Analysis and design of expert system for microalgae production to produce biofuel

Abstract

Microalgae are third-generation (3G) biomass sources to produce biofuel. The microalgae process to produce bio-oil consist of several activities such as cultivation, dewatering, and extraction. The cultivation of microalgae mainly using the Open Raceway Pond (ORP) with paddlewheel operation. The dewatering process using the centrifugation and drum filtration reduced the concentration of microalgae slurry to 20%. Furthermore, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) was used to extract to the bio-crude. Dissemination tools are needed to deliver knowledge of the microalgae production from cultivation to bioenergy In this research, the expert system was proposed to help the practitioner to apply the microalgae production. The methods used in this research consist of knowledge acquisition, knowledge representation, and development of the inference engine. The result of this study was the knowledge-based expert system for microalgae production. The expert system could help the practitioner in the preparation process of the microalgae cultivation.