10, COME20, and COME50 by 28.06%, 19.49%, 7.49%, and 3.65%, respectively. The wear scar diameter of COME100 for the tested ball was lower than that of DL100, COME10, COME20, and COME50 by 47.6%, 33.3%, 32.1%, and 21.42%, respectively. The worn surfaces of the tested balls were examined by scanning electron microscopy, and the results were presented in this paper.

Optimising a solvent system for lipid extraction from cyanobacterium Microcystis spp.: future perspective for biodiesel production

ue to unsustainability of petro derived fuels, the world is now concerned about alternative, sustainable and eco-friendly energy production. As a successful alternative energy, biodiesel plays a major role to replace petrodiesel. Cyanobacterial lipids have great potential for biodiesel production due to their rapid growth rate and renewability. The production of biodiesel from biomasses depends on upstream (lipid extraction) and downstream (trans-esterification) processes. Lipid extraction should be effective and energy efficient to reduce the production cost of commercial biodiesel production. Therefore, the present study was experimented to optimise the lipid extraction solvent system from cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria samples were collected from Beira Lake, Colombo where, Microcystis spp. are dominant (> 96 %). Solvent systems n-hexane, chloroform: methanol (2:1), n-hexane: ethanol (3:2), chloroform: n-hexane (1:1), dichloromethane: methanol (1:1), n-hexane: isopropanol (2:3) and diethyl ether were used for lipid extraction and subjected to optimisation for the lipid extraction method from the cyanobacterium Microcystis spp. Extracted lipid yield (g/1 g of dried biomass) for each solvent system was 1.11 wt. %, 1.61 wt. %, 1.71 wt. %, 2.15 wt. %, 3.41 wt. %, 4.33 wt. % and 1.95 wt. %, respectively where fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) compositions found to be 80.13 %, 78.27 %, 76.39 %, 29.01 %, 85.72 %, 92.39 % and 80.09 % in each system. The gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry analysis of the products revealed that the most abundant fatty acid types of Microcystis spp. were palmitic acid (C16:0) and its derivative such as 14-methyl pentadecanoic acid. The highest lipid yield (4.33 wt. %) and fatty acid methyl ester (92.39 %) composition were recorded from n-hexane: isopropanol solvent system.

Improved estimation of Cetane number of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) based biodiesels using TLBO-NN and PSO-NN models

Cetane number (CN) is one of the key factors of biodiesels and other diesel fuels. It is an indicator of ignition speed and required compression for ignition. CN estimation of biodiesel based on fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) composition was the main goal of this work. Application of artificial neural network (ANN) combined with particle swarm optimization (PSO) and teaching-learning based optimization (TLBO) is discussed in this communication. A number of 232 fuel samples was derived from the literature as the raw data for the models development. Different evaluative factors prove the satisfactory performance of the proposed ANN models. The obtained values of R-squared and mean square of errors are 0.973 & 3.538 and 0.951 & 6.324 for the proposed TLBO-ANN and PSO-ANN, respectively. Based on the outcome of this study, ANN coupled with PSO and TLBO algorithms can be suitable tools, especially TLBO algorithm to estimate CN of biodiesels.

Effect of organic solvents and acidic catalysts on biodiesel yields from primary sewage sludge, and characterization of fuel properties

ABSTRACTBiodiesel is considered the most convenient biofuel, due to its direct use in existing combustion engines; however, its production is not economically optimal due to processes that utilize costly substrates, require high energy expenditure or achieve low biodiesel yields. We used primary sewage sludge for the production of biodiesel and compared yields at different temperatures (40, 50 and 60 °C) and with different organic solvents (chloroform, toluene and hexane), acid catalysts (HCl and H2SO4) and catalyst concentrations (3, 5 and 7%). A maximum of 18 wt% biodiesel was obtained using chloroform with 3% H2SO4 at 40 °C. The conversion efficiency of the primary sludge to biodiesel under these conditions was 86.4%. Based on the fatty acid methyl ester composition of the obtained biodiesel and measured fuel properties, it was deduced that fuel from primary sludge is more suitable for areas with warmer climates than ones that reach temperatures close to 0 °C. However, the fuel properties of the produced biodiesel were within the limits of accepted international standards. We conclude that production of biodiesel from primary sewage sludge under optimized conditions reduces the impact of the feedstock on the environment, decreases overall costs and produces fuel with acceptable properties.

Study of oxidative stability and cold flow properties of Citrillus colocynthis oil and Camelus dromedaries fat biodiesel blends

Biodiesel prepared from animal fat has been gaining increasing interest in the last few years. The main drawback of biodiesel is its poor low-temperature performance, which limits its use in cold climates. This study proposes a method of improving the low-temperature properties of young Camelus dromedaries (Hachi) fat biodiesel (HB) and improving select fuel properties [e.g., the cetane number (CN) and oxidative stability (OS)] of Citrullus colocynthis biodiesel (CCB), which has a high iodine value (IV). HB and CCB were blended in different volume ratios (100:0; 80:20; 60:40; 40:60; 20:80, and 0:100) and the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) composition and fuel properties of the biodiesel blends were evaluated according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) methods The correlation of the cloud point (CP), pour point (PP), cold filter plugging point (CFPP), kinematic viscosity (KV), CN, IV, and OS with the ratio of saturated to unsaturated FAMEs was determined. HB improved all the studied fuel parameters of CCB, and the international standards (ASTM D-6751 and EN 14214) were met. It is shown that the fuel properties of the biodiesel blends can be predicted using the FAME composition. The results of our study demonstrate that blending the biodiesel from Hachi fat and C. colocynthis seed oil provides a suitable alternative to biodiesel prepared using food crops.

Optimization of lipids\u2019 ultrasonic extraction and production from Chlorella sp. using response-surface methodology

BackgroundThree steps are very important in order to produce microalgal lipids: (1) controlling microalgae cultivation via experimental and modeling investigations, (2) optimizing culture conditions to maximize lipids production and to determine the fatty acid profile the most appropriate for biodiesel synthesis, and (3) optimizing the extraction of the lipids accumulated in the microalgal cells.MethodsFirstly, three kinetics models, namely logistic, logistic-with-lag and modified Gompertz, were tested to fit the experimental kinetics of the Chlorella sp. microalga culture established on standard conditions. Secondly, the response-surface methodology was used for two optimizations in this study. The first optimization was established for lipids production from Chlorella sp. culture under different culture conditions. In fact, different levels of nitrate concentrations, salinities and light intensities were applied to the culture medium in order to study their influences on lipids production and determine their fatty acid profile. The second optimization was concerned with the lipids extraction factors: ultrasonic’s time and temperature, and chloroform-methanol solvent ratio.ResultsAll models (logistic, logistic-with-lag and modified Gompertz) applied for the experimental kinetics of Chlorella sp. show a very interesting fitting quality. The logistic model was chosen to describe the Chlorella sp. kinetics, since it yielded the most important statistical criteria: coefficient of determination of the order of 94.36%; adjusted coefficient of determination equal to 93.79% and root mean square error reaching 3.685 cells · ml− 1.Nitrate concentration and the two interactions involving the light intensity (Nitrate concentration × light intensity, and salinities × light intensity) showed a very significant influence on lipids production in the first optimization (p < 0.05). Yet, only the quadratic term of chloroform-methanol solvent ratio showed a significant influence on lipids extraction relative to the second step of optimization (p < 0.05).The two most abundant fatty acid methyl esters (≈72%) derived from the Chlorella sp. microalga cultured in the determined optimal conditions are: palmitic acid (C16:0) and oleic acid (C18:1) with the corresponding yields of 51.69% and 20.55% of total fatty acids, respectively.ConclusionsOnly the nitrate deficiency and the high intensity of light can influence the microalgal lipids production. The corresponding fatty acid methyl esters composition is very suitable for biodiesel production. Lipids extraction is efficient only over long periods of time when using a solvent with a 2/1 chloroform/methanol ratio.

Highly active and stable Fe3O4/Au nanoparticles supporting lipase catalyst for biodiesel production from waste tomato

Snowman-like Fe3O4/Au nanoparticles (NPs), made up of small Au nanoparticles grown on larger magnetite NPs, were used to directly bond lipase (E.C.3.1.1.3) from Thermomyces lanuginosus (TL), through physical interactions including interfacial activation. Immobilized lipase was able to hydrolyse olive oil triglycerides with high activity (up to 109%, activity of the immobilized enzyme compared to that of its free form, at pH = 7, standard deviation (SD) of 2.1). Improved stability, derived from gold based NPs, was observed with temperature and pH (e.g. 334.9% at pH = 8.5, …). Specifically, snowman-like NPs were used to catalyse the transesterification of tomato seed oil and their activity was compared with that obtained with the free enzyme and the enzyme immobilized on Fe3O4 NPs alone. At a lipase concentration of 20%, reaction temperature of 45 °C, oil/methanol ratio 1:6 obtained by adding two times methanol to a 1:1 M initial solution, with a reaction time of 24 h, immobilized lipase exhibits a remarkable biodiesel yield of 98.5%. In particular, it shows the following: fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) composition in accordance to that of the extracted tomato seed oil; ester (97.2% ± 0.26) and linolenic methyl ester (4.3% ± 0.22 contents) in compliance with EN14103 methods and in agreement with EN14124 requirements. The highest activity was observed at a molar ratio oil/methanol of 1:6 M. It is worth noting, that in transesterification reactions, in contrast with the behaviour shown for hydrolysis, lipase anchored on snowman-like NPs results more active than on magnetite alone. The immobilized lipase activity stays above 84% after three cycles of use, showing an excellent reusability also due to the stabilizing effect of gold.

Semi-continuous cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris using chicken compost as nutrients source: Growth optimization study and fatty acid composition analysis

In the present study, cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris was extensively explored under semi-continuous approach to enhance its growth. The microalgae were cultivated in a photobioreactor supplemented with compost derived from chicken waste as an alternative nutrients source in both batch and semi-continuous cultivations. It was found that Chlorella vulgaris grew well up to 17 cycles of semi-continuous cultivation based on the following conditions for each cycle (3 days per cycle): 30% (v/v) removal of cultivation medium and 0.04 L/L of chicken compost in cultivation medium of pH 3. The average biomass productivity attained through these conditions was 0.0736 g/L/day, which was higher than batch cultivation (0.0568 g/L/day). Besides, the average total lipid content from each cycle under semi-continuous cultivation was maintained in the range of 25–35 wt%. The success of lipid extraction from the microalgae biomass was evidenced by the result of Fourier Transform Infrared Red (FT-IR) analysis that revealed lower peak intensity of carbon, especially in the range 2809–3012 cm−1 after lipid extraction. It was also worthwhile to mention that the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) compositions of Chlorella vulgaris consisted mainly of C16:0 and C18:3 that were not significantly altered during the semi-continuous cultivation. Both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in the harvested biomass accounted for approximately 26.3% and 73.3%, respectively, within 5 cycles of the cultivation.

Nutraceuticals in Different Varieties of Cowpeas

Eight varieties which comprise of three indigenous cowpeas {Vigna vexillata (otili), Stenocarpa stylosa (feregede), and Phaseolus vulgaris (kokondo)} Glycine max (soya beans), and the four new hybrids of Vigna unguiculata (big white, small white, drum, and honey beans) were analyzed for proximate, elemental, methyl fatty acid, total flavonoids, total phenolic contents and anti-oxidant contents. AOCA standard method was used for proximate analysis, the methanolic extracts of the cowpea were analysed for fatty acid and fatty acid methyl ester composition by Gas Chromatography- Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID). The Ferric Ion Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), Total Antioxidant Content (TAC) and 2,2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assays were used to measure the antioxidant activities of the samples. Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) and Total Phenolic Content (TPC) were also determined. The result shows that sample A has a balance proportion of food chemical composition and sample H (Phaseolus vulgaris) is richest in Na, Zn, Mg, Mn while sample D (Big white cowpeas) is the richest in Cu. The result of fatty acids shows sample A (soya beans) as the richest in the essential fatty acids C18:3n6 ϒ-LinolenicAcid(1.66%), C18:3n3 α-Linolenic Acid (4.86%), C22:2 cis-13, 16-Docosadienoic Acid(5.84%) (omega 3 and 6 fatty acids), while the indigenous Cowpeas were rich in the healthy monosaturated Fatty acids in an appreciable percentage and the commonest saturated fatty acids in plants (Palmitic and Stearic fatty acids only). Only sample E has essential fatty acids out of the four hybrids.

An in situ method for synthesis of magnetic nanomaterials and efficient harvesting for oleaginous microalgae in algal culture

An in situ approach for magnetic nanomaterial synthesis and harvesting of oleaginous Chlorella sp. HQ in an algal culture was explored. Fe-based nanomaterials were synthesized by an in situ reduction reaction using NaBH4 and FeCl3∙6H2O in an algal culture. The various reactant molar ratios and the reaction system of a water solution or an algal culture determined the different formation pathways of magnetic nanomaterials. With the optimal reactant molar ratio of 2:1, this in situ magnetic harvesting method obtained a high harvesting efficiency in a broad pH and temperature range and different algal concentration levels with cost of $505 US per ton of algal biomass harvested. During this in situ process, the algal antioxidant defense system efficiently eliminated the cellular reactive oxygen species caused by nanomaterials via catalase and superoxide dismutase. Fatty acid methyl ester composition analysis indicated that the Fe-based nanomaterials affected the relative contents of several components, but the predominant types were still palmitic acid (C16:0), linoleic acid (C18:2) and γ-linoleic acid (C18:3), which were suitable for biofuel production. Additionally, the recycled cultivation medium maintained normal algal cell growth within 18 days after the biomass had reached the harvesting level. This novel in situ method has promising potential for the harvest of oleaginous microalgae with good biocompatibility.

Quantification and characterisation of fatty acid methyl esters in microalgae: Comparison of pretreatment and purification methods

A systematic qualitative and quantitative analysis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) is crucial for microalgae species selection for biodiesel production. The aim of this study is to identify the best method to assess microalgae FAMEs composition and content. A single-step method, was tested with and without purification steps—that is, separation of lipid classes by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) or solid-phase extraction (SPE). The efficiency of a direct transesterification method was also evaluated. Additionally, the yield of the FAMEs and the profiles of the microalgae samples with different pretreatments (boiled in isopropanol, freezing, oven-dried and freeze-dried) were compared. The application of a purification step after lipid extraction proved to be essential for an accurate FAMEs characterisation. The purification methods, which included TLC and SPE, provided superior results compared to not purifying the samples. Freeze-dried microalgae produced the lowest FAMEs yield. However, FAMEs profiles were generally equivalent among the pretreatments.

ANFIS models for prediction of biodiesel fuels cetane number using desirability function

Cetane number (CN) is one of the most important properties of a fuel and indicates its ignition delay in combustion process. The aim of this study is to model and predict the cetane number of biodiesel from its fatty acid methyl esters composition using ANFIS technique. The input variables were the number of biodiesel fuels’ double bonds (dn), and their molar weight (Mw). For designing ANFIS models, three fuzzy inference systems (FIS) structures were generated: grid partition, subtractive clustering and fuzzy c-means (FCM). Comparison of the developed models was performed by statistical criteria, such as coefficient of determination (R2), root mean squared error (RMSE), standard deviation of error (STD) and mean absolute percent error (MAPE) coupled with desirability function. The obtained results showed that the maximum coefficient of determination is related to grid partition FIS (pimf) and ranges from 0.939 to 0.951 for various data. The minimum values of RMSE, STD and MAPE criteria varied in 3.62–3.91, 2.85–3.92 and 0.53–5.19 ranges, respectively. According to the obtained ANFIS models, it can be concluded that all models have a good potential to determine the cetane number of biodiesel fuel. Consequently, the results showed that the ANFIS models developed by grid partition FIS (pimf) and fuzzy c-means (FCM) technique have a higher final desirability of 0.857 and 0.718, respectively.

Palm H-FAME Production through Partially Hydrogenation using Nickel/Carbon Catalyst to Increase Oxidation Stability

One of the methods to improve the oxidation stability of palm biodiesel is through partially hydrogenation. The production using Nickel/Carbon catalyst to speed up the reaction rate. Product is called Palm H-FAME (Hydrogenated FAME). Partial hydrogenation breaks the unsaturated bond on FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester), which is a key component of the determination of oxidative properties. Changes in FAME composition by partial hydrogenation are predicted to change the oxidation stability so it does not cause deposits that can damage the injection system of diesel engine, pump system, and storage tank. Partial hydrogenation is carried out under operating conditions of 120 °C and 6 bar with 100:1, 100:3, 100:5, 100:10 % wt catalyst in the stirred batch autoclave reactor. H-FAME synthesis with 100:5 % wt Ni/C catalyst can decrease the iodine number which is the empirical measure of the number of unsaturated bonds from 91.78 to 82.38 (g-I2/100 g) with an increase of oxidation stability from 585 to 602 minutes.

Synthesis of kemiri sunan (reutealis trisperma (blanco) airy shaw) H-FAME through partially hydrogenation using Ni/C catalyst to increase oxidation stability

Hydrogenated FAME (H-FAME) synthesis of Kemiri Sunan (Reutealis Trisperma (Blanco) Airy Shaw) using Nickel/Carbon catalyst is one of the methods to improve the oxidation stability of Kemiri Sunan biodiesel. The partial hydrogenation reaction breaks the unsaturated bond on FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester), which is a key component of the determination of oxidative properties. Changes in FAME composition by partial hydrogenation reaction are predicted to change the oxidation stability, so it does not cause deposits that can damage the diesel engine injection system, pump system, and storage tank. Partial hydrogenation reaction is under conditions of 120 °C and 6 bars with 100:1, 100:5, 100:10 % wt catalyst in the stirred semi-batch autoclave reactor. H-FAME synthesis with 100:5 % wt Ni/C catalyst can decrease the iodine number which is the empirical measure of the number of unsaturated bonds from 166.77 to 155.64 (g-I2/100 g) with an increase of oxidation stability from 650 to 665 minutes.

Harvesting Environmental Microalgal Blooms for Remediation and Resource Recovery: A Laboratory Scale Investigation with Economic and Microbial Community Impact Assessment.

A laboratory based microflotation rig termed efficient FLOtation of Algae Technology (eFLOAT) was used to optimise parameters for harvesting microalgal biomass from eutrophic water systems. This was performed for the dual objectives of remediation (nutrient removal) and resource recovery. Preliminary experiments demonstrated that chitosan was more efficient than alum for flocculation of biomass and the presence of bacteria could play a positive role and reduce flocculant application rates under the natural conditions tested. Maximum biomass removal from a hyper-eutrophic water retention pond sample was achieved with 5 mg·L−1 chitosan (90% Chlorophyll a removal). Harvesting at maximum rates showed that after 10 days, the bacterial diversity is significantly increased with reduced cyanobacteria, indicating improved ecosystem functioning. The resource potential within the biomass was characterized by 9.02 μg phosphate, 0.36 mg protein, and 103.7 μg lipid per mg of biomass. Fatty acid methyl ester composition was comparable to pure cultures of microalgae, dominated by C16 and C18 chain lengths with saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Finally, the laboratory data was translated into a full-size and modular eFLOAT system, with estimated costs as a novel eco-technology for efficient algal bloom harvesting.

Evaluation of Some Medicinal Herbs Cold Pressed Oils According Their Physicochemical Properties with Chemometry

In this study, we investigated the effects of cold pressed oil on physicochemical properties of milk thistle ( Silybum marianum ), anise seed ( Pimpinella anisum ), fennel seed ( Foeniculum vulgare ), terebinth ( Pistacia terebinthus ), coriander ( Coriandrum sativum ) and nettle seed ( Urtica dioica ). Selected oils from Central Anatolia Regions, were investigated in terms of the fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) compositions, peroxide value (PV), free fatty acid (FFA), refraction index (RI) at 40 ° C and oilseed yields. The data obtained from the analyses were evaluated chemometrically. The diagrams obtained by basic component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). According to PCA and HCA results, selected seed oils have different properties in terms of FAME, FFA, PV and RI. This suggests that each oil originates from the physicochemical properties of its unique pharmacological properties. As a result, in this study, data on the physicochemical properties of oils obtained from six medicinal plants was given. These results indicate that the seeds of the Central Anatolian region can be used as acceptable raw materials for herbal natural support products. These analyses can be used in order to assure the purity and quality parameters of seed oils. And FAME, PV, FFA and RI data can be good parameters to determine any adulteration to these oils by chemometric analysis.

Fruit Pits Recovered from 14 Genotypes of Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) as Potential Biodiesel Feedstock

Kernels recovered from fruit pits of 14 apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) genotypes are tested for future application as feedstock for biodiesel production. The difference between the lowest and the highest oil yield between studied samples is over twofold and reached between 27.1 and 58.7% (w/w) dw. The oleic and linoleic acids are the two dominant fatty acids in apricot kernel oils; however, their content is affected meaningfully by the variety and amounted to 38.5–67.2 and 26.4–54.8%, respectively. Two significant correlations (p &lt; 0.000005) are found between oil yield in kernels of different apricot genotypes and two fatty acids, oleic and linoleic (r = 0.947 and r = −0.927, respectively). The biodiesel parameters of 14 apricot genotypes are calculated empirically according to previously developed equations based on the fatty acid methyl esters composition of the potential feedstock. The European biodiesel standards of kinematic viscosity, cetane number, density, and iodine value are met for 13 investigated samples. The exception was noted for genotype HL PSŠ 5. The recorded differences between minimum and maximum value of individual biodiesel parameters calculated empirically for various apricot genotypes differed as follows: 0.20 mm2 s−1 (kinematic viscosity), 4.9 (cetane number), 0.06 MJ kg−1 (higher heating value), 0.0028 g cm−3 (density), 15.6 I2/100 g (iodine value), 1.67 °C (CFPP), and 2.15 h (induction period). The logarithmic regression model in comparison to linear regression model, better expressed the relationship between physicochemical properties of biofuel and the ΣPUFA/(ΣSFA + ΣMUFA) ratio. To confirm the usefulness of the applied empirical equations for biodiesel parameters prediction of the apricot feedstock, five cold‐pressed apricot kernel oils of different origin and with a varied composition of fatty acids are tested experimentally and compared with the values calculated empirically.Practical Applications: Apricot kernels have limited use in food industry due to a high content of the amygdalin. Therefore, application of apricot kernels as potential feedstock for the biodiesel production seems to be reasonable, especially due rich oil yield (up to even 60%). In this paper the impact of the apricot genotype on the potential application in the biodiesel industry as well as the relationship between the oil yield and apricot biodiesel quality is described. Obtained biodiesel parameters of 14 apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) genotype oils can help estimate the economic perspectives of utilization as a potential energy source. The present study may contribute to the more targeted use of the apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) kernels and promotes the efficient management of the plant material and environmental sustainability.Kernels recovered from fruit pits of 14 apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) genotypes are tested for future application as feedstock for biodiesel production. High oil yield 27–58.7% (w/w) dw and predomination of the oleic and linoleic acids 38.5–67.2 and 26.4–54.8%, respectively, is recorded in the tested genotypes. The European biodiesel standards of kinematic viscosity, cetane number, density, and iodine value are met for all investigated samples, with the exception of genotype HL PSŠ 5.