COLONY SHEATH REDUCTION FOR IMPROVED HYDROCARBON RECOVERY FROM BOTRYOCOCCUS BRAUNII

Abstract

Botryococcus braunii is a green microalga that has the potential to serve as an alternative aviation fuel due to its hydrocarbon production. Two methods were proposed to increase hydrocarbon recovery and reduce the energy required for pretreatment for solvent extraction: saltwater culture and hot water rinsing. Saltwater culture was explored as a pretreatment for n-hexane extraction from race A B. braunii, which previously had only been applied to race B. It was discovered that saltwater culture could also be applied to race A, as colonies with increased salt concentration also showed a thinner colony sheath, resulting in improved hydrocarbon recovery rates. Meanwhile, the hot water rinsing method was evaluated as a pretreatment for B. braunii race B and was found to reduce the temperature requirement from 85°C. Hydrocarbon recovery was significantly increased by thinning the colony sheaths after nine rinses with 70°C hot water. These two pretreatment methods show potential for enhancing hydrocarbon extractability from B. braunii, which could aid in the development of an alternative aviation fuel