Waste molasses alone displaces glucose-based medium for microalgal fermentation towards cost-saving biodiesel production.
Waste molasses alone displaces glucose-based medium for microalgal fermentation towards cost-saving biodiesel production.
- Bioresource Technology, 102(11), p.6487-6493, 2011 .
The by-product of sugar refinery-waste molasses was explored as alternative to glucose-based medium of Chlorella protothecoides in this study. Enzymatic hydrolysis is required for waste molasses suitable for algal growth. Waste molasses hydrolysate was confirmed as a sole source of full nutrients to totally replace glucose-based medium in support of rapid growth and high oil yield from algae. Under optimized conditions, the maximum algal cell density, oil content, and oil yield were respectively 70.9 g/L, 57.6 per cent, and 40.8 g/L. The scalability of the waste molasses-fed algal system was confirmed from 0.5 L flasks to 5 L fermenters. The quality of biodiesel from waste molasses-fed algae was probably comparable to that from glucose-fed ones. Economic analysis indicated the cost of oil production from waste molasses-fed algae reduced by 50 per cent. Significant cost reduction of algal biodiesel production through fermentation engineering based on the approach is expected.
WASTE MOLASSES
MICROALGA CHLORELLA PROTOTHECOIDES
OIL
BIODIESEL
The by-product of sugar refinery-waste molasses was explored as alternative to glucose-based medium of Chlorella protothecoides in this study. Enzymatic hydrolysis is required for waste molasses suitable for algal growth. Waste molasses hydrolysate was confirmed as a sole source of full nutrients to totally replace glucose-based medium in support of rapid growth and high oil yield from algae. Under optimized conditions, the maximum algal cell density, oil content, and oil yield were respectively 70.9 g/L, 57.6 per cent, and 40.8 g/L. The scalability of the waste molasses-fed algal system was confirmed from 0.5 L flasks to 5 L fermenters. The quality of biodiesel from waste molasses-fed algae was probably comparable to that from glucose-fed ones. Economic analysis indicated the cost of oil production from waste molasses-fed algae reduced by 50 per cent. Significant cost reduction of algal biodiesel production through fermentation engineering based on the approach is expected.
WASTE MOLASSES
MICROALGA CHLORELLA PROTOTHECOIDES
OIL
BIODIESEL